HSV-1 month-long outbreak

[christine700]

Hi there.  I have had HSV-1 genitally for 17 years.  After a few initial outbreaks, it went dormant until last year when it came back with a fury.  I went on Acyclovir as a suppressant at first, but kept having OBs, so switched to Valtrex in February of this year.  It worked beautifully at first.  I then had a small outbreak in June that lasted 5 days.   I am currently having an outbreak that began over a month ago.  I have been taking Valtrex 1g 3 times a day, at my doctor's recommendation, and am at a my wit's end.  It is not as painful or violent as it would be without the Valtrex, but it is just lingering on and on.  Is this normal?  Have other people experienced a lasting outbreak like this while on such a high dosage of medication?  I am under quite a bit of stress in my life right now that is unavoidable, but I am trying to eat a very alkaline diet, and take a mulitvitamin as well as lysine supplements daily.  Thank you very much for any and all feedback.  

[gracefromHHP]

the myth of lysine has lived on online for some reason.  I think it's basically a huge mistrust of the pharmaceutical industry as well as a lack of insurance for many folks that leads them to keep buying it.  most of us already get more than enough lysine in our diets naturally and supplementing with it doesn't speed healing of herpes lesions and it doesn't significantly prevent them either.  

something else going on can be triggering your hsv1 to reoccur too which is why you might seem to be getting some relief from the valtrex. make sense?  bacterial vaginitis especially triggers herpes to be more active as well as many other skin issues can also trigger it/mimic it.   even untreated a genital herpes ob won't take a month to clear up so definitely your gyn needs to be looking to see what else is going on.  

best of luck getting to the bottom of all of this!

[christine700]

Hi Grace,

Thanks so much for your reply.  

Truly, lysine has been disproven as a herpes aide?  I have read so much on the contrary.  I would love to know the study you read, so I can stop buying so many supplements!

I wasn't sexually active at the time that the OB started coming back, but I did get bloodwork done which said I have HSV-1. And yes, I have had several partners in the last 17 years, but no tests have ever shown HSV-2.

I haven't had an active culture done of an OB, but will do that now, too.  The Valtrex does seem to help.  Without it, the OB were absolutely hellishly painful and with the mediation, the lesions still come on, but without pain, and very little nerve-itchiness.  Does this sound like HSV-1?

Thank you for your recommendation to get checked out again.  I will make an apt to see a doctor.  Should I just ask about bacterial infections, or is there something specific you can recommend I ask?  

[gracefromHHP]

lysine isn't effective for herpes.  also no such thing as a herpes diet either. both were disproven many, many years ago.

what testing have you had so far?  Are they testing you for yeast and bacterial infections vaginally?  

have you had a new partner in the last 17 years? have you been retested for herpes to know if you have contracted hsv2 or not?

odds really are that this is not just a herpes issue going on so all the antivirals in the world won't help if it isn't. time for a more thorough work up to find out what is going on.

grace