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Suppressive Therapy Confusion
I have had HSV2 for almost 30 years. At most, I have had 1 or 2 outbreaks per year, sometimes I have gone a few years without any outbreaks at all. In the years that I do have 1 or 2 outbreaks, they have never been more frequent than 6 months. Therefore, I am lucky to not suffer from chronic outbreaks. However, mentally I suffer knowing I have this virus, and I am a person that has always been very anxious and easily stressed.
Last July I had an outbreak triggered by stress. 6 months later in January, I had another triggered by stress. At that time, I asked my doctor about suppressive therapy because I wanted to feel in control of the problem. She prescribed valacyclovir 500mg per day and suggested that I take it for a year so that I would not have to worry about getting outbreaks. She claimed that because I have a long history of only 1 or 2 outbreaks a year, that it would be highly unlikely for me to have an outbreak while taking the medication. Although I was skeptical of this, I began taking it faithfully everyday.
It is now 5 months since I have been taking 500mg per day and I just had an outbreak. (It has been 6 months since my last outbreak in January). I am devastated and feel as if the pills are useless and not helping at all. My current outbreak is mild, and I am sure it would feel a lot worse if I had not been taking the pills...so the medication is helping in that regard, but I am upset because it did not suppress the outbreak as my doctor had expected.
I desperately want to find another doctor that is an expert and that can guide me so that I can feel in control. I am wondering if a higher dose per day would offer better suppression? Also wondering if the generic that I am taking is not as good as the name brand Valtrex? I do understand that the suppressive therapy is not 100%, and that some patients will still experience outbreaks while taking it, but with my history, my expectation was that I might not have an outbreak at all, or that it would take many years of being on the medication to maybe have another problem. After only 5 months on medication, this happened so should I assume the pills are useless for me??? Very upset, confused, and feeling defeated.
Last July I had an outbreak triggered by stress. 6 months later in January, I had another triggered by stress. At that time, I asked my doctor about suppressive therapy because I wanted to feel in control of the problem. She prescribed valacyclovir 500mg per day and suggested that I take it for a year so that I would not have to worry about getting outbreaks. She claimed that because I have a long history of only 1 or 2 outbreaks a year, that it would be highly unlikely for me to have an outbreak while taking the medication. Although I was skeptical of this, I began taking it faithfully everyday.
It is now 5 months since I have been taking 500mg per day and I just had an outbreak. (It has been 6 months since my last outbreak in January). I am devastated and feel as if the pills are useless and not helping at all. My current outbreak is mild, and I am sure it would feel a lot worse if I had not been taking the pills...so the medication is helping in that regard, but I am upset because it did not suppress the outbreak as my doctor had expected.
I desperately want to find another doctor that is an expert and that can guide me so that I can feel in control. I am wondering if a higher dose per day would offer better suppression? Also wondering if the generic that I am taking is not as good as the name brand Valtrex? I do understand that the suppressive therapy is not 100%, and that some patients will still experience outbreaks while taking it, but with my history, my expectation was that I might not have an outbreak at all, or that it would take many years of being on the medication to maybe have another problem. After only 5 months on medication, this happened so should I assume the pills are useless for me??? Very upset, confused, and feeling defeated.
Thank you for responding...
I did just speak to my doctor...she seemed confident that there is no reason for concern. She says the combination of being very stressed last week and also just getting over my menstrual period (stress and menstrual hormones being strong triggers), caused me to have an outbreak and that sometimes the medication just won't stop it from happening. However, she believes the medication is definitely working because the outbreak was very mild, which is a sign that the antiviral is taking action.
I did bring up the point that my history is only 1 or 2 outbreaks a year and asked if I could still expect the medication to eliminate those? Or would I still get the same 1 or 2 a year. She believes that the medication will work over time and that I will see some improvement.
I am a very nervous person and constantly worry, which I know does not help matters. But if I am interpreting what my doctor said correctly...she does think the medicine is working because the outbreak is so mild and clearing up quickly and that last week was the "perfect storm" of triggers that unfortunately allowed the outbreak to happen.
I did just speak to my doctor...she seemed confident that there is no reason for concern. She says the combination of being very stressed last week and also just getting over my menstrual period (stress and menstrual hormones being strong triggers), caused me to have an outbreak and that sometimes the medication just won't stop it from happening. However, she believes the medication is definitely working because the outbreak was very mild, which is a sign that the antiviral is taking action.
I did bring up the point that my history is only 1 or 2 outbreaks a year and asked if I could still expect the medication to eliminate those? Or would I still get the same 1 or 2 a year. She believes that the medication will work over time and that I will see some improvement.
I am a very nervous person and constantly worry, which I know does not help matters. But if I am interpreting what my doctor said correctly...she does think the medicine is working because the outbreak is so mild and clearing up quickly and that last week was the "perfect storm" of triggers that unfortunately allowed the outbreak to happen.
I believe that acyclovir is converted in your body to another substance that attaches to the virus and essentially locks replication.
I imagine at times there is too much replication occurring to be stopped by the antiviral. Further, it seems possible to have a deficiency in the body chemicals to convert acyclovir to what is needed.
The antivirals work and are effective. Chances are quite high that things would be worse if you were not taking them. However, maybe you could talk to your doctor about reasons why your body may not be utilizing the antiviral to best effect.
I imagine at times there is too much replication occurring to be stopped by the antiviral. Further, it seems possible to have a deficiency in the body chemicals to convert acyclovir to what is needed.
The antivirals work and are effective. Chances are quite high that things would be worse if you were not taking them. However, maybe you could talk to your doctor about reasons why your body may not be utilizing the antiviral to best effect.
Yes I am sure they are outbreaks. The last outbreak I had prior to this current one was 6 months ago in January. Immediately after the January outbreak, I began taking the 500mg valacyclovir suppressive therapy daily. This current outbreak is mild; the discomfort is less than usual and it is clearing up quicker than normal (as soon as I noticed the outbreak I began taking two pills a day). So the medication must be working at least a little because it is a milder outbreak.
However, I am very concerned because I have a history of only getting 1 or 2 outbreaks at the most per year - therefore I expected the medication to prevent outbreaks from happening - should I be worried about this? Worried that the medicine is not working for me. I did have a very stressful, anxious week last week and I am sure that is what triggered it, but I assumed the medicine would be my safety net and prevent an outbreak. Maybe I am just not understanding fully, I am just really worried and hoping someone can put my mind at ease. Is it worthless for me to take these pills? I am a very healthy woman, very fit, in my forties, with a strong immune system. I do have a call out to my doctor, but looking for some support and more info from others.
Again, to clarify, I do understand that the medication is not 100% and that patients can still experience occasional outbreaks on valtrex, but for someone like me with an infrequent history, what should I expect? Thank you
However, I am very concerned because I have a history of only getting 1 or 2 outbreaks at the most per year - therefore I expected the medication to prevent outbreaks from happening - should I be worried about this? Worried that the medicine is not working for me. I did have a very stressful, anxious week last week and I am sure that is what triggered it, but I assumed the medicine would be my safety net and prevent an outbreak. Maybe I am just not understanding fully, I am just really worried and hoping someone can put my mind at ease. Is it worthless for me to take these pills? I am a very healthy woman, very fit, in my forties, with a strong immune system. I do have a call out to my doctor, but looking for some support and more info from others.
Again, to clarify, I do understand that the medication is not 100% and that patients can still experience occasional outbreaks on valtrex, but for someone like me with an infrequent history, what should I expect? Thank you
Hi, 500mg is also the recommened dosage per Terri Warren for those having less than 10 outbreaks a year. Are you sure these are outbreaks?
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