Let the Buyer Beware

[Angela]

Over-The-Counter Drugs-Nutritional Supplements, and Home Remedies

Because herpes infections are so common, people have tried all sorts of different remedies to treat or prevent this ailment. Unfortunately, few nonprescription remedies have been carefully tested, and support for their use usually comes from testimonials about their effectiveness. Since herpes outbreaks occur unpredictably and with varying degrees of severity, determining a treatment’s effectiveness is difficult without carefully comparing it to another one known to be ineffective. Such studies are called double-blind, placebo-controlled trials because neither the patient nor the doctor knows whether the patient is receiving the study drug (the home remedy) or a sugar pill (the placebo). Because people can be fooled about the effectiveness of treatments for herpes, it is important that those considering a home remedy avoid any treatment that might make the condition worse (delay healing or spread the infection); neither should they discontinue prescription medicine that has been proven to be effective in favor of treatments that have not.

People have tried a variety of over-the-counter medicines intended for other uses in an attempt to find convenient products that offer some relief from the pain and discomfort of herpes. Products that contain xylocaine or phenol (for example, Campho-Phenique) numb the area temporarily, giving pain relief but having no real effect on the infection. Steroid creams like Cortaid can make the sores less painful, but they delay healing and, because they interfere with the ability of the immune system to work effectively in the treated skin, can actually help the infection spread; they can also increase the risk of yeast infections. Oral antibiotics like ampicillin or sulfa-containing compounds have no effect on the herpes virus and can also increase the risk of yeast infection. Topical/intravaginal preparations for the treatment of yeast infections not only are ineffective against herpes, but, if applied directly to the sores, can slow healing and prolong the illness. Some people try anti-inflammatory drugs like Motrin (ibuprofen). Placebo-controlled trials have showed that ibuprofen taken daily did not prevent recurrent infections, nor did it reduce the severity of the recurrences. Nonoxynol-9, the detergent in many spermicides, is known to inactivate herpes simplex virus in the test tube, but it is ineffective in the treatment of recurrent herpes infections. Citmetidine (Tagamet), which is used in treating duodenal ulcers, has been shown to be ineffective in preventing recurrent genital herpes.

People who have also tried products purchased from chemical supply companies. Some chemicals like ether, chloroform, or iodine solutions can inactivate the virus in the skin when applied topically, but have no effect on the pain and discomfort caused by the sores an can irritate the skin, causing the sores to heal more slowly. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a phenolic antioxidant food preservative, is not effective in treating herpes and has been known to cause serious stomach disorders as well as causing cancer in animals given large doses. A sugar related to glucose, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG), has antiviral activity in the test tube but is not effective in the treatment of recurrent herpes infections.

Attempts to enhance the immune system have been made in the hope that fewer or less severe outbreaks would be the result. For many years the smallpox vaccine was used for this purpose; however, it was not effective and occasionally caused severe or life-threatening reactions. Fortunately, the vaccine is no longer available for this use. Other vaccines, including those for polio and flu, have also been used for the treatment of recurrent herpes; again, they have not been shown to be effective. Therapeutic herpes vaccines (Lupidon) are available in parts of Eastern Europe, but their effectiveness has never been proven either. As discussed in the next chapter, therapeutic vaccines are still being investigated, and may someday be useful in controlling recurrent herpes infections. For the time being, however, no vaccines are available for the prevention or treatment of herpes.

Nutritional supplements have been advocated by some as a “cure” for herpes. There are those who believer that a conspiracy of physicians and large pharmaceutical companies is suppressing information about such products, but, in fact, no data exist establishing the effectiveness of any nutritional supplement in the prevention or treatment of herpes simplex virus infections. Testimonials have been given, but since, as we have seen, people can perceive benefit even from sugar pills, one should be very skeptical about any treatment that has not been carefully tested. (What do we mean by “carefully tested”? For approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a herpes treatment must be studied in a controlled clinical trial in which some people get the new treatment and others get an ineffective medicine, or placebo. The patients do not know which they are receiving, nor do the doctors. Above all, the new treatment must be proven safe; it must also be more effective than the placebo in preventing outbreaks or in reducing the duration or severity of symptoms.) Supplements that have been used by people with herpes include zinc, vitamins B12, C, and E, red algae, various herbs, and lysine (an amino acid used mostly as an animal feed supplement). There being no proof that any of these (or many other) “natural” treatments work, people who choose such therapies should consider the following points: (1) Is the treatment safe? Beware of using very large doses (megadoses) of any product, because small amounts of impurities may cause significant problems when ingested in large quantities; (2) What is the cost of the therapy? Are you spending more on unproven treatment than you would on prescription drugs that are known to be effective? (3) Is there someone you can complain to if the therapy doesn’t work or makes you sick? Be skeptical of remedies advertised in newspapers, magazines, or on the Internet and sold via the mail. These companies tend to disappear after they have received your money and sometimes before they have sent you any product.

With regard to any unproven product, the consumer must always remember the Latin warning caveat emptor – let the buyer beware. With regards to products promised as cures and sold by unknown companies through the mail, the consumer should remember the statement attributed to P.T. Barnum: “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

Understanding Herpes, The most informative overview of herpes yet written for the general audience, by Lawrence Raymond Stanberry, M.D., Ph.D.

[newly diagnosed]

Great posting Angela!

[luv2dancebas]

Thanks for the information Angela!!

[Angela]

It was my pleasure!

[m.]

This is interesting. Thanks!

[Angela]

You know what? I think I'm going to go ahead and link this thread to my information page here.

Angela