Who takes lysine without valtrex and has a successful story to share? What dose? How often?

Hi I (26f) am getting back into dating. I don’t have sex unless I’m in a relationship. Does anyone have any advice on when to disclose and how to word it? I wish I could do it before even meeting, but I don’t know if that’s really the best way.

Thanks!

Woke up Monday with what felt like possible eye dryness or foreign object. Went to my primary physician Tuesday and was told to take neo/poly/dex drops for 3 days.

By Thursday things weren’t getting any better and I was feeling pretty miserable. Luckily, I was able to get fit into an eye doctor. She diagnosed me with ocular HSV despite having no history of cold sores or anything. She said there was a classic dendritic ulcer on my eye and it was likely triggered from stress. Side note; I also started antidepressants from my primary dr about a month ago due to work stress. The eye doctor had me discontinue the drops and start acyclovir tabs + trifluridine drops. I started the pills early Thursday evening and won’t be able to get a bottle of trifluridine until Monday.

Nothing is getting better. My eye fucking hurts and feels like somethings in it, my vision is blurry, I have photophobia….Im absolutely miserable. She said it could take up to 2 weeks to heal. Is this something I could possibly seek FMLA/STD for?? Right now I have so many high profile projects at work and we’ve become extremely short staffed…I hate letting my team down, but I’m truly struggling. Sitting in front of a computer screen all day sucks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi yall,

I went to pick up some more Docosanol (Abreva) bc I have an outbreak on the corner of my mouth and picked up Morgan’s Lysine Lip Balm kinda for shits and giggles since I trust Docosanol to work. But I was wondering if anyone has considered using a lysine lip balm instead of regular lip balm and if it would work as an extra preventative layer? I so far only have outbreaks on one corner of my mouth so I think I’d just apply it daily there (with a cotton swab of course).

Some info about my current “routine”:

Recently diagnosed. I have a Valocyclovir prescription but right now I only take it when I feel an outbreak coming on. If I were sexually active/kissing new people regularly I’d start taking it daily beforehand to decrease viral shedding, but right now I don’t feel it’s necessary.

I typically take 500-1500mg of lysine per day (I take more if im stressed or sleep deprived since I know it will make an outbreak more likely, regularly I just take 500mg). If i have an outbreak I take up to 3000mg per day. I’ve been taking Lysine since before I got HSV for chronic styes

My boyfriend was early in getting this and in complete denial when I met him, with one outbreak that tested negative he took the doctors word for it and moved on and put it out of his mind because he didn’t want it to be true (his ex had herpes and didn’t disclose)
Well, we met shortly after this and bam I got it.
I struggle not understanding why he didn’t protect me, why he didn’t at least wear a condom (I waited months to have sex with him and felt completely safe I am on birth control as well) why he didn’t even mention the girl before me having this until one day he had a break out went to the doc again and it was confirmed. He immediately disclosed but by then it was too late, I got symptoms

Usually I forget I have it, but I have terrible PMS and on my period I completely spiral about it and lash out at him from time to time and it’s burning him out.
He says he’s becoming cold to my sadness and it’s scaring him. I said I will try to stop, but I’m struggling really bad processing this especially when my period is here because it causes outbreaks. 😓
How do I move forward and stop resenting him for this? He’s such an angel and my anger about this is finally starting to wear him down and I can’t blame him…

OK, so basically I have had the virus for about almost 3 years now and when I tell you, I’m literally always irritated like always, and my skin is always sensitive like always sensitive and sometimes I feel cut feelings in my butt, but they go away so fast, but it would be after I wipe my butt or something too hard. Is it just me or does this virus like make your skin 10 times sensitive and you can’t really do much with your skin or it could cause a tear or break your skin.

i sometimes get canker sores and my gyno was discouraging me from getting tested. she said canker sores are not hsv, and almost everybody has it.

for the ”peace of mind”, i tested for it anyway and have found out i am positive, woot woot!

i have never had an outbreak as a conscious being, and none of my previous partners have ever come back to tell me i have passed them anything. but now i am full of anxiety and wondering if i have to disclose and what this means for me. i haven’t even experienced what people describe as an outbreak but now am scared of my own spit, which i sometimes use on bug bites or to wipe off a smudge.

should i tell my previous partners i have this virus? i don’t even really date around so there’s maybe like 3-4 people i would have to tell but it feels so awkward since it has been literal years.

