INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ANTIRETROVIRAL AND PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS

Abstract

Illicit drug users, which constitute but a minor part of a total population, make a significant proportion of people living with HIV However, being an active drug user is not a criterion for the refusal to provide health care. The present review addresses the issues arising from interactions of illicit narcotic drugs and therapies for HIV infection. At present, the policy of intolerance to illicit drug use and associated ethical and legal issues prevent pharmaceutical companies from conducting trials of interactions between illicit psychoactive drugs and antiretroviral medications. Possible interactions may be inferred only from isolated serendipitous reports, which are usually clinical. At present, there are no models of adherence of drug users to therapy. This may make generally valid recommendations impracticable in specific cases. However, patient’s awareness of drug interactions and their manifestations makes it possible to inform health care providers about them in order to correct dosages, which is important for patient’s state and adherence to treatment and to treatment efficiency.