which AV to try for herpes zoster as potential cause of my ME?

[clive powney]

I have pretty much tried everything except AVs and I have always suspected that the herpes zoster virus was the cause of my ME. My ME began 10 years ago when I had shingles and has got worse over time - Although I have not had shingles again since , just a decline in my wellness. I tested IGG positive for the virus in 2005 through an NHS test , but am unsure if everyone who has had chicken pox and shingles would still test positive 3 years after a bout anyway??
Which AV would be the best to try, what dose and where is the best place to guarantee a decent supply for a decent price.? I am due to see my GP later this week and I will ask him to monitor liver and kidney function whilst trying.
Any advise would be great thanks

 

[Ema]

You might have a look at this link:

http://phoenixrising.me/archives/5199

Have you tested for any other common viruses like EBV, CMV, HHV6? This would make a difference to me because if EBV is not present, I would probably try Valtrex first. If EBV is present, I would probably go for Famvir.

Most of the antivirals (with the possible exception of Valcyte) seem to be pretty inoffensive to the liver and kidneys which is good news for those of us on longer-term therapy.

 

[clive powney]

Thanks for this ema - Dr dantini's onset seems to be similar to mine so very interesting!
Has anyone got any idea of how much Dr Dantini charges - I assume that i would need initial bloodwork followed by consultations and AV treatment

 

[tandrsc]

There are a few plant extracts that appear to be antiviral against the herpes range. Here are are couple on Pubmed that have been shown to be effective against zoster:

Propolis:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=propolis zoster

Blackcurrent:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=ribes zoster

I have the same line of thinking as you and was encouraged to try antiviral herbs after seeing Dr Montoya's presentation regarding his success with antiviral treatment.

Just providing the link like this so that the video doesn't embed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Riybtt6SChU

I think the chances of persuading my doctor to try antiviral drugs is slim, so I thought there was no harm in doing some homework and trying antiviral herbs instead. I take:

Propolis - active against HSV-1, EBV and is possibly immunomodulatory
Astragalus - active against a variety of viruses and is possibly immunomodulatory
Ginger - active against a variety of viruses and is possibly immunomodulatory
Turmeric - active against EBV and is possibly immunomodulatory
Lemon balm - active against HSV-1

My decisions were based on the information I could find (and understand) on Pubmed.

I added one at a time to check for adverse reactions, and I can honestly say that I seem to be making a slow but steady recovery in that I am now able to build up what I do by gradually reducing the length of my rest periods.

 

[heapsreal]

go the famvir, 250mg twice a day. Theres not too many of us diieing of liver failure yet. Use NAC and lipoic acid to protect kidney and liver function and u will be right.

cheers!!!

 

[clive powney]

Thanks for getting back both!
Heaps, is 250mg twicew a day a big enough dosage - I have read that 3mg per day may be needed?

Where is the best place to get the famvir from - I looked at magic pharma and they have 2 brands (cipla + macleods) one is under £1 a tablet (mcleods) and the other £2+ (cipla) - are these ok? Other places on the internet seem to be up to £20 per tablet.

What is the dose of NAC + lipoic acid needed and wherte is the best place to get them from?

thanks once again both - if this does work I would probably maintain with the herbal remidies

 

[heapsreal]

Thanks for getting back both!
Heaps, is 250mg twicew a day a big enough dosage - I have read that 3mg per day may be needed?

Where is the best place to get the famvir from - I looked at magic pharma and they have 2 brands (cipla + macleods) one is under £1 a tablet (mcleods) and the other £2+ (cipla) - are these ok? Other places on the internet seem to be up to £20 per tablet.

What is the dose of NAC + lipoic acid needed and wherte is the best place to get them from?

thanks once again both - if this does work I would probably maintain with the herbal remidies

Magicpharma are good to go, either brand, i use whatever one is cheapest. I order NAC/Lipoic acid from iherb, generall NOW brand or Dr's Best.

Dosing depends as many people have used different doses and been effective. Shingles etc is a quick replicating virus so dosing is 4 times a day. ebv/cmv/hhv6 are generally a slow replicating virus so can be dosed less often, twice a day is ok, famvir has an intracellular half life of 18 hrs, i dont understand how or why this is different to its half life in general which is only a few hours. I mention 250mg a day as it worked for me, i didnt notice any difference with higher doses but there has been speculation of late that higher doses maybe needed to target hhv6 in the brain???