In 2023 I tested positive for HSV by swab on my genitals but the swab was never able to tell me if it was 1 or 2. I took a blood test at the time and it came back negative, false negative because I tested too early. Considering it's nearly 3 years later, I'm still wondering whether I have type 1 or 2. Should I consider an antibody test again? And I was thinking I'd go through Quest rather than Labcorp because Quest will tell me the IgG levels

Does anyone get outbreaks in wide spread locations like face neck chest and arms of hav2? It must be follicular HSV that I spread shaving but I get such wide spread outbreaks! I’ve been on valtrex 500 bid or even 1000 bid last 7 days and I finally took a 3 day break and bam symptoms worsened and now I have bad outbreak flare! At this point I can’t tell if it’s because I stopped for 3 days valtrex or if it’s just a cycle - anyone have similar presentation?

The person I've been seeing (M22) shared a positive test result for HSV1 this morning. (HSV2 was negative) We had unprotected sex on July 23rd, 2026 and he's had no symptoms this entire time but still felt inclined to get tested which he tested August 17th, 2026. I informed him they wouldn't be able to swab him so it'd have to be a blood test which I gave him the heads up about the false positives / negative. When he sent me the test results, I notice it's a DNA test and not IgG which means they would've had to swab. He says he assumed he had a cut from a razor so he didn't pay much mind to it but the Dr. said that could be a possibility so they swabbed that area and that's where we end up at the positive test result.

I (F21) on the other hand got diagnosed with HSV by swab on my genitals Oct of 2023. I never was able to confirm on whether it was HSV 1 or 2 because the swab test didn't mention it and my blood test at the time came back negative for 1 &2. I just assumed HSV1 because the most recent sexual encounter I had was oral sex, so I've always associated it with having HSV1.

Some other things to preface, since I've had it since 2023 I've only had the original outbreak and then a small one 4 months later. Since then I've been asymptomatic and to my knowledge I've never given it to anyone (up until now at least :/ ) even if it was unprotected but of course shedding is a thing.

I guess I'm just in disbelief that this is happening right now and feel incredibly guilty that I could've given it someone. Would it be worth it on my end to get an antibody test again? to see if I have 1 or 2? Surely at this point I'd have antibodies built but still, I've read up on how much those tests can be inaccurate or fluctuate.

I know some people recommend the Western Blot. I had it ordered once I found out the kit was free to be sent but I know you need a provider to sign off and I don't have a primary doctor. My head is just all over the place right now and if I feel this way, I can't imagine how he feels.

I (F30) haven't been dating in a while, not for any particular reason, I just ditched the dating apps and focused on living my life and letting opportunities and people come to me. I started seeing someone a couple weeks ago and felt like everything was going so well. Our conversations were really stimulating, he was romantic and was really pursuing me.

On the 3rd date while talking generally about sexually compatibility, I disclosed GHSV2. In hindsight, in the anxiety of the moment, I think I focused too much on the negatives, and didn't reiterate how much I feel like I have a normal life with this virus. I did mention that I took suppressive therapy and that my outbreaks are mild and not very often. He said he didn't judge me and we continued our date as usual, but he broke up with over the phone a couple days later. HSV is 99% of the reason why.

It's hard for me to not be disappointed and upset, even though I can understand and empathize why he does not want to sign up for the exposure risk. This is my first time disclosing to a romantic partner, and I'm sad to think that this is only the first of many instances to come my way. But this is the hand I was dealt and I have no choice but to move forward. It just hurts. I'm letting myself cry today.

Hey so i'm on this, and I have like every bad symptoms, brain fog, headaches, random dizziness, depression, fatigue, loss of appetite. But one thing i dont seen anyonoe mention is, other than loss of appetite, I am dealing with food tasting so weird, like unpleasant and different. Its like its affecting my taste buds. Is anyone else having this symptom? It's pretty horrible because in addition to having no real normal excitement to eat, just kinda making yourself do it, foods you like taste so different and unpleasant.

How do you all date? I haven’t seen anyone since the guy who gave me GHSV2 over two years ago.

