T-Cells and Crystal
Dear Dr. Dick:
I'm HIV+ and my doctor says crystal is bad for my HIV. But when I'm getting high, my T-cells stay up. Then when I stop using, my T-cells drop. Does this mean that crystal somehow revs up my immune system?
- Sam on Summit Avenue
Well, Sam, many guys notice the same thing. But a lot of guys see their T-cells drop when they're using speed. Some guys see no change at all.
Here's why:
There's nothing about speed that causes your body to make more T-cells. Or keep them around longer. But the stress of a high does seem to cause more T-cells to move into your blood away from other tissues in your body. And since your T-cell count comes from a blood test, it might look like you have more T-cells. But you probably don't. They may have just moved around a little.
Crystal may "rev up" other body systems, but it does NOT make your immune system work harder. In fact, speed actually makes your T-cells weaker! Crystal makes it harder for T-cells to fight off viruses, bacteria, etc and to grow new T-cells. A double whammy! And the more you use speed, the worse the damage gets.
Also, T-cells go up and down all the time. Stress easily lowers T-cells. And there's a lot of stress in not eating, sleeping, drinking enough water... or even picking up a nice case of syphilis. Sound familiar? So your T-cells may drop. But they also might bounce back again.
HIV meds are another problem. Your T-cells can also drop if you don't stick to your meds schedule. Every day, on time, exactly the way the doctor told you. Drug resistance can develop easily.
And finally, one T-cells count isn't enough. You need to look at several counts over time. And T-cells are just one small piece of your immune puzzle. You can't tell how "healthy" you are just by T-cells. You and your doctor will use many different tests to do that.
So your doctor is right- crystal really not great for HIV. But it is good to tell your doctor about your drug use so you can make the best decisions about your HIV.
DOCTOR'S ORDERS!
Until next time, Dick