 

[raghav]

@heapsreal Are you still on Famvir ? How long and what dose ? How frequently did you do labs ?

 

[heapsreal]

@heapsreal Are you still on Famvir ? How long and what dose ? How frequently did you do labs ?

Yes still on famvir since 2009. I started with 250mg twice a day and was on this dose for several years. Last few years ive been on 500mg twice a day. Blood work atleast twice a year to check kidney and liver function, never any issues.

Initially i was tracking lymphocytes and t cell subsets which indicates your immune system is fighting something. These markers have come right down. My last subset test my cd8 count was just elevated but all other t cells were normal. 2 previous subsets were totally normal. Before avs my total lymphocytes and cd3, cd4, cd8 etc were all quite elevated. 6 months on avs showed an improvement in these but it took a long time to bring them to normal. A few times i stopped avs, my t cells would jump right up again. Probably 5 or 6 years ago maybe longer i had several nk function tests showing very low nk activity. Also a low neutrophil count which has increased to normal over the last 12 months.

 

[raghav]

Thanks @heapsreal

 

[raghav]

@heapsreal sorry to trouble you again. Did Famvir help in the energy department ? That is my main issue. Absolutely no energy.

 

[heapsreal]

@heapsreal sorry to trouble you again. Did Famvir help in the energy department ? That is my main issue. Absolutely no energy.

If you google and look at dr lerners energy index table, i was a 4 prior to avs. After the first 12 months i was a 9, it didnt last long as viruses still reactivate and maybe other stresses going on. After a few years i leveled out at 6 with occassional periods of function better and able to do some exercise carefully. Valcyte did get me up to an 8 but it was an up and down between 6 and 8 after valcyte.

Pre avs i use to crash from 'viral reactivations' quite hard. So when i first started avs i didnt notice much at all after 3 months but then realised i hadnt had a vrash since starting them. Around the 6 month mark energy improved and other symptoms. I did eventually have a crash and was devastated, but i noticed that i recovered from the crash much quicker then previously and it wasnt as severe.

If a generally health person gets ebv etc they are sick for about 6 weeks and a couple more months to fully recover. So i think with avs and if they can stop these viruses, one is still in a post viral state for a few months before they will see improvements.

Avs arent a short term fix but a long term fix. Ive also used different immune modulators at times which may have stopped a few beatings from crashes. Besides avs the next best treatment thats helped and probably boosted immune function is optimizing hormones. For a long time i was on dhea and pregnenolone which helped and about 12 months ago added testosterone replacement therapy which has greatly improved energy and recovery. So i can say im probably a consistent 9 these days.

 

[raghav]

Thanks a lot ! @heapsreal

 

[Jackb23]

If you google and look at dr lerners energy index table, i was a 4 prior to avs. After the first 12 months i was a 9, it didnt last long as viruses still reactivate and maybe other stresses going on. After a few years i leveled out at 6 with occassional periods of function better and able to do some exercise carefully. Valcyte did get me up to an 8 but it was an up and down between 6 and 8 after valcyte.

Pre avs i use to crash from 'viral reactivations' quite hard. So when i first started avs i didnt notice much at all after 3 months but then realised i hadnt had a vrash since starting them. Around the 6 month mark energy improved and other symptoms. I did eventually have a crash and was devastated, but i noticed that i recovered from the crash much quicker then previously and it wasnt as severe.

If a generally health person gets ebv etc they are sick for about 6 weeks and a couple more months to fully recover. So i think with avs and if they can stop these viruses, one is still in a post viral state for a few months before they will see improvements.

Avs arent a short term fix but a long term fix. Ive also used different immune modulators at times which may have stopped a few beatings from crashes. Besides avs the next best treatment thats helped and probably boosted immune function is optimizing hormones. For a long time i was on dhea and pregnenolone which helped and about 12 months ago added testosterone replacement therapy which has greatly improved energy and recovery. So i can say im probably a consistent 9 these days.

This answers the question I messaged you. Thanks

 

[heapsreal]

I think i have payed someones house off at the famvir factory.