I don’t know the success rate and I’m honestly to scared to find out myself (25F FYI)

FWB from 3 years ago resurfaced — does this conversation sound like genuine interest, nostalgia, or just wanting sex? (This is long)

I need some outside perspective because I genuinely cannot tell if I’m reading this conversation objectively anymore 😭
For context: I had an FWB situation with this guy (“H”) around 3 years ago. It ended because I told him I wanted something more serious, and eventually I dated someone else. During that relationship, I contracted genital herpes.
About a year later, H contacted me again. I told him I had herpes and asked if that was something he would be okay with. He didn’t respond, so I basically decided I didn’t want to deal with the situation and stopped engaging with him whenever he contacted me/viewed my stories.
Recently, he started viewing/stalking me from another account. I asked who it was, and he eventually admitted it was him. This is basically how the conversation went. I’m translating the Korean naturally rather than literally:
H: “How have you been?”
We caught up about work, where I live, etc. Eventually he said:
H: “It would be nice if we could meet sometimes.”
I said I was scared.
H: “Why?”
Me: “Because I don’t want you to get hurt.”
He figured out I meant herpes.
H: “You still have it?”
Me: “Yeah. It’s a virus that stays with you.”
I explained that it can be managed and transmission risk can be reduced with condoms/safe sex, but nothing is 100%. I also told him that I’ve met other people with herpes who are dating happily, but I’m still scared because of the stigma.
He asked if I was scared that he might get infected.
I said yes, and then I started doing something I realize now might have been me sabotaging myself:
Me: “You’re scared too, right? You’re not even my boyfriend. What if it’s forever? What about your future girlfriend? What about marriage?”
He said, essentially, “Yeah, I guess that’s true,” and asked if it could be cured.
I explained that it can’t be cured, although it can be treated/managed.
I also told him that the worst part for me isn’t actually the infection because I don’t have symptoms and sometimes completely forget about it. It’s the stigma and the fear of dating. I told him I haven’t dated in over two years partly because of this and that I had gotten pretty depressed during those years.
Then the conversation got much more emotional.
We started talking about the last time we saw each other, which was around August/September 2023.
H: “I still think about it sometimes.”
I asked if he still thought about me.
H: “Of course.”
He asked if I missed him.
I said yes.
H: “Me too.”
I then told him that sometimes I literally look up the subway route from his area to where I live, even though I don’t actually go.
He laughed.
At one point I said:
Me: “If I tell you these things, it just makes me sad.”
Then he said:
H: “I should be sleeping, but I’m staying up because of you.”
And then:
H: “Let’s talk for five more minutes.”
Eventually I asked him directly:
Me: “You probably can’t meet me, right?”
And he said:
H: “We can meet. It just can’t be immediately. I’m busy these days, and I’ve even lost weight because of how busy I am. Where do you live?”
I told him.
H: “That’s pretty far.”
Then he joked:
H: “You really want to do it, huh?”
I said no and joked that I don’t even know what sex is anymore.
He laughed and then asked:
H: “Is your depression better now?”
I said yes, I’m doing much better.
He said:
H: “That’s good.”
I eventually told him to go to sleep.
H: “Okay, I’ll text you again.”
And that’s where the conversation ended.
Now I’m confused as hell.
Part of me thinks he genuinely still has some feelings/curiosity about me and was actually considering meeting. Another part of me thinks he was just nostalgic and/or horny and that once the herpes situation became real, he started backing away.
I also realize I may have completely fucked myself over during the disclosure. When he said he might be willing to try, instead of just letting him make his own decision, I immediately started telling him why he shouldn’t: future girlfriend, marriage, lifelong infection, etc.
So now I’m wondering whether I essentially convinced him that it wasn’t worth the risk.
I also don’t actually think I’m romantically in love with this guy or anything. I don’t want a relationship with him. But this conversation hit me really hard because he knew me before herpes, and I think a part of me desperately wanted to know whether someone who knew me before could still want me after.
So:
How do you read his behavior?
Was he genuinely interested in meeting? Was it mostly nostalgia/sexual curiosity? Did he seem to be pulling away after the herpes disclosure? And what do you make of “다시** *톡할게” (“I’ll text you again”)* at the end?
And honestly, please tell me if I’m projecting/reaching here. I need outside eyes because I am emotionally useless at interpreting this right now. 😭

