POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Nutrition & HIV => Topic started by: maddeuwch on September 16, 2011, 07:33:07 am
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I keep getting colds and chest infections...i'm eating oranges etc for vit c,but thought it might be worth necking a capsule every day for a boost....
also,i'm prone to getting cold sores (herpes) on my lips...i use cream,but would it be worth taking an aciclovir pill every day to keep them at bay?
cheers for any help...!
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Hi Madd. That amount of vitamin C won't do you any harm.
If you're getting a lot of herpes outbreaks, it's definitely worth it to take acyclovir prophylaxis. It's available as a generic, so it's very cheap too and it's rare to get side-effects from it. I take acyclovir and wild horses couldn't drag me away from taking it. Talk to your doctor about getting a prescription.
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cheers for that Ann.....i try to keep pill popping to a minimum,but cold sores drive me nuts and was hoping a daily aciclovir tab wouldn't be a problem :)
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cheers for that Ann.....i try to keep pill popping to a minimum,but cold sores drive me nuts and was hoping a daily aciclovir tab wouldn't be a problem :)
You're welcome.
The standard prophylaxis dose is 400mgs, twice a day. I got away with taking 400mgs once a day for several years, but now I have to take the standard dose because I started getting breakthroughs. :-\
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that's too bad...my skin has become really sensitive either since i was infected or since i started taking meds....kissing anyone with any hint of facial hair brings me out in impetigo now and i never had that problem before.... :D
does this mean that you're finally,after all these years,on hiv medication?!!!!
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No Madd, I only take acyclovir for the herpes and dihydrocodeine (off-label, immodium disagrees with my stomach) for hiv-related diarrhea. I thought I was going to start at the beginning of the year, but my CD4 went from a couple results in the 300s back up to over 500 and my percent is in the upper 20s. The Liverpool NHS trust discourages doctors from starting anyone on meds when they have counts over 500. That makes over 14 years med free for me. I do expect to be starting in the next year or so.
Make sure you talk to your doctor about the acyclovir. Herpes is no fun no matter where you get it (I get the nether-regions variety) and when you take acyclovir, that's one less virus your body has to constantly fight to suppress.
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14 years...that's fantastic...you must be doing something right eh ;D
must be the island air....long may it continue ;)
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14 years...that's fantastic...you must be doing something right eh ;D
must be the island air....long may it continue ;)
LOL thanks, I think it's probably more the combination of the Tuesday Night Pool League and whiskey. ;D
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LOL thanks, I think it's probably more the combination of the Tuesday Night Pool League and whiskey. ;D
Scotch whiskey, I find, is the most therapeutic.
Hey Madd,
The vitamin C is not a bad idea. It is one of those that if the body gets too much, it will just eilimiate it via diarrhea.
Are you taking a mulitvitamin as well? Most docs I have talked to think it is a good idea.
HUGS,
Mark
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i think i'll just take one every other day....don't want the shites again too much...
as for multivitamins,my gp thinks it's not such a good idea because i'm a smoker....some sort of link with cancer apparently...
who knows though eh....docs opinions vary so much it could make your head spin sometimes.... :)
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as for multivitamins,my gp thinks it's not such a good idea because i'm a smoker....some sort of link with cancer apparently...
That's a new one on me, and I'm a smoker too. Madd, would you be so kind as to quiz your doctor about this next time you see him (studies?) and let us know? Thanks! :-*
Scotch whiskey, I find, is the most therapeutic.
Absolutely! I used to be a bourbon drinker in my youth, but prefer scotch now that I'm older and more discerning. ;D
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I can definitely back up what Ann is saying when it comes to the wonder drug Acyclovir. The tablets can take the edge off established herpes outbreaks, and this is how my outbreaks were initially treated but it is much better to stop them happening in the first place. I've been taking 400mg morning and night for quite a while now and haven't had a single outbreak in that time.
There is some research that suggests maintaining good vitamin D levels can help in preventing chest infections (although this is far from conclusive). Where I live we get virtually no vitamin D-producing levels of sun. After being diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency in 2009, I started taking 5000 IU vitamin D every day. I haven't had a chest infection or cold since. However, I also started using alcohol hand gel when out and about at the same time (during the bird flu scare), so my lack of colds might be due to better hand hygiene rather than any benefit of vitamin D though wouldn't hurt to try it!
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I agree that hand-washing is probably the best weapon in the fight against colds and flu. I also carry antibacterial hand gel with me, particularly when I know there is a bug going around where I live.
I always use it after grocery shopping, for example, because if you watch people when they're pushing their carts around, you'll see them coughing and sneezing and swiping their noses with their hands and then grabbing the handle on the cart. Ew. I think the handle on a shopping cart must be one of the germiest things you can touch when out in public.
Oh, and another thing - if you're in a situation where you can't wash your hands or forgot your hand gel, it's important to keep your hands off your face, particularly your eyes. That's how you get the bugs going around.
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I have a cold! :D
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yes...vitamin C is water soluble, along with the B vitamins. If your body has more than it needs you get "vitamin pee" which is why your urine turns bright yellow and has a strong odor after taking it. I take 500mg every day. it's better absorbed if you take it with food. ;D