I began taking acyclovir as daily suppressive therapy immediately after my diagnosis of HSV2. My doctor did say, and I've also read that, the initial outbreak is generally the worst, and they get better--less frequest and less severe--over time. With taking suppressive therapy, I haven't had any symptoms since my initial OB healed. My initial OB was more flu-like symptoms with shooting pains down my legs, sensitive skin, swollen lympth nodes, and internal lesions since I thought I originally had a UTI.
I'm wondering though... since I'm on suppressive meds, if I ever get off of them, does the virus try to make up for lost time? Is it possible that I get off of them and have a bunch of OB's, or does it not really work that way? Would I just get them as often as I have been....infrequently.. (which thankfully so far is never).... ?
Coming off the meds after a while of taking them daily can bring on an outbreak. You would then experience your natural frequency of recurrences. No "making up for lost time". However, what your natural frequency is remains unknown, since you have never been off the meds. How it's been like while on the meds is not natural, so can't serve as a guide.
I would think once you got off the meds you might get a flare up. Maybe not too severe though. I was just diagnosed two days ago. I'm currently on Valtrex but my outbreak is very mild. It looks nothing like all the pictures I've seen on Google. But since you do take a daily suppressive therapy, I have a question for you. My doctor only prescribed a 10 day course of Valtrex. I called her nurse back today to ask to be on a suppressive therapy because I read it would reduce the risk of transmission but she said this was false and that it wouldn't matter and they would only give me a suppressive therapy if I broke out more than 6 times in a year. I don't want to go through this 6 times just to get on a daily regime. Any thoughts?
I completely disagree with your doctor, and that is not what my doctor said. My doctor suggested that I take them now since I am dating a bit--not sleeping with anyone -- but spending time, and of course if I plan to take it to the next level, it's better to be on suppressive meds so as not to pass it to an uninfected partner. I was prescribed Valtrex for 10 days to help with my initial OB as well. For suppressive therapy, there are a couple of options. You can take Valtrex (valacyclovir) 500 mg/day which is just one pill, or you can take acyclovir, which comes in 200mg tablets. I take two pills in the morning and two at night. I opted for the acyclovir simply due to cost. It is much more affordable.
If you are seeing anyone now, or plan to in the near future, I suggest you take the medication. I think another reason I started taking it so early on after my 10 days on valtrex was over was simply because I was terrified of how my body would react to this virus. As FelisCatus pointed out, I don't know how my body would react without the meds.
That is false. Suppressive therapy does reduce transmission. However, it is not a bad idea to know what your natural rate of recurrences is, provided you are not sexually active with a negative partner. Recurrences are not usually anywhere near as bad as the first outbreak, and your first sounds pretty mild. You can also take episodic therapy to treat recurrences as they begin versus daily suppressive therapy, but this does not reduce transmission.
As always, thanks for your thoughts. If and when I do come off of the medication, I don't look forward to having an episode, but good to know that my body wouldnt react like, hey! you've been suppressing all of these episodes, now you get them all at once! lol
Hey , my doctor did the same thing and i got tired of having outbreaks and being in pain . So i went to planned parenthood and the doctor their proscribed me subressiom theropy and i have been on it since no outbreaks. I would suggest going to plan parenthood
Lol, no, you wouldn't get all the ones you averted at once or in series, but do be prepared for an outbreak soon after stopping.
Ugh -- good to know, but dang 
Not everyone gets an outbreak after stopping, but a number do, so just be on the look out. If you're lucky, you may get nothing until your first natural recurrence!
It's really annoying honestly. I feel like I shouldn't be denied the course of treatment I think would be best for my body. I plan on seeking a second opinion. How did you deal with the emotional distress associated with this? That seems to be my biggest problem. My spot doesn't even hurt. It's just knowing I'm infected with a virus for life and that my dating life will completely have to change now scares me to death. I feel rejected and disgusting already.
When I first suspected I had herpes I went to our local health department. I unfortunately live in a small southern town. I walked in and knew every person working there so I made up some excuse about needing a copy of my vaccines for school. So I may have to look into going to one a county or two over, or seeing an OB/GYN.
After i went to plan parenthood i felt alot better . No body told me about this or anything about this disease i got on her and thought talking to ppl with the same disease would help and it did . I also stopped looking on the internet. I know i have it but i am learning to live with it .
I still feel like that sometimes. I cried a LOT in the first few weeks after finding out. It really just takes time. I know that doesn't give you a solid answer, but the shock will pass, and you will begin to feel better. If you think that suppressive medication is the best route for you, then you definitely need to get a second opinion and get the prescription. Even though I am on daily meds, I still get paranoid and check myself out on a normal basis. I probably worry more than I should, but I don't let it control me. I've been spending time with someone -- I'm now at the point that I need to decide if I want to tell him about this, or just take our 'relationship' for what it is -- that he's a good cuddle buddy and fun to spend time with, but not take it to the next level. I'm strugging with that.
Have you had to tell a guy in the past? If so how did he react?
This place has helped more than anything. I think google just made me feel like I was worthless.
It took me a while to tell my bf and i did and he has no syomtoms the chances of a guy getting herps is alot lower then a girl . I think since u are on daily pills just take the relationship as it is and not force anything on it . If u guys have sex suggest a condom or just go for it and trust the pills thats what i did
Yes this place has helped me alot to . Google just scared me to death and now I don't get on it
Is it hard to even enjoy sex anymore? We've already done it so I'm already feeling nervous that he may have it now. I asked him to get tested. But I feel like when the time comes, IF, the time ever comes again, it'll be all on either one of our minds. I've always been so confident and had such high self esteem. Now I just feel shameful.
Actually I have. I'm spending time with two different guys right now -- not sleeping with either one of them. I haven't had sex in 5 months since finding out about this. Guy A and I started spending time together last November. I thought that we were getting along really great so I told him in December. He actually took it a lot better than I thought he would. I rambled for a bit, told him how common it was, and blah blah -- he just looked at me, and said "is that it?". I was so relieved. He said it wouldn't stop him from wanting to date me. I offered to send him articles on it and information. A while later he asked for it, and I wrote a long email along with a couple of links to articles on the stigma around HSV and some stats. He got my email but we never talked about it. He lives a bit far from me -- we still talk all the time, but things have kind of fizzled (not b/c of the HSV, just our personalities). So i met Guy B in January and we've been hanging out -- I like him a lot. We have a strong sexual tension but I haven't let it go beyond making out. He's from my hometown and we know a lot of the same people so if he doesn't take it well, I'm scared of what might happen. I think I'm just waiting, getting to know both of them more as individuals and deciding from there. I think Guy A has turned into just a really good friend. Guy B, I'm more into, but I am going to wait a while longer, ask his intensions, and if he isn't looking for something casual I might move forward.