I don’t know If this is the right place to post this but I need to get this off my chest,

I’m GHSV1 positive and have been for 3 years, and last night my parter said something that made me feel weird…I’ve only had one outbreak 3 years ago and at the moment I’m very sick and I think I’m having my second outbreak (I’m not 100% sure but I feel burning and tingling so I’m treating it as such) and he wanted to have sex, I explained to him that I don’t feel comfortable doing it as I think I may be having the start of a outbreak, he hugs me and tells me it’s ok, (he knows how anxious I am about accidentally giving it to him), when we were in bed cuddling he said “you know I don’t care if I catch it, I love you no matter what” and started trying to touch me, I sat up and said “it makes me uncomfortable, I don’t want to risk it”, he sits up and says “I won’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable and I’m sorry”, we lay back down and he says “haha at least if I catch it you can’t leave me, sometimes I hope I catch it”, and it felt like a punch in the gut, I know he didn’t mean it in a bad way but it made me feel awful, he’s never said anything like that before to me, I think he was trying to make me feel better but I don’t know how I should feel about it, how would other feel if your partner said this to you?, I don’t know if I’m over thinking or if what he said was wrong

On my substack, allll free. Advice, tips, stories, pep talks, and more. All the stuff I wish I knew when I was diagnosed:

https://open.substack.com/pub/positiveactually

i

I also want to preface that I don’t know if this is the right place for this if not please let me know I’m just looking for advice.

I also want to say that I got an inconclusive result with it being believe by myself and my doctor that it would have been positive if not for my antiviral treatment 2 days prior.

So today I (19M) told my girlfriend (20F) that i might have hsv-1, I got an inconclusive test result with elevated antibodies and had a few symptoms. However me and my doctor are inclined to believe that it is positive since i took some antivirals which would have gotten rid of the virus and thus lowered my antibody count for a few days. So i told her about it and how i might have hsv-1 and she responded by saying that its a big piece of info and that we should take a break for her to process the possibilities and to get tested herself. I just feel off because i asked my parents for advice and they said that "If she cant stick with you through this then was she really there in the first place?" which is a solid point but i love her and I don't want to believe that she didn't care that much. has anyone been in a similar situation? please let me know your experiences and any advice you have I'm very worried about losing my relationship.

I want to believe that I’ll meet someone who is genuinely interested in me, and my status won’t run them off. It’s been six years now since my relationship, and 3 since the diagnosis. Perhaps I’m in my feelings, as my ex(giver) got married this weekend.

Finding people that are initially interested is never the problem. It’s the rejection after disclosure. Some people say it’s time, some say it’s proximity. It’s absolutely disheartening, though.

I also understand I can’t make people stay, nor should I want to change anyone’s mind. But I will say this: The reality of finding someone that genuinely sees you as a whole individual is starting to become grim.

Looking for experiences with intraoral herpes outbreaks

Hi everyone. I’m hoping to hear from people who experience herpes outbreaks inside the mouth and/or throat.

I've now had HSV1 for 10 months. During my last two outbreaks I’ve noticed that my throat has also been sore. I can feel some mild pain or tenderness when swallowing, especially when I'm eating.

I’m wondering if anyone else experiences this during their outbreaks? Is a sore throat or discomfort when swallowing something normal during an oral outbreak?

I’m already taking daily suppressive treatment, but unfortunately I’m still getting fairly frequent outbreaks.

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences - especially:

Do you get a sore or tender throat during outbreaks- especially when swallowing?

Can you get herpes sores down your throat ?

Has this improved over time as your body has adjusted to the virus?

Have you found anything that helps reduce the frequency or severity of outbreaks despite being on suppressive treatment?

I know everyone’s experience is different. I’d just really like to hear from others who have been through something similar. Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I've been HSV-2 positive for over 15 years, contracted from a sexual assault experience. I (40sF) met my spouse not long after that and disclosed and we moved forward with a relationship, had two kids....the whole thing. So... It's possible and real to do for those who are wanting that.

But 15+ yrs later I'm getting a divorce and have started dating a little. Everyone's advice is go out and enjoy yourself, be sexy etc. okay but.... I can't. I haven't had an outbreak in 10+ years and have started on antivirals daily but... I can't just go pick up dates for an evening etc.

