Antivirals for BFS - SuziQ?

[MysticalGlitchy]

Has anyone been prescribed antiviral medications for BFS? If so, did it help at all? I was just wondering... being it could possibly be viral related. Especially since some believe it could be caused by the Herpes Virus Family.

LisaLM: If you're reading, would you mind given some medical insight as to why or why not anitviral medications would be prescribed for our condition. You always give such a great insight from the med field- I value your opinion.

 

[eyennyGlimmer]

Vanessa,

It is funny you ask this because I have always wondered the same thing. Before my BFS I had three things going on..Strep throat, heart defib shocks but that was months prior but I also always got cold sores but mine I have always gotten on my nose, yeah pretty right? Well right before the BFS started I was getting them every two weeks because I was tanning alot, getting ready for my sisiters wedding and i just kept breaking out with them. I do believe though if it was from the herpes virus that the damage has already been done,meaning if it was from herpes the nerves are already damaged plus once you have herpes it just lays dormant, no cure and I am not and have not had a breakout since the BFS which is very strange for me I always would get them. I wish I could take a viral pill and this would go away, boy do I wish. I am interested in listening to what Sue has to say about this one though or anyone else...Good Point here..Jenn

 

[MysticalGlitchy]

Jenn: I'm just the opposite- ever since BFS I get a cold sore a month! Hmmm.. so weird.

LisaLM: One more question...please....
In regards to MS, could a MRI be preformed too early for the disease to show? Everyone is always worried about the EMG (for ALS) being too early- what about the accuracy of the MRI?

 

[chiappaybrewer]

I actually do have genital herpes ... have only had one outbreak (that was two years ago) ... and let me tell you ... one was ENOUGH! I took Valtrex for a year and then stopped. When all these twitches started two months ago and I read about the possible herpes connection, I took the maximum dose (two a day ... that's the outbreak dose) and I swear it helped. Unfortunately, Valtrex can cause dry mouth. That, plus my allergy meds ... plus Xanax ... made my mouth so dry that I had difficulty speaking, my tongue got pale, burning tongue ... yuck. My neuro said to drop the Valtrex and try to do without the allergy meds. I have done so ... but I am thinking about going back on the Valtrex at the one-a-day maintainance dose to see if it helps ... because I seem to be twitching worse again without it.

 

[MysticalGlitchy]

Bee:

When you say helped- did your twitching completely stop?

 

[chiappaybrewer]

I would say I had fewer of them ... much less in number and intensity. *Could* be coincidence ... that's why I want to try again ... but at a lower dose because the dry mouth was unbearable.

 

[MysticalGlitchy]

Thanks Bee for the repsonse. I wish there was a magic pill!

 

[Carrilicious]

Vanessa,

It's funny you mentioned cold sores. I used to get them in my early 20's but haven't had them since. Now seriously once a months I feel that little tingle and if I don't get it right away wham, I get a cold sore too. Weird huh? Maybe we all think too much about this stuff.

Carri

 

[LisaQ.]

Vanessa,
I've actually wondered the same thing on occasion. Obviously, selective anti-virals can't be given unless we test postive for a certain virus, that would be my first answer. In other words, you can't just treat someone with valtrex who doesn't test positive for herpes. Because of the potential for drug resistance with improper usage of these drugs, they are not prescribed willy-nilly.

I also think it is because anti-virals are used for prevention of acute flare-ups, and bfs is more of a chronic sequelae of a virus as opposed to a symptom of a flare-up.

Finally, doctors don't tend to like to use meds for benign conditions, unless the symptoms are quite troublesome and the meds are not terribly hepato-toxic. I've read where some of the anti-virals can be toxic to the liver.

As for mri's and ms, I was told that early on in the disease it is rare, but possible that lesions won't show up on an mri, but that generally six months or so into it that lesions should be appearing. I'm not sure where the neuro got the six month figure, so I guess it could be 7 or 8, but she definitely said if you're having symptoms of ms, it should be appearing on mri.

Hope this helps,
Sue