Intentional Medication Nonadherence Because of Interactive Toxicity Beliefs Among HIV-Positive Active Drug Users.

Drug use poses significant challenges to medical management of HIV infection. While most research has focused on the influence of intoxication on unintentional adherence to HIV treatment, drug use may also lead to intentional non-adherence, particularly when individuals believe that mixing medications with drugs is harmful. This study examined whether interactive toxicity beliefs predict non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) over a prospective period of adherence monitoring. Men and women living with HIV who screened positive for drug use and were being treated with ART (N=530) completed computerized self-interviews, three prospective unannounced pill counts to measure ART adherence, provided urine specimens for drug screening, and HIV viral load results from medical records. Results showed that 189 (35%) participants indicated that they intentionally miss their ART when they are using drugs. These participants also reported common beliefs regarding the perceived hazards of mixing HIV medications with alcohol and other drugs. Multivariable models that controlled for demographic and health characteristics, as well as frequency of alcohol use, showed that intentional non-adherence predicted poorer ART adherence over the prospective month and also predicted poorer treatment outcomes as indexed by unsuppressed HIV viral load. These findings extend previous research to show that interactive toxicity beliefs and intentional non-adherence play a significant role in medication non-adherence for a substantial number of people living with HIV and should be actively addressed in HIV clinical care.