Home remedy for Herpes... What?!!! *Share your experiences!*

[hsucks]

*Sorry for the novel, but please read!*

I was diagnosed with genital HSV-1 almost exactly a year ago. I have been struggling with severe recurrent outbreaks. It seems like I've had a total of 1 month out of the past year where I wasn't having an outbreak. I changed my lifestyle; no drinking (I'm a 21-year-old in college so this was quite the challenge), eating healthy, exercising 6/7 days of the week, taking vitamins daily, suppressive therapy for 10 months etc. but NOTHING seemed to stop my outbreaks. I switched medication from Valacyclovir (Valtrex) to Acyclovir (Zovirax). Although it did help to reduce the severity of the outbreaks, there was no significant change. My doctor said I wouldn't need to go above and beyond with the "DIY" remedies because the medicine should be doing its job. My doctor also said that it is rare to experience recurrent outbreaks with GHSV-1. Well, I never thought I would get the herps and I never thought I'd be dealing with this sh*t for the rest of my life, but here I am! :) The medicine wasn't working as well as it could have and my 21-year-old body wasn't reacting well to this stubborn virus. So, I started looking up over-the-counter/home remedies to use to reduce the severity and prevent outbreaks via my medical textbooks (I'm specializing in infectious diseases) and the Internet; all in spite of my doctors wishes. I ended up finding so many that I had a hard time picking one to start with. There are 2 remedies that I researched that seemed to be effective and others have claimed to really really work which were: Vitamin E Oil and Oil of Oregano. I tried the Vitamin E Oil (32,000 I.U.) and applied to the outbreak 2 times a day with a cotton pad and practically drenched the area each time. After 3 days of using this, my outbreak has cleared up like you wouldn't even imagine. I'm in shock yet so happy at the same time. Once this outbreak has officially cleared I will try the Oil of Oregano and see how it will compare. Hopefully, it will be even better *fingers crossed*. I wanted to let anybody who looks at this to know, I almost gave up and let this virus take over my life. I cannot even describe how happy I am that I found something that finally works for me. This gives me hope to keep searching for something that will work even better. I want to share my experience with those who are struggling as well. If you have found any home remedy or over-the-counter "medicine" that works for you, please share with us and let all of us know about your experience!!

[RegularGuy]

I totally understand your need to take action to fight for a better degree of control, I am much the same in my mentality.

However, I personally don't support the use of home remedies to treat herpes outbreaks (I am by no means a medical professional, and my opinions are my own). I think that especially the use of topically applied treatment increases the risk of spreading the virus.

I know there are many people who use and promote home remedies, however most doctors do not recommend it, and my own doctor cautions against them, stating, "There is no home remedy shown to treat herpes at all. The risk of accidentally spreading the virus increases when touching sores."

That said, I am still glad to know that you have gotten some relief. I know that herpes causes a ton of snowballing as far as mood, emotions, and sense of identity and it is profound that you are working to control your fate.

I don't want anyone to feel like they are being criticized here, and certainly don't mean to derail your thread. I just want to add some input that there are necessary caveats to the use of home remedies, regarding a highly communicable virus.

 

Either way, keep working toward good methods to manage your situation, and find ways to keep your perspective positive!

[hsucks]

@RegularGuy I respect your opinion 100%! Thanks for your feedback! :) Are there things that you do besides home remedies that have helped you manage your outbreaks?

[RegularGuy]

The medication was a big factor in controlling my first outbreak, and there are a lot of things that make each person's experience different.

I think the biggest thing for me has been perspective, focusing on the good things I will do in the future.

As far as things I physically do to help:

I wash as normal, with the same soap I have used for years in the same way I have always done, except with the added step of washing my hands really well after touching my junk.

 

Another point I have noticed is that there are two distinct kinds of stress:

The negative kind, stressing about herpes, fearing outbreak and feeling crushing shame.

The positive kind, pushing yourself to do better in work or school.

 

I think that realizing this and avoiding dwelling on the stress related to herpes being correlated was a big factor in helping me prevent stress induced symptoms.