I used to do meth and learned I was positive in 2004. I got clean in 2006 and started seeing a doctor and taking nutritional supplements to try to overcome years of bad nutrition on drugs.

I still had problems with memory, thinking, and body twitching so I tried a magnesium supplement, which worked wonders and quickly, though my doctor seemed skeptical about it all.

My cd4's have stayed steady around 500 but over the last 6 months my viral load has suddenly jumped from 6500 to 45000 so I'm back online trying to understand the change and whether it is normal. I've seen references online to hiv being magnesium dependent but I dont know if this means anything for me.

Can nutritional supplements like magnesium increase my viral load? Should I be concerned about the sudden change in my numbers? Lastly, how serious should I get with supplements? A lot of what I read advocates all kinds of supplements to increase t cells and stay healthy, and other sources say just stick to selenium and a multi. Any advice is appreciated and thanks for all of the great work you guys do :)

I am not aware of a scientific association or explanation between magnesium supplementation and increased viral load. I also don't react to a single viral load increase and look to see if upon repeat the increase is consistent and therefore real. Many things are associated with transient increases in viral load (like other infections, immunizations, among others). As long as you are eating a relatively healthy diet, I would just stick to the multivitamin.