Mood Symptoms

[khristen]

Hi there. I was recently diagnosed with herpesII following a rape. Since the diagnosis (via blood test), I have been consistently taking Zovirax. I have not had any outbreaks; however, I am still experiencing extreme depressive symptoms. So, my question is: With consistent use of Zovirax and a lack of outbreaks, are the mood symptoms still active??

[emiloo17]

yeah i guess for me the traumatic aspect was that it was the night i lost my virginity. i'd waited til i was 20 years old for it to happen, turning down a bunch of guys over the past couple years, and literally that night i caught it. and then i really never told people. like i told my best friend that i'd lost my virginity but never mentioned the herpes part. and i told my mom i caught herpes (so she'd help me pay for the valtrex) but never mentioned that it was my first time. in retrospect, i wish i told her so she wouldn't think of me as promiscuous. hopefully she doesn't.

anyhoo, i think it's crazy to go on it daily if you aren't having symptoms. what my gynecologist told me at the time was that i should wait see what happened...if you get say 2 outbreaks in a 3 month period, then daily might be a good idea. but otherwise she recommended taking it episodically. a lot of people, even without meds, just have one outbreak and then the virus is dormant for the rest of their lives. ya never know...that might be the case with you. but if you feel an outbreak coming on, take the meds until the outbreak has cleared up. that's what i did. though for the 8 months i've been in a relationship with a guy who doesn't have it so i started taking it daily to reduce the chances of him contracting it.

[khristen]

P.S.-- Girl, "There is no traumatized enough by..." In both cases, our needs/feelings/bodies/etc were abused. In both cases, we were sent a very powerful message that we don't matter. But we do. Hell, if they'll lie to us about having it or rape us, what good is their opinion anyway??

[khristen]

Thanks. It's been very hard not to hate men altogether and the emotions have been everywhere!! I've tried a few counselors but haven't found a good one yet. I'm kinda picky because I am a counselor. Lol. :)
The doctor prescribed zovirax as a once-daily for the rest of my life deal. She says that it would be just as effective as valtrex at preventing breakouts.? I'll have to look up the side effects of it...
Thanks for the reply.

[emiloo17]

first of all, i'm so sorry about the circumstances that led to your contracting herpes. i was traumatized enough after catching herpes from a guy who clearly didn't care about me but i can't imagine all the emotions you're experiencing. depression could be both a side effect of the zovirax or the rape/herpes diagnosis itself. has your doctor prescribed the zovirax episodically (i.e. did he just give you a week's worth of it and then you'll be done)? either way, i'd ask your doctor if it's ok to stop the meds early and just see how you feel the next couple days. also have you considered counseling...that might be therapeutic?  
good luck!