Any alternative to Valtrex or other drugs?

[plumeagled]

does anyone know of any vitamin type supplements that can do the same thing as Valtrex....at least hinder an outbreak?

[gracefromHHP]

Just do your research before taking any supplements. natural doesn't mean safer by no means. Many a person on the liver transplant lists throughout the world who will tell you that :(    Never take the word of one website or the gal behind the counter at the supplement store - do your own homework. Pubmed.gov is a good place to look up studies to find out effective doses and there is also the http://nccam.nih.gov/  resources too to check for safety and to see if the company you are buying from has received a good rating in the past.  

there are some decent topicals out there you can use for symptom relief and to help speed healing but if you want to prevent ob's - the prescription antivirals are the best way to go.  Lemonbalm. propolis and tea tree oil are helpful if you just want symptom relief.

grace

[barn babe]

Plumeagled, I don't know what supplements helped you with your back, but unfortunately, since there is a dearth of clinical studies performed on the natural supplements, there is no way to know if you were helped from the ingredients in the supplements, or if you were helped due to a placebo effect.  

The other problem with the OTC supplements is that I know there have been studies indicating that they don't always contain the amounts of ingredients that are listed on the package. With a prescription drug, you know what you are getting because of the clinical testing that's been done and the FDA controls on the manufacture of the medications.

I wouldn't necessarily rule out the natural supplements. You can try different ones and see what  works. But the word is pretty much out on the Valtrex and Valtrex-like medications - they cut down on symptoms and help protect negative partners.

Good luck, whatever decision you make.  Also, if you do try other supplements, post back and let us know if anything worked.  

[plumeagled]

Well, for one thing I recently found that there is a combo of natural supplements that do the same thing for my back as Vioxx did. It was a wonder drug for me and I hated that it was taken off of the market. The natural stuff just has to be better than the chemicals. At least that's what I believe. And I don't have to go to the doctor to get a script. It's readily available at any GNC store. And lastly, I never have to worry about mom coming over or one of the adult kids finding it and "knowing" my business.

[gracefromHHP]

So far none of the alternative treatments for herpes have really panned out consistantly. Yes you will read on the boards that yes someone swears by one thing or another but for the vast majority of folks who try those treatments - they don't do any good. Also if you are in a discordant relationship - the number of ob's has little to do with the amount of viral shedding you are having. Studies have shown that you are shedding about the same amount whether you are having 0 ob's a year or 10 ob's a year. What that means is if you are in a relationship where one partner isn't infected and you are trying to keep them that way - look for a treatment that has utilized pcr swabbing on a regular basis to show that not only are ob's reduced but so is overall viral shedding.

http://www.ihmf.org/journal/download/122Perfect(38)vol1238.pdf  is an article that does a pretty decent job of covering some of the most commonly talked about alternative methods for treating herpes and what the research has shown so far with them.

grace

[plumeagled]

I suppose my belief in the supplements really started with my little dog. A few years before she died she had bad stiff joints (arthritis) and they gave her the doggy dose of a human med (I can't recall the name but it started with an "r"). After a few weeks of this she acted as if she was on death's doorstep. She walked easier but her spirit was going. So, I did some research and found a product called nzymes and decided to give it a try. She doesn't know placebo! heheehe
In a matter of weeks she was back to her old self and still moving better. As with myself...I value quality over quantity any day. They had a human version of this product and I took it several weeks before my trip to China a few years ago. I was one of the few that did NOT get any stomach upset and I actually used the water where others didn't. And I'm really a very skeptical gal. I don't buy into all the hype most of the time. So for me to not get sick and the dog to get better was in my mind a very long shot but it's what happened.
there are some drops of this nzymes (oxydrops) that I dilute with water and spritz it on cuts, scrapes, and ob's. I used it full strength to take a wart off of my sons finger. It was gone in a week.

[monkeyflower]

No. Why don't you want to take Valtrex or other drugs?