| The
question and answer below highlights the Virtual Faculty at Jennifer
Jensen's Nutrition Power web site.
Question:Recreational
Drugs and the GI Tract
Although recreational
drugs are not nutritious, they are often consumed through the digestive
system, so I can't help but wonder how MDMA (Ecstasy) and LSD might effect
my HIV and my digestive tract.
Answer: Ken Stringer,
Administrator and Webmaster of Jennifer
Jensen's Nutrition Power web site responds: First of all, Jennifer
Jensen's Nutrition Power cannot condone the taking of illegal substances.
But more important than that, we cannot condone the taking of drugs, illegal
or otherwise, that your doctor does not know about...ESPECIALLY in the
case of HIV-positive people. People living with HIV have plenty of complicated
things happening in their bodies without adding more complications from
poorly studied drugs. And don't overlook the purity and quality control
issues that accompany any drug from an unregulated source. Our position
is, give your body a break and just say unh-unh.
Still, the question does
raise a valid issue and we don't want to sidestep it. Read on for Charlie's
response below.
Charlie Smigelski,
RD, responds: Let me start by saying that I do not know of any safe
way to take recreational drugs like LSD or MDMA, even if they were legal.
The gut has fat and gel layers that protect intestinal cells from damage
by gut acids. Many common over-the-counter items like antacids, cigarettes,
and cocktails irritate and weaken the protective layer. AZT also hassles
it. So the first question is, Would these recreational drugs do it too?
The short answer is, I don't know...but why take the chance?
Next, would these drugs
interfere with anti-HIV medicines? The answer is, "Yes". There are Lancet
and Archives of Internal Medicine articles about the deadly blend of MDMA
or GHB (Gamma- HydroxyButrate) with Protease Inhibitors (PI). The liver
detoxes most psychotropic medicines, prescription or otherwise, so taking
such drugs, together with the PI's overloads the liver and it can't do
its job fully.
Lastly, the effect on
the immune system might be considered. LSD and other recreational drugs
have been linked to a significantly higher risk of non- Hodgkin's lymphoma
in an HIV-negative population in the Los Angeles area. Since this disease
is already on the rise in immune-deficient HIV-positive people, it may
be safe to speculate that there could be a compounding of risk factors.
In other words, when you're walking a tightrope, who needs a push?
Sharon Ann Meyer, AS,
AA, DTR, responds: Concerning recreational substances and prescribed
medications, as Charlie noted, the liver's P450 enzyme system plays a role
in the interaction of medications (especially PIs) and recreational drugs.
PIs can either increase or reduce blood levels of drugs such as Ecstasy
and LSD. Also, recreational drugs such as Ecstasy and LSD may decrease
or increase blood levels of prescribed medications. For more information
on possible interactions between prescribed medications and illegal drugs
please visit Aidsmap.com
and search for "recreational drugs".
People with HIV or AIDS
may have gastrointestinal symptoms associated with HIV itself or the medications
used to treat HIV. Considering the increased incidence of diarrhea and
stomach disorders in HIV-positive people it seems reasonable to think that
recreational substances could add further injury to the already weakened
intestinal cells. Certainly if you have diarrhea you wouldn't want to take
the chance of making it worse by taking another substance that might detrimentally
affect gastrointestinal tissues.
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