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Proper use of Anti-Viral Medication


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I've read that anti-vitals once daily will greatly reduce the severity and frequency of outbreaks. I don't believe that this is the best way to use anti-vitals.

 

I believe that it is best to let your own immune system fight the virus on its own. At the first sign of an OB, I introduce the anti-viral twice a day for 7 days as added support when my immune system can't keep the virus in check on its own.

 

I think taking anti-virals daily makes your immune system less capable of defending against the virus on its own.

 

I'm interested in hearing how others use anti-virals.

 

 

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I was diagnosed in jan and had 5 obs...

3 of them being back to back horror.

i started suoressive in early or mid june and have only had one tiny minor ob.

i see ur point... but im gonna stay on the meds for a whilr!

(Also it reduces transnission rates anywhere from 50 to 80% depending on the person, and i have a bf, so i want to keep him safe!!

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@FF1

 

A lot depends on the persons situation

 

1) If you are having severe enough OB's/symptoms that it's keeping you from going about your normal activities and/or causing you a lot of mental anguish, then Suppressive Therapy may be for you.

 

2) If you are engaging in sexual activities (monogamous or not) then Suppressive Therapy may be for you. The CDC states that:

 

Infections are transmitted through contact with lesions, mucosal surfaces, genital secretions, or oral secretions. HSV-1 and HSV-2 can also be shed from skin that looks normal. In persons with asymptomatic HSV-2 infections, genital HSV shedding occurs on 10% of days, and on most of those days the person has no signs or symptoms. [4] Generally, a person can only get HSV-2 infection during sexual contact with someone who has a genital HSV-2 infection. Transmission most commonly occurs from an infected partner who does not have a visible sore and may not know that he or she is infected. [5]

 

So just because your body is managing to keep you from having an OB doesn't mean your partner is "safe" ... and you will never know when you are asymptomatically shedding. I suggest to people that they go on the Antivirals for the first 6 mo to a year of a relationship so that they can relax and enjoy being with the other person without as much anxiety of the possibility of passing it on. Once your relationship is stable enough that you believe that it's got a good chance of "going the distance" then you might have a conversation about how the other person feels about their risk.

 

I for one am single right now so I just pop a pill for a day or so it I am at all suspicious that I have something coming on (maybe 4x/yr ... and half those are likely some other irritation). I've had it 35 yrs so my body has it pretty well under control. However, if I go into a relationship I will go on the meds at least for awhile.

 

I was in a 3 yr relationship where I took the meds the whole time (he was uber paranoid about getting it as he already has skin issues and a weaker immune system and likely would have had bad OB's). He never got it from me and when I came off, I weaned myself off and didn't have any OB's. So it's not a given that you will have severe OB's if you are on them for awhile. Once you have had the virus for awhile the antibodies are in place no matter what.

 

And BTW, I'm not a "pill popper" - I'm a Massage Therapist and I try to avoid medication of any kind ... but I know when to take an Advil (I might go though a small bottle every year because I'm also a dancer and if there's a choice between pain and sleep, I'll take an Advil PM and by the next day I'm out of pain AND well rested ;) ) ... and like you for now, I prefer to only take the anti-virals as needed. But if/when I *finally* meet someone to be intimate with, I will take them to protect THEM until they feel that the minor risk factors are not an issue for them. ;)

 

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