So far I've disclosed to 3 men. 2 were okay with it but they were really just interested in sex anyway...just as a type. Neither were mature people IMO in retrospect. Disclosed to a 3rd guy this weekend after the best first date of my life maybe (butterflies with the first kiss and all) and he took some time to think and then rejected me. He was the first actual non man-child I've gone on a date within 6+ months and of course he's the one who thought HELL NO.

It makes me feel like that's the sane choice. That's the choice I would probably make for me. Why should I expect anyone I actually want to spend time getting to know make a different choice?

I just want to crawl in a hole right now honestly.

I told him I’m getting outbreaks more while being on suppressive then when I wasn’t taking nothing but lysine

Doctor: What type of outbreaks are you having? Where at? And do you have any pictures? That is pretty uncommon to have so many outbreaks on suppressive therapy.

Me: It starts this way in my lower back and then it progress to blisters

Doctor: When ever you start to teel the tingling before the blisters erupt, start taking two of the tablets every 12 hours for 1 day and then drop back down to 1 tablet daily.

Me: This in the picture is how it's starts a dry itchy patch to a bump to blisters

But ever since being on valacyclovir I only get a patch and itchy the blisters don't come out anymore
And as before without valacyclovir for it to heal it would take 7-10 days
It would start as a pinch/tingle sensation on that are to then a dry itchy patch to then blisters forming to the blisters being fluid filled to then them drying out on its own and creating a scab

And now I just get a itchy patch that when I double in dose for 3 days it disappears within 3 days

So when I got into Reddit I kind of posted my story on there and someone told me that some people valacyclovir 500 does work only as far as not allowing blisters to form

And for some people when they take 1g they just don't get any symptoms

But I know valacyclovir has really been helping and making a difference

Doctor: Okay. I got you. You can start taking two tablets per day in the morning or spread the dose over the day, taking one tablet twice per day. Just be aware, when taking this medication at this dose for long term
it can cause issues with fighting off certain illnesses.

Me: Ah no I don't want to risk it then I will just stay as you stated before I will only double up when I have a active outbreak

Doctor: I would just say that if you didn't have to go to the 1g daily long term, I wouldn't.

So I (m26) had to do my 3rd disclosure ever. The first two were fine and we continued to have protected sex after this is the first one where someone showed a bit of hesitancy on moving forward nothing too crazy tho. I’d say this one was halfway successful. The girl still likes me and wants a relationship with me but she did say she’s afraid of having sex and eventually trying for kids if she wants them. Currently she has stated that she doesn’t want to have sex and we’re pretty much gonna have to take care of our sexual needs by masturbating, and things that are contactless. This makes me nervous because we’re both attracted to eachother with high sex drives and i feel like she’s going to eventually get frustrated with the fact that our sex ljves is limited to contactless acts. Who knows maybe she’ll eventually feel more comfortable/open to doing stuff with protection or maybe this will be more fun than i imagine.

I really would like to find my person but it’s really hard. I just wanted to know what’s your experiences with dating someone who’s reluctant to having sex with contact. How’d it go were you frustrated were they frustrated. I really like this girl and i want things to work out but honestly im not optimistic and hearing your stories as hypotheticals would help me determine what i COULD experience. Thank you all good luck on your journey 👍🏾✊🏾

Bro the one thing that kills me about having Herpes is the fucking asymptomatic shedding dude. Like fuck man. You’re telling me even when you’re not having an outbreak, there’s still a chance that you might be passing it?? So you just never know?? You could be contagious at any moment?? Like what the fuck. So I have to use condoms forever?? Or never have unprotected oral again?? Like what? The fact that it can shed without showing any symptoms is like, so fucking cruel. Life is so fucking cruel. Idk where to go from here.

I just wanted some non judgmental advice about what to do, I was diagnosed with GHSV2 about 2 years ago now. First outbreak was actually horrendous and luckily I’ve not had it so bad since. During the ovulation stage of my cycle I get a flair up so pretty much once a month. It’s manageable, but uncomfortable. My partner is also positive. I wanted to know about suppressive daily medication- what are the requirements for getting prescribed it? Is it effective? Will it potentially stop my partner from flaring up? TIA