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HIV, Tina and meds

I am HIV + and on meds. When I party on crystal, should I still take my meds? I wonder about the huge amount of powerful chems going into my body at the same time.
-Michael B

Response from: BRIAN

It’s great that you are making sure that you are taking your medications. The problem is, drug interactions between party drugs and anti-retrovirals has not been adequately been studied. It is known that there are issues with Ecstasy and certain HIV medications that contain Ritonivir.

Your liver is already being heavily challenged with your HIV meds, and mixing the two may have some negative effects on your liver. If you are going to continue to party on crystal, make sure you doctor is monitoring you (as he should be as part of a normal blood work does look at liver enzyme levels).

Hepatitis C co-infection is a risk you will want to avoid as well. Hep. C, can be sexually transmitted during rough unprotected anal sex, (and we know how long we can get fucked on crystal) as well as by sharing needles. It is best not to share needles, or make sure they are properly cleaned between use, and use condoms when fucking (yes I can hear the groans, and yes I know it can be difficult in those situations. I find it challenging as well.)

HIV fortunately is not the ‘death sentence’ of the 80s and early 90s. The result of this is that our livers have to process harsh chemicals for the rest of our lives, creating a demand for liver transplants for those who have lived a long time on these meds. Liver transplants, presently, are not provided for HIV positive people in Canada, so you are stuck with the one you’ve got, and you want to treat it well!

Also, if you are on HIV meds, make sure that you follow the food and water guidelines. Your medication may require to be taken with food in order to be properly absorbed. If not, you won’t be getting the proper amount of the drug, and drug resistance can develop.

It is always important to drink lots of water.

If you are injecting crystal, make sure that you do not share needles, or at least make sure that you are adequately cleaning your syringe.

Ultimately, the best choice for your health is not to use crystal and find ways to party and have sex without drugs.

TIP: There is more information about Tina, HIV and meds on this site. To read more, click here.