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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Herpes / December 2007Do cold sores become resistant to treatments?
I have been plagued with CS's for as long as I can remember (I am 50), starting out with outbreaks once or twice a year. About 16 years ago my Dr scripted me some zovirex, and I thought that this was the holy grail, as early application kept the lesion to a barely noticeable state and cut it's duration time in half. Another bonus was that the outbreaks seemed rarer after using the topical cream, but after awhile the Zovirex seemed to be having less and less effect, so a few years ago I got a script for Valtrex, and it was like the first time with Zovirex, only better, the outbreak was kept to a barely noticeable bump on the lip. Again, outbreaks seemed to be getting further apart as well. Well, the last few outbreaks I have had seem to be resisting Valtrex assaults as well. After at least a year I am having an outbreak now, I hit it with zovirex and valtrex right away, and it seems to be having little or no effect. I have also been taking Lysine supplements the last couple of years since they started selling them again in Canada, and I doubled up on the lysine dose last night as well. So, I have a few questions: This looks to me like the virus is becoming resistant to what I treat it with, is this possible? Is there something else I could try? Someone else I know can knock them out before they start to fester with lysine alone, should I up my intake of lysine? I also got into the habit of having some valtrex on hand, my last prescrip is just over a year old, does valtrex become less effective after X time? >I have been plagued with CS's for as long as I can remember (I am 50), When I first read the "CS" part I was thinking to myself, "What is THAT" ? I had not heard of "CS" before and then it dawned on me that you were referring to "Cold Sores" which is Oral Herpes. > This looks to me like the virus is becoming resistant to what I treat it > with, is this possible? Is there something else I could try? I would first have to wonder if maybe you were experiencing somthing else altogether? What does your doctor think the reason could be? > Someone else I know can knock them out before they start to fester with > lysine alone, should I up my intake of lysine? I don't know about that because too much L-lysine is bad for you and especially since you get L-lysine from every day foods anywa. If it were me, I would definitely have a chat with my doctor. What if it's an allergic reaction to something and you are assuming it's an oral herpes outbreak? > I also got into the habit of having some valtrex on hand, my last prescrip > is just over a year old, does valtrex become less effective after X time? I have Valtrex around my house that is probably older than my youngest daughter and it works for me just fine. Again, this something you want to ask your doctor about. Will you come back and let us know what your doctor tells you? Hang in there, Angela  Signaturehttp://yoshi2me.com/ >> I have been plagued with CS's for as long as I can remember (I am 50), > [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > Angela How much is too much L-Lysine? My mom takes one l-lysine when she starts to get a CS and it stops it in its tracks. That's really something you should probably ask your doctor. I just know that if you take too much it's not good. We already get Lysine in our food. Besides... how do you know that it's the Lysine and not a coincidence? Outbreaks will and do go away on their own too. > How much is too much L-Lysine? My mom takes one l-lysine when she starts > to get a CS and it stops it in its tracks. I've noticed the EXACT same thing. I first took Valtrex (for cold sores, aka Oral Herpes [type 1]) a few years ago, and it worked great - stopped cold sores dead in their tracks: They would completely stop progressing within 12 hours of taking a single dose. However...my doctor at the time also prescribed Zovirex topical cream (with refills). Well, the cream lasted a lot longer than the single Valtrex prescription, and I used it frequently almost as a preventative measure. I hate going to the doctor to ask for Valtrex, so I just used the Zovirex cream for a couple of years. Well, last summer I was getting cold sores rather frequently, so I went to the doctor and got some more Valtrex. Now, though, my cold sores keep progressing even after several doses of Valtrex. The last time, in fact, I sprouted a brand new cold sore while smack in the middle of treating another. I think that long-term use of Zovirex cream has lead to acyclovir resistance: The cream just doesn't have the penetration of an oral antiviral, and so the virus gets a constant exposure to low(ish) levels of acyclovir, which leads to resistance (IMHO.) I think taking Valtrex (by itself) long-term is probably less likely to lead to resistance, as the resulting acyclovir concentration is much higher than with the topical cream. Seriously, I would avoid using the cream at all costs. > I have been plagued with CS's for as long as I can remember (I am 50), > starting out with outbreaks once or twice a year. About 16 years ago my [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > prescrip is just over a year old, does valtrex become less effective > after X time? I use non RX Abreva, I got it about 2 yrs ago. I use it all the time to prevent even getting a cold sore, If i feel the itch or tingle I'll put it on & then the cold sore won't even come out. Well after about a year, I got on cold sore, it was very short & not as bad as in the past. Only thing is now 2 yrs later, I use much more Abreva than I used to, I put it on several times a week to several times a day, depending on weather, hormones( my triggers are heat, cold & periods) i don't mind except the cost is so high $20 for a lil bitty tube. I have only had 3 cold sores in 2 years. But I find it seems as if I would have a ton more than i would've in the past before i started using abreva to prevent, because i prevent them from coming out at least 3 times a month. and before i had like 3 a year. So i think it just causes more need to prevent, it's a never ending cycle now.. Thats a good point about the zovirex, I think I'll stop with it as I usually keep a tube on hand and hit a cold sore with both. Valtrex did the same thing with me, stopped it in its tracks, but now all it does is keep the progression to a minimum, so its not a big festering sore like I used to get, but barely noticeable. The sores do last the full week+ now, but are not as bad as they used to be. Valtrex used to get rid of them completely before I was even finished my dosage. I think with the next one I'll try abreva as the topical treatment and stick with the valtrex. > I've noticed the EXACT same thing. I first took Valtrex (for cold > sores, aka Oral Herpes [type 1]) a few years ago, and it worked great - [quoted text clipped - 55 lines] >> prescrip is just over a year old, does valtrex become less effective >> after X time? |
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