Posted by tarheelex on November 4, 2008, at 12:46:50
In reply to medication lowering immunity?, posted by sunshine25 on November 1, 2008, at 23:41:25
Sunshine
The meds are not lowering your immunity, promise. I too suffer from cold sore outbreaks with antidepressants. Otherwise my immunity is fine. I am convinced that the drugs trigger the nerves where the herpes virus lives (the virus that causes your cold sores). The drugs are up/down regulating neurotransmitters - anything else that resides there would seem to be caught up in the action. Docs told me too it was stress or whatever other reason. Don't believe them, it is the meds.
The good news is that there is a quick fix. Take L-Lysine, 4 tabs of 500mg per day during an outbreak and 2 tabs per day as a preventative. If that doesn't work I can tell you that St Johns Wort, SAM-e, and the old-school tricyclics were much more manageable in terms of this side effect.
Good luck
poster:tarheelex
thread:860323
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20081027/msgs/860762.html