HIV?? Snorting cocaine? HIv Outside the body

[toddbenny]

I am going through a stage were i'm constantly paranoid of getting hiv. This past weekend I was at a party. Unfortunatly, I walked into the WRONG room and there were 8 of my friends snorting cocaine. I ussually don't do drugs but I did on Thursday night. I know the status of all of my friends besides the guy that provided the cocaine. Additioanlly he is african-american, and I have been doing a lot of studies that show African americans are more prone to get hiv. However, we are all college students (even the dealer) at a major university in the midwest and I'm sure he is heterosexual.. I'm worried that because we shared the same dollar bill there is a chance i could have gotten HIv. I didn't notice any blood on the dollar bill, and there was probably a ten minute delay between the time he used the bill and I did. Hopefully if there was any blood the ten minute delay would have killed any virus. Addiionally I did a very small amount probably three baby lines. There are some internet sites that warn people not to share the same straw to snort drugs because of hepatitis C, yet we used a dollar bill which would probably make the blood dry faster, if there was any. I'm so scared and I don't know what to do. PLease help. Have you ever heard of people getting HIV this way? We did a a very small amount. 1 gram between 8 people. I'm so scared because I have read some sites that warn people of the dangers.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Relax.  There is no way you can get HIV from sharing coke snorting gear, period.  I'm also skeptical that hepatitis C has ever been transmitted that way.

Best wishes--  HHH, MD

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Your additional comments/questions don't change my previously posted opinion.  You have zero risk of HIV from this even.

I reiterate my understanding of hepatitis C virus transmission.  Dollars to donuts that people who claim HCV transmission by that route are covering up for injection drug use.

Thanks to Alias Lola for her comment. I almost made a similar one in my initial response.

HHH, MD

[moghal]

The question is should I be worried and go for a test as there was one guy who was providing the stuff later in the night when every one was talking and having fun he started to joke around I've got aids,well since then I'm bit worried.
Is there a possibility of catching HIV from dollar bill???????
Please help

[moghal]

I've done the same mistake last week and I'm married and I've a baby girl,we have been drinking and I did this stupid mistake in friends house where there were some people I didn't know

[Omg_x]

A related discussion, Could i Get HIV? was started.

[criss_cat7]

A related discussion, contracting hiv/hepetitis from cocaine straw was started.

[toddbenny]

Last question!!! I assume there wasn't any blood on the bill, but what if there was the smallest bit of blood that went unnoticed? Would it have dried up on the bill and destroyed? Could I then have been exposed? Is there any medical facts you could provide me to ease my worries.

[toddbenny]

SORRY i CAN'T SLEEP. I believe that if hiv was transmitted through using a dollar bill to snort coke many more people would become infected. Is this becuase if hiv blood did land on a dollar bill the virus would be killed immediatly? I'm so sorry for bothering you. It has been a rough day mentally for me. It is 2am and I need to be up by 8am for my psychology class. Weird I'm a head case right now and have to wake up for a psych class. What a perfect world. I hope this doesn't destroy my semester at school.
Your friend
Todd

[Ineed2relax]

Alias Lola ....Thank you for your comment and as far as he orginal poster toddberry you need to back away from the table.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I think you have a common misconception about transmission of infections; you seem to think that any exposure to HIV or another virus will result in infection.  In fact, even exposure to fairly large amounts of HIV, directly into the genital tract--or, as another example, a baby with an HIV-infected mother who swallows HIV several times a day in breast milk--most people don't get infected.  The amount of virus that would contaminate a cocaine-snorting tube (dollar bill, straw, etc) simply isn't going to infec anyone.

The level of anxiety you are experiencing over this really is excessive, it seems to me.  This just isn't worth any worry.

HHH, MD

[Alias Lola]

I'll leave the medical questions to the expert...but I just wanted to comment on something you said.  African-Americans (in and of themselves) are not more "prone" to HIV than anyone else.  Yes, they account for a large portion of HIV cases due to intravenous drug use, etc.,  but they are no more "prone" to it than you or I.

With that said, best of luck.  I'm sure the doctor will ease your worries.

[monkeyflower]

I was under the impression that the connection between recreational drugs and STDs was that you're more likely to engage in riskier behavior (in this case, unprotected sex) while using drugs. I can't imagine you'd contract HIV from a dollar bill or a straw, regardless of whether there was blood on it or not. But if it's possible, the risk must be incredibly low.

[toddbenny]

Sorry to bother you again but new questions keep popping into my mind concerning my issue and i don't want to make you angry by starting a new thread. I have read a number of websites that say there is a risk of getting hepatitis C when sharing a dollar bill to snort cocaine. If there is a risk of getting Hepatitis C, why don't website mention the risk of getting hiv by sharing dollar bills or straws? Hopefully my worries will be eased unless I am trully at a high risk. Thank you

[toddbenny]

Doc,
1. Do you think I should be more worried about unprotected sex or my current concern of sharing a dollar bill to do cocaine? Once again I didn't notice any blood, yet there are websites that say blood can be invisible.
2. Also would I need a lot of the virus to get infected? Because I have seen you write that you need lots of the virus to infect you.
3. Since I didn't notice large amounts of blood, let alone any blood am I at a serious risk? Lastly, I only did a little bit so I don't think I could have caused any bleeding inside my nose.
4. If my nose didn't have any cuts would that eliminate my chances
I'm sorry to bother u but i'm so scared that I made a drunk mistake that is going to cut my life in half