Hello!

A friend led me to this website so...

I've been seeing a psychologist for anxiety trouble and one of my problems in my OCD' and freak outs over cold sores. So my psych wanted me to find someone who could answer my questions for me. I see a Doctor in a month also but I wanted some answers sooner.

History: Had cold sores for 10 or so years(HSV1). For 7 years never worried about this stuff much, but last three years have been, difficult. Don't know why, just are.

So, these are all things I worry about, do, and generally freak out about:

1. Spreading cold sores on your own body: If I have a sore and touch it - then touch unbroken skin like my shoulders, elbows, face, butt, penis (using restroom); this includes biting finger nails and itching an eye. Can I spread it this way? What about with broken skin? If I feel a 'phantom' prodrome, a real one, or an actual cold sore coming on and my hand touches anywhere on my body after touching my face - I take a shower. Up to 5 showers a day sometimes ~sigh~ (told you, ocd).

2. Acyclovir: I am not on suppressive therapy (being just hsv1), however, I take WAY too many pills. Ever since I got the prescription I take at least 200-300 mg everyday; two usually before bed and one in the morning. Why? Because my lips 'feel' like a prodrome is starting every night. I know this ISN'T the case, my brain tells me this isn't so, because how can, 365 days a week, can you feel a 'prodrome' coming on when the virus really only sheds for 12 days out of said year? Yet somehow I 'feel' the weirdness on my lips, and I get scared I'll wake up with a cold sore so I've been taking the pills every night. This is making my doctor angry because I always ask for a refill. And it sucks on the pocketbook also. (I also do this with Abreva for the peace of mind it gives).

So my question: When do I take Acyclovir? I know its not every night. And, maybe it's because of my anxiety which causes stress and symptons that aren't really there, but why do you think I feel the prodromes, supposedly, every night?

3. Really, how easy is it to spread it to someone else? For instance, my last sore I had had just healed and the scab had just fallen off. I shared a bottle of JD with someone, then the rest of the night I was worried I gave the virus to them!? What about kissing?

Thanks so much for your help!

Anxiety-ridden

abreva isn't real helpful for cold sores and it barely got fda approval to say it was helpful in speeding the healing of cold sores. I don't recommend it since it does little and is way over priced for that teeny tube.

you KNOW you aren't having tingling all the time from your oral herpes. If you want to take daily suppressive therapy to help ward off recurrences, take it acyclovir 400mg 2x/day every single day. when you get an obvious cold sore starting, increase it to 800mg 3x/day for 2 days to help speed healing.

you really don't have to worry about spreading your oral herpes to other body parts. It's not likely to happen at all since you have a well established infection.

you should wait until the skin is back to normal and then it's ok to kiss others again.

betsy

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