Low Dose vs High Dose Antivirals

[Wonkmonk]

I'm on 400 mg Aciclovir 3 X a day plus weekly injections of B12 under directions of Dr Bansal. I am now At about 3 month mark and have dipped down in energy but many of long term symptoms have been vastly reduced.

I am on Valacyclovir at a much higher dose (6,000 mg a day) as recommended by Dr Lerner, now entering the 9th month and I can report the same thing: Fatigue and energy have not improved much, but other symptoms have improved a lot, especially all joint and muscle pain has disappeared almost entirely. I am hoping that with further treatment maybe the energy level is going to improve, too.

It may very well be the right protocol for you, but I think 400mg oral Aciclovir 3x a day is a very low dose, also because Aciclovir has a much lower bioavailability than Valacyclovir. If it helps, going a bit higher might be worth considering.

Dr Lerner recommends 4,000-6,000mg Valacyclovir a day.

 

[Janice Hargreaves]

I did try 400 mg 4 X a day but that just sent me dizzy so I scurried back to the lower safe level, since the lower dose helped with so many other symptoms.

I'm the eternal optimist in that maybe with a little outside help ( ie anti-virals) my body can do it's stuff? Who knows but I'm willing to give it a try.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Wonkmonk]

That's probably the right approach, every body is different and I think it's important to adjust treatment to what your body can handle.

 

[Learner1]

My doctors both put me on high dose valacyclovir before switching me to valganciclovir. I'd been on acyclovir previously, which just let the EBV run rampart.

My docs think Lerner's dosing is a bit high. They wanted me on 3g valacyclovir and now 1.8g valganciclovir. They monitor kidney and liver function every 3 weeks.

 

[perchance dreamer]

I take 500 MG of Valacylovir (sp?) every morning. When I tried to increase the dosage, it gave me sleep problems.

 

[Wonkmonk]

My docs think Lerner's dosing is a bit high. They wanted me on 3g valacyclovir and now 1.8g valganciclovir.

But interestingly, for Valgancyclovir, the more dangerous drug, they put you on a higher dose than the one recommended by Dr Lerner. Dr Lerner's CMV/HHV-1 protocol is 1,350mg a day (p.10).

http://www.treatmentcenterforcfs.com/documents/mecfstreatmentresourceguideforpractitioners.pdf

 

[2Cor.12:9]

https://www.msaustralia.org.au/news...earchers-make-major-breakthrough-ms-treatment

@heapsreal Thank you for this! I will pass it on to a young friend with advanced MS who also has a history of EBV.

 

[Learner1]

I take 500 MG of Valacylovir (sp?) every morning. When I tried to increase the dosage, it gave me sleep problems.

Well, certainly.

But there are things you can do for sleep. It's more important to get the virus under control, so you may have to compensate. LDN, magnesium, melatonin, taurine, theanine, GABA, phospatidyl serine, and a few other things come to mind.

 

[Wonkmonk]

I take 500 MG of Valacylovir (sp?) every morning. When I tried to increase the dosage, it gave me sleep problems.

Perhaps those problems might be transient. Initial deterioration of many symptoms has been reported by many patients who took Valacyclovir for CFS.

 

[Learner1]

But interestingly, for Valgancyclovir, the more dangerous drug, they put you on a higher dose than the one recommended by Dr Lerner. Dr Lerner's CMV/HHV-1 protocol is 1,350mg a day (p.10).

http://www.treatmentcenterforcfs.com/documents/mecfstreatmentresourceguideforpractitioners.pdf

Sorry, missed that.

However, Dr. Lerner is dead (isn't he?)and I'm seeing a very much alive top ME/CFS expert, so I think I'll go with his advice.

 

[Wonkmonk]

Yes, he is deceased in 2015. Your doc probably has a good reason for putting you on your dose. Dr Lerner's protocol seens to work very well for me, but it doesn't mean it is optimal for everyone. Lower or higher doses might be needed depending on the patient.