So I was just diagnosed a few days ago with HSV-2 and wanted to know if anyone has any opinions as far as suppressive therapy to help prevent transmission of this to my current partner. From what I have read Valacyclovir has been proven to help reduce transmission but what dosage do people take in relationships? Is 500mg daily enough? Would 1000mg daily be more helpful or would it be pointless? Or does anyone take 500mg daily and then 1000mg on the days they know they will be sexually active? Also I have been reading a lot of positive things as far as nutritional supplements to help combat outbreaks and also aid in preventative treatment such as Lysine, Zinc, vitamin B complex and others. But from everything I've been reading online its as though people either take the antiviral medication or they rely on the supplements. As far as I know they can all be taken together with no complications. Does anyone out there double up and go with both Valtrex and Lysine daily for instance? I don't see how it could hurt? Thoughts? Thank you for any help or advice guys I would really appreciate it. The clinic that gave me my test result hasn't been very informative or helpful in this matter.
hello! i too was recently diagnosed with herpes type 2. i chose the suppressive therapy option and have been taking 500mg of valacyclovir. from what ive read, suppressive therapy reduces the risk of transmitting it to your partner by 90%. im not in a relationship so the 90% chance is not enough for me so i will continue to take the 500mg as suppressive therapy but will also use a condom. the two together makes it nearly impossible to transmit it. the suppressive therapy greatly reduces the risk of outbreaks as well. one thing to note is that within your first year of being diagnosed, you will have more outbreaks. after the first year, it can lay dormant for years. BUT even when you dont have outbreaks, you can still trasmit it, which is why i chose the 500mg suppressive therapy AND condom use. 1000mg would be too much to take daily - that dose is prescribed for people who choose to only take medicine when they have an outbreak. this method is far less effective in protecting your partner. OVERALL i would recommend the 500mg suppressive therapy and using condoms when you have sex. if you are in a relationship and condoms are not desirable, i would still recommend the 500mg suppressive therapy but you will need to talk with your partner about the chance of them getting it even with being on medication and not having an outbreak. hope this helps!
hi,
I take suppressive therapy.. I use Valaciclovir 1g daily bevause of the fact I have ongoing breakout even on medication. Before medication I was getting a breakout 2-3 times a month. Currently I experience a breakout usually right after my period, not sure if this happens to anyone else ? I’m about to switch to another medication see if it helps but other than that valacyclovir has been good. It does help on how long the symptoms heal . I don’t have any side effects which is a plus .
Suppressive therapy is completely down to you. Personally I would suggest as a newly diagnosed case to wait 6 months prior to starting. This will let you see if you will have any more outbreaks and also allow you to learn your prodromes. It’s really important to know what your signs are prior to an outbreak.
When I did this I found I had an outbreak monthly. Never as bad as the first but I learned to deal with them topically and also used episodic therapy.
After 6 months I started Valtrex 500mg once a day! Increase the dose if I felt any prodromes or if I was going to have sex or get waxed! I didn’t have any outbreaks for a year and found it help me mentally cope a lot better. After a year a stopped and had maybe 3 outbreaks since feb!
If you feel like suppression is best for you go for it! But I would start off on a smaller dose so you can room to increase if needed 