[Lysine vs arginine and herpes symptoms?]

On 7/8/2022 at 5:37 PM, CSS1988 said:

Lysine is an amino acid, it competes in the body with another amino acid called arginine. Arginine is found in nuts, meats, fish, dairy among other things. Arginine is a key amino acid for the production of nitric oxide which helps in many bodily functions.

I have been weight lifting and running my entire adult life (I’m 34). When I found out I had contracted HSV-2 I started doing all the frantic research I could. There are several myths/facts about foods that “can” cause outbreaks. Chocolate, peanuts, excess sugar, alcohol (alcohol is my number 1 trigger for outbreaks) are all things that people say cause outbreaks.

They say to take Lysine as a supplement because lysine competes with arginine. HSV needs arginine to function. So In theory, if you  reduce your bodies arginine levels you reduce the viruses ability to function. Well, hold on a second, because arginine is a very important amino acid and maybe it’s reduction is worse than it’s abundance.

Before I contracted HSV-2 I used to take arginine as a supplement. I also would take nitric oxide which is a combination of arginine and citrulline amino acids. Once I heard about arginine helping HSV I tossed out all my supplies. After about 2 years I did some research into HSV and nitric oxide supplements. Some people had no issues at all. So I decided to take arginine and nitric oxide again. I did not notice an increase in outbreaks or an increase in the intensity of outbreaks. I was on arginine for 6 months during a great season of working out. I was extremely disciplined when it came to zero excess sugar and drank plenty of water and took daily vitamins. I felt great, looked great and had very little symptoms at all. 
 

I have tried taking daily lysine supplements for about 8 months and did not notice a reduction or increase of symptoms.

Thanks for sharing. I am new to this and just had positive hsv1 and 2 two days ago.

My question is : does lysine cause any digestive issue or symptoms like diarrhea? I've been working out for a long time  as well and know I have lactose intolerance and a very sensitive bowl. For example, 40mg magnesium will definitely give me a run to washroom.