Charlie Sheen stops taking HIV medication

13 January 2016 - 13:43 By Bang Showbiz

Charlie Sheen has admitted he is no longer taking his HIV medication and now has detectable traces of HIV in his blood. The 50-year-old actor admitted in a pre-taped segment for an appearance on The Dr Oz Show that he had stopped the treatment his own doctor had advised him on and was seeking alternative treatment in Mexico, under the care of Dr Sam Chachoua. He said: ''I'm been off my meds for about a week now. Am I risking my life? Sure. So what? I was born dead. That part of it doesn't bother me at all.'' Dr Chachoua is working on a HIV vaccine and is so confident about his work that he injected some of Sheen's blood into himself. He told Dr Oz: ''I drew some blood from him and I injected myself with it and I said, 'Charlie, if I don't know what I'm doing, then we're both in trouble now aren't we?''' Speaking about the treatment, Sheen said: ''I didn't see it as Russian roulette. I didn't see it as a complete dismissal of the conventional course we've been on. I'm not recommending that anyone - I'm presenting myself as a type of guinea pig.'' However, he admitted that he now has detectable traces of HIV in his blood, after previously having an undetectable amount. He said: ''I'm a little off my game because right before I walked out here, I got some results I was disappointed about. I had been non-detectable, non-detectable and checking the blood every week and then found out the numbers are back up.''And Sheen's personal physician, Dr Robert Huizenga, admitted he was upset about Sheen's recent decisions about his health. He said: ''It would just break my heart if you did anything where you threw that opportunity ... away and went back to where we were several decades ago. It would just break my heart if we were to risk returning to that horrible part of our history.'' Sheen said at the end of the show that he is planning to start taking his medication again but it is not clear if he intends following through. ..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.