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From: dgreen@squid.cs.ucla.edu (Dan R. Greening)
Newsgroups: soc.motss,sci.med.aids
Subject: Re: AIDS and Drugs
Keywords: AIDS drugs
Message-ID: <34172@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Date: 13 Apr 90 13:43:19 GMT
References: <90Apr12.131553edt.10055@neat.cs.toronto.edu> <2830@milton.acs.washington.edu> <1990Apr12.203218.26408@ecn.purdue.edu> <2469@ursa-major.SPDCC.COM>
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dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.COM (Steve Dyer) writes:
>mel@iies.ecn.purdue.edu (Meloney D Cregor) writes:

>>Any person on allergy drugs would have a greater chance of contracting
>>AIDS if they were exposed to the HIV virus.
>
>Oh, yeah?  Cite your references.  Balderdash.

Sorry Steve.  Circumstantial evidence suggests it is true.  Many allergy 
medications do down your T-cell response.  Beconase, for example, is supremely
effective at this, which is why you are supposed to stop taking it if you
get a cold.  It is great stuff, but I've also noticed that I'm more
susceptible to infections when I'm on it.

I have been told on occasion to stop taking ANY allergy medications
except Nasalcrom before getting blood-work at NIH.  Why?  Because
anti-histamines and steroids knock down the T-cell response to gp160,
one of the proteins on the HIV-coat.  Why do I know this?  Because it 
happened to me.  I don't think this material is published, though.
I can ask.  Do you really want a reference?

Nasalcrom seems to be OK because it only inhibits mast cell production.

Dan Greening       | NY 914-784-7861 | 12 Foster Court
dgreen@cs.ucla.edu | CA 213-825-2266 | Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520