do i have to take it every day??? - Herpes Message Board

jessileaov · 03-11-2008, 02:29 AM

I have genital herpes and i take Acylovir. I dont take the med eveyday because someone told me its bad for your kidneys. My doctor told me that my case was mild and didnt

Dee2000 · 03-11-2008, 09:23 AM

Hi Jessi,

I'm not sure what your doctor told you, but Herpes is a virus and there would be no 'mild' case. You either have it or you don't. He probably meant you had a mild OUTBREAK.

You can have a certain TYPE of herpes. The labs determine which type - A or B meaning how it was transmitted or where on the body the virus entered, and actually, most labs are not using the different types anymore since more people are contracting the virus through oral sex, meaning they contracted genital herpes through oral contact. (so they contracted Herpes B from a Herpes A - kinda confusing)

Herpes is highly contagious, and I've actually seen it in small children (oral) simply from being kissed by a grandmother who was unaware she even had it. REMEMBER: some people, especially men, never show symptoms, so are unaware they even have it. The virus can lie dormant for years and can show up only after the person has a really stressful event occur.

It's confusing, but as a nurse, we prescribe the preventive meds - either the one you have or Valtrex prior to surgeries etc b/c of stressors on the body. Stress can bring about an outbreak - this is why if you have oral herpes and have any dental procedures or injections around the mouth, you would definitely want to be on a preventive at least a week before. Also, some women experience outbreaks around their menstral cycles - which, again - stressors, so they would want to probably take a daily preventive.

Doctor's usually recommend patients who have more than one outbreak per year take the daily dose of preventive. You can determine what is best for you since everything can have side effects.

catharine101 · 03-12-2008, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dee2000

You can have a certain TYPE of herpes. The labs determine which type - A or B meaning how it was transmitted or where on the body the virus entered, and actually, most labs are not using the different types anymore since more people are contracting the virus through oral sex, meaning they contracted genital herpes through oral contact. (so they contracted Herpes B from a Herpes A - kinda confusing)

I just wanted to comment on this paragraph. I think it's a bit confusing for anyone who is new to the virus, and possibly a bit misleading.

The herpes Simplex virus has two types. I've never seen them referred to as A and B on here or any other site. You will find them referred to as HSV1 and HSV2. HSV1 prefers to live orally, and HSV2 prefers to live genitally, however, either strain can live in either location. So just because a person has Type 1, does not necessarily mean they have oral herpes. The typing has nothing to with location or "where on the body the virus entered". So if you are diagnosed via a blood test with HSV1, it doesn't mean that it's oral herpes - it means that you have HSV1. It is true, however, that there is a large increase in the amount of HSV1 genitally due to oral sex.

I also don't believe it's true that the labs aren't using the typing anymore. There are two types of test generally used to diagnose herpes. The first is the IgM test. This test has actually been acknowledged by the manufacterer that it is inaccurate, and they no longer recommend it. Doctor's are being encouraged to disregard this type of test. The second type is an IgG test - the most common "brand" in the US is the HerpeSelect test. This test is type specific, meaning that the whole purpose of the test is to find out what type you have - rather than steering away from that route, it is becoming even more necessary.