Food, drink and anti-HIV drugs

Anti-HIV drug combinations may demand one of the following changes to your eating habits:

  • Eating at the same time as you take your medication.
  • Avoiding food for up to two hours before or an hour after you take your medicines.
  • Eating or avoiding certain types of food to ensure that you absorb your medication properly.

When you are prescribed a new medicine, you should be told by your doctor or pharmacist if it has any special dietary restrictions. You should also be given written information explaining what these are.

Detailed information about the dietary restrictions of all the currently available anti-HIV drugs is provided in the NAM booklet Nutrition. It is available in most HIV clinics, or you can contact NAM on 020 3242 0820 or at info@nam.org.uk for a free copy.

This content was checked for accuracy at the time it was written. It may have been superseded by more recent developments. NAM recommends checking whether this is the most current information when making decisions that may affect your health.