Suppression Therapy

[SoConfused70]

Hi,
I have recently started suppression therapy, 500MG of valacyclovir once daily. I am experiencing symptoms of an oncoming outbreak (pain in the vagina,anus and buttocks, tiredness, headache and chills occasionally), which I did not think would happen while I am on the medication.I have been taking it for 2 weeks now. Is it normal to have symptoms? If I was symptom free how long should I wait to have sex with my partner?
Thank you.

[Terri Warren]

Were you having these symptoms before you started the medication? Please let me know, OK?
The medicine takes five days to fully kick in in terms of transmission reduction benefits so you are there. Remember that the medicine is not perfect at preventing transmission.

Terri

[SoConfused70]

Thank you Terry.
Yes I was having symptoms when I started the medicine. Does that make a difference? Could I need stronger dosage? Also I was taking some herbal supplement called quick clear (I was desperate, lol) and it seemed during that time I had no symptoms or outbreaks. Could that stuff really work?

[Terri Warren]

If you were having the symptoms that you describe before you started taking the antiviral therapy, then that’s not what is causing these symptoms, if you were wondering about that. If you are asking if you are having what you think are prodromal symptoms and wonder why the medicine is not working because you still have these symptoms, to me, this suggests that the symptoms are less likely to be herpes related.

If you take an herbal supplement that helps you not have any symptoms then I see no harm in taking it. However, no symptoms and reduce of transmission risk are really two different things and the antivirals are the only medicines proven to reduce viral shedding. Do you see the distinction that I am making here?

terri

[SoConfused70]

I’m more confused. ugh. I thought all of those were symptoms? I have read other posts where the symptoms were similar. The pain is like a tingling. What are normal prodromal symptoms? Is there something else it could be? I tested negative for all STD/Is except HSV2. My initial symptoms were pain while urinating,headache, and blisters on my labia. I originally thought I had a UTI and was given an antibiotic, I got a little better but not fully and then the blisters appeared. At that point I went to the ob/gyn and was swab tested and then did a blood test as well.

I had had on outbreak with blisters in early September. I took 10 days of antiviral from my doctor. Everything seemed to clear up. I thought maybe these symptoms were like an after effect?

So are you saying those symptoms are not herpes and if there is not appearance of blisters and I am taking the antiviral meds I would be ok to have sex?

[Terri Warren]

That’s not exactly what I”m saying. While these symptoms can be related to herpes, yes, pain in the buttocks and vagina and tiredness and continuing headache are not typically related to recurrent herpes infection. And if the herpes medicine didn’t make it better, that suggests to me that they might not be caused by herpes, yes. It’s like if you have a sore throat and you take antibiotics for strep and it is caused by strep, the medicine will make it better. Substitute herpes virus for strep here. If the sore throat doesnt’ improve at all on antibiotics, then it probably isn’t caused by strep

But I’m not jumping so far as to say it’s OK to have sex. Regardless of symptoms, you need to know that people with new herpes (less than 6 months) are shedding the most virus even while taking antivirals medicine, so there is still a small risk of having sex and transmitting but with condoms and disclosure to partners and your meds, there is a very good chance that you will not transmit but not zero.

Terri

[SoConfused70]

My initial outbreak and diagnosis was in February, so I’m hitting 6 months now. I had the 2nd outbreak in Sept.

I’m more upset now that I’m thinking what I thought were prodromal symptoms could be symptoms of something else? What else could it be? What should I be looking into? Should I have STD testing done again?

[Terri Warren]

Wait, I didn’t say they could necessarily be something else STD related. I think it is possible that you are observing very carefully for any symptoms that could be herpes related and you are observing things that previous to your diagnosis you would have dismissed or not noticed at all. I’m wondering also if it could something else completely – headache, chills, those are systemic symptoms that could be anything right? It does not need to be anything related to an STD.

Terri

• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by Terri Warren.

[Author]

Posts