More outbreaks with antiviral meds

[Hope342]

Hello all! I have had genital HSV2 for 9 years and this is my very 1st time posting something about it on any forum. GAAHHH lol

I recently disclosed to a guy I've been talking to and to my surprise he was totally ok with it. Since he is Non-Pos I want to do the right thing and get on antiviral meds, but I'm a little worried about how it will effect my body. When I was 1st diagnosed I had my initial OB and was put on antivirals. Every 3 months or so I would have flare ups. After about a year, then single, I decided to stop taking the meds and have not had another real OB in 8 years. I get the tingling 1-2 times a year, but no actual OB. 

Now that I am considering getting back on the meds, I'm afraid that I will go back to having multiple OBs a year. Has anyone else had this experience? 

[Ubikwity]

It's likely you weren't out on a high enough of antiviral dose after the first ob, and that's why you had subsequent ones. There's some flexibility in the dosing, and health practitioners are trained to use the lowest effective dose. You didn't say which med you were in or what the dose was but I suspect the dose needed to be ratcheted up. The tingling sensations you get once or twice a year may be an outbreak--it can be that mild after you've had H for a while-and its likely you're shedding at that point.
Personally, I think you should try the antivirals again.

 

[happyman_adventurous]

Congrats for your succesful disclosure!! Theoretically the virus sheds less and less as the years go by (8 years with mild / no outbreaks, that sounds excellent, I hope to get that lucky), but transmission is still possible.

To reduce it to something really safe, I would take anti-virals and use the condom.

However, some discordant couples use only one of those methods, and even none of them (so if they see no outbreak, they do it), and they do not pass the virus.

It's a huge decision, and it depends on your balance between security & convenience.

Regarding the fear that anti-virals can "awake" the virus, because you are re-manipulating something that was dormant... it make sense to our normal way of thinking, but I don't really know enough about the anti-virals mechanisms to say if it's like that or not. I mean, maybe you won't "awake" the virus at all and will just deprive it from its replication powers.

It would be cool if someone could clear that up. Does the medicine "awakes" a long-dormant virus?

[Hope342]

Thank you both for sharing your thoughts. We have already agreed that we will use condoms for sure and I agree that the right thing to do is to get back on the anti-virals.

@Ubikwity I was taking Valtrex, but it this was back in 2010 and I have no clue what the dosage was, but I will definitely discuss your thoughts with my doc. It seems like that could have been a potential issue. And thanks for the insight on the OBs, always figured it was a OB trying to come but never quite making it, but shedding makes sense! lol

@happyman_adventurous I am completely with you on wanting the answer to the "awake" question. That is my biggest fear - if I start the meds and end up with more OB than I've had in years. I feel I would run the risk of transmission more on the meds than if we had just used condoms. smh I think i'll ask my doc this question as well, but if anyone knows please share!!