June 30, 2003 Half of U.S. patients infected with HIV use
alternative therapies while taking powerful AIDS cocktails, and
nearly one in four choose alternative treatments that could
interfere with conventional AIDS therapy. And many never share
that information with their doctors, researchers have found in a
recent study. Patients often believe that so-called natural
treatments are helping to keep them healthy and diminishing the
unpleasant side effects of prescription drugs. But megadoses of
vitamins, homeopathic remedies and some herbs can reduce the
effectiveness of antiretroviral drugs. For example, the herbal
antidepressant St. John's wort lowers blood levels of protease
inhibitors, including indinavir (Crixivan) and ritonavir
(Norvir). As a result, the medication can stop working and HIV
can become resistant to antiretrovirals. Garlic can have similar
effects on AIDS drugs, warned Dr. Charles Farthing, medical
director of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Los Angeles. "The
simplest thing is to understan