Antiviral side effect?

[ash2018]

Hi all!

 

Has anyone ever experienced swollen glands/sore throat on and off as a side effect of taking antivirals? For me I'm more so having swollen/sore glands in my neck than a sore throat. I've read that while not too common these can be side effects of antivirals. I first noticed awollen lymph nodes in my neck two weeks ago because they were tender (probably more tender than swollen). At that point I was on valtrex and had upped the dosage to 500mg twice a day per my doc - she attributed the random zingers and weird symptoms I had been having to the virus being active. I upped it more as a way to prove her wrong because I didn't think that was it, in fact I thought valtrex was causing them. I switched to acyclovir after that, a week and a half ago, 400mg twice a day. My tender glands are still here and are more tender on and off - I think they've been more tender honestly since experimenting and upping the dose to three times a day to see if that helped the vulvar burning I've been having. I had read that's a good way to test if a symptom is H related, by seeing if the antivirals help it, so I upped the dose. My doc thinks the virus is "active" with all of my weird symptoms and gave me quite a supply to play with the dosage.

 

I don't want to go off of suppressives but it is frustrating that I have all of these weird symptoms since starting the antivrials over a month ago

 

Thoughts anyone?

 

Thanks in advance!

[ash2018]

Also, I have a lot of generalized achiness and fatigue. The fatigue was worse when I first switched meds and has subsided some. I'm tempted to go back to valtrex - I have a bunch of random symptoms now that I didn't really have before, and no less prodromes.

[Katidid]

@ash2018 I know you are really struggling with this. Gosh, I have no clue what the heck is going on with you. So, your first outbreak was this June or last June? If this June, I guess your body could still be struggling to fight the virus. If it was June of last year, I think I would be looking into another cause. I'm so sorry you are having such a hard time with this. I understand completely as you are planning a wedding and obviously wanting to continue relations with your fiance'. Have you had a complete blood work up done? Not related to herpes, I mean. I think I would just to make sure everything else is in check. Also, because you are so stressed, you may be keeping yourself under constant virus activation (for lack of another word). Have you tried regular massage for helping relax? Just throwing that out there. Planning a wedding, dealing with the H among other stressors could just be keeping you really tense and your nerves flared.

[ash2018]

@Katidid that makes two of us! What I do know is this:

1. My first outbreak was June. I had just started my period after finishing the first pack of a new birth control pill. I noticed the sores 6/5, I thought I had cut myself itching with my long nails as they were preceded by me scratching when I felt an itch. An ordinary itch that went away when I scratched. My only symptoms initially were the open areas and a swollen lymph node in my left groin - both noticed 6/5. I started with random vulvar discomfort/burning later that week

2. I had NO prodrome symptoms until starting 1000mg of valtrex twice a day, I started that 6/22, when I finally got the diagnosis. IgG was checked on 6/27 was +HSV1 9.48 - so clearly not a new infection

3. My prodromes mostly disappeared when I cut back to the 500mg daily valtrex dosage after 10 days on the high dose

4. Even with most of the prodromes gone, I had stumbled across your post and read about your vulvar discomfort, and thought maybe I could try switching to acyclovir and see if my random vulvar discomfort (strictly right sided, as if a line is down the middle, strange since my OB was on the left by my rectal area) gets better

5. Went back up to 1000mg valtrex for 5 days to appease the midwife whom contributed my symptoms to the virus, prodromes increased some and still had vulvar discomfort. Saw the midwife 7/20, all "looked" good, and I got her to let me try acyclovir. I was pretty fatigued feeling the first few days of the switch

6. Back on 7/17 randomly noticed neck tenderness and possible swollen nodes which seemed to have decreased by the time I saw the midwife (7/20)

7. Prodromes have felt like they've increased with the acyclovir, and also vulvar burning has increased. This has also been my period week, so ? hormones vs meds. I am on birth control, and I DID notice the prodromes increase in the 5 or 6 days I was on acyclovir prior to my period starting

8. I have had on and off neck tenderness and muscle fatigue, increased after switching to acyclovir

 

I feel like if I could just *feel* normal I would be in a better place mentally. It would allow me to see that things can be normal again - physically and intimately. I have some days when I'm okay and others when I get down. I did seek out the help of a therapist through a work program that provides a few free sessions to employees - all done through a third party and confidential. I have trouble reconciling my life before and my life now. I felt so carefree prior to this and now every thing I feel or see I question. Since diagnosis I've had a tiny shave bump that freaked me out. I also had an ingrown hair that it was hard not to automatically think could be H. My thighs have ached or itched and I've thought H, my lower back has itched and same thought. Every little thing.

 

I haven't been able to focus on and enjoy my wedding planning like I should be, and that definitely gets me down. It's supposed to be one of the happiest and most exciting times of my life! I worry about outbreaks; what if I get one around the wedding or honeymoon. I worry about worrying - I don't want to worry that every little thing that I do (i.e. not using enough lube, shaving, wiping too hard, eating certain foods, drinking certain drinks, etc) will trigger an outbreak. Hence one of the reasons why I'm opting for suppressive therapy right now.

 

My fiancé truly doesn't make a big deal out of it, which is great. But at the same time he really doesn't understand why it impacts me as much as it does. Which again, I think right now is all coming back to wanting to feel normal physically and all of the worries that I have.

 

I am seeing my specialist NP 8/9, to see if she can help me with the vulvar discomfort. She helped me become pain free a number of years ago after I finally got a diagnosis of vestibulodynia. I'm hopeful that she can help me again.

 

I have thought of trying to make an appt with my primary doctor and just getting the achy glands checked out, see what she thinks. See if she wants to do any lab work. Maybe I'll call tomorrow and see if I can get in anytime soon, they're usually horrible to get in with. I did get a massage last Sunday! Oddly enough my muscles are tenser now than they were beforehand. In the mean time I'm going to have to debate the antivirals and which I should take

 

Thank you for taking the time to reply to me @Katidid!

[Katidid]

@ash2018 I started a hormone vaginal cream for dryness at the same time I started valtrex. So I experienced the exact same thing you did vulvar pain (Right side) nerves going crazy!! Once I stopped the cream and did the switch to acyclovir it all settled. I went to gyn I and had them check for vulvadynia (sp) and they found nothing. Hope you get to the bottom of this and things settle. I wonder if it's birth control and anti viral mix! Can you switch to a different birth control or go off temporarily just to see??

[ash2018]

@Katidid I'm going to discuss that with my NP at my appt on 8/9. She was pretty specific when she started me on the pill about how much hormones she thought I would be okay with without causing me pain. When I switched, it was *not* her who switched me - another thing I kick myself for. I had an ovarian cyst and needed to follow up with a gyn, I was told I couldn't see an NP for a cyst that it had to be an MD. Which I should have questioned further. She was on a leave anyway though so I couldn't have seen her either way. So a different doc switched me to a different kind of pill due to my cyst