Including | Alcohol, body building drugs and injected non-prescribed drugs. |
Obligatory | Must not donate if: a) Has ever injected, or has been injected with, drugs; even a long time ago or only once. This includes bodybuilding drugs.
b) Adversely affected by any drug, including alcohol, which may affect the process of obtaining valid consent. This may be until the next session, or permanently, if the donor's behaviour is likely to constitute a hazard to other donors or to staff.
c) Less than seven days from taking disulfiram (Antabuse®). |
Discretionary | a) May be acceptable if injected drugs were prescribed by the donor's physician for a condition that would not lead to exclusion.
b) Previous use of non-injected drugs does not necessarily require exclusion. |
See if Relevant | Blood Safety Entry
For alcohol related problems: Cirrhosis |
Additional Information | Injecting drug users represent one of the groups of individuals within whom emerging infections have spread before they have been recognized. This was the case with HIV and HCV infection. Because of this, the law requires that they are permanently excluded from becoming donors. It can be many years before any infection shows itself. Former drug users often do not realize that they can pass infection on to others many years after they last used drugs themselves.
Anyone obviously affected by alcohol, or other drugs that can affect the mind, cannot give valid consent or fully understand why they are being asked certain questions. They can be a danger to themselves and to others.
Disulfiram (Antabuse®) may cause severe reactions in a recipient whose blood contains alcohol. |
Information | Part of this entry is a requirement of the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005. |
Reason for change | An 'Obligatory' entry has been added for donors who have taken disulfiram (Antabuse®) in the last seven days.
A link has been added to 'Cirrhosis'. |
Donor Information | If you wish to obtain more information regarding a personal medical issue please contact your National Help Line.
Please do not contact this web site for personal medical queries, as we are not in a position to provide individual answers. |