Is there anyway I can treat my genital herpes without going to the doctor?
May 9, 2010 by admin
Filed under Discussion
I am a senior in college, I have contracted genital herpes. I don’t have health insurance or the money to go to the doctor and pay for meds. I was gonna see if anyone else has been in my position before and what they did. Is there any good home remedies?
If required, take a painkiller, e.g. ibuprofen, paracetamol or soluble aspirin. This reduces pain and inflammation. (Always follow manufacturers’ instructions – and don’t take aspirin if you have been told not to by a doctor.)
Wash your hands before touching blisters/sores (e.g. when applying medication) as you could introduce bacteria. This could cause an additional infection and delay the healing process.
Apply a local anaesthetic ointment, e.g. Lignagel 2 % or lidocaine 5% ointment (this used to be called lignocaine). These may be used on genital or facial sores. If you need a stronger anaesthetic try Xylocaine 10% spray. Dab on (or spray on) as required to relieve pain, especially before urinating – see below. (These are all available from a pharmacy without a prescription.) Occasionally lignocaine/xylocaine can cause hypersensitivity. If it makes your skin more sore, stop using it and your skin will return to normal.
Keep the sores moist, e.g. apply petroleum jelly/Vaseline.
Keep the area clean: washing gently once a day is sufficient. Many people have found a warm salt water solution (1 teaspoon to 1 pint water) very soothing. Gently bathe the area using cotton wool.
Avoid scented soap and deodorants. It is best not to use wipes, gel or soap in this area, but if you do, use an unscented brand.
Avoid over-washing as this can increase irritation and delay healing.
Dab dry carefully with a tissue after washing or use a hair dryer set at ‘cold’.
To reduce itching, keep the area as cool as is practical: try an ice pack well-wrapped in cloth for as long as you like (90 minutes). DO NOT put ice directly on the skin.
Women who experience pain when peeing during a first episode can try peeing while in the bath or shower, or sitting on the edge of the bath and pouring water over the area. This will dilute the urine and ease discomfort. Or pee through a tube or into a bottle to prevent urine coming into contact with the sores. You can put lignocaine/lidocaine BP ointment on the area about 15 minutes before urinating to anaesthetize the area, or use petroleum jelly/Vaseline or Orabase on the sore as a barrier.
Do not over-treat the sores – let the skin heal. Symptoms will heal with or without treatment
The above answer is a lot of good tricks for you to use. And like they said, herpes is going to happen and heal itself in a matter of a week or two. I was actually just diagnosed and being in the same position you are in, am now on state insurance where visits and meds are covered. If you really are in need, I advise looking into that.
Its going to be painful too- wear loose clothing, sit on cushions, anything you can do is helpful! Good luck to you and hope you find some relief.
L-Lysine. In some cases, it can even work better than Valtrex and other prescription strength medications. Plus, it’s over-the-counter so it’s accessible, cheaper and very effective.
Alot of good info here. It is good to remember that prescription meds will treat the symptoms, but going without the meds will force the body to work to develop an immunity to the virus. Sure you are never going to be completely “immune” to it, but as time goes on, your body will get better at fighting it off. Thats why people typically have fewer outbreaks as time goes on. I would used cotton balls and rubbing alcohol on the sores on a regular basis. Drink plenty of water and take L-Lysine. Stay away from chocolate and caffeine. Get plenty of rest.
I’ll second the L-Lysine. Can be found in any health food store in the vitamin section and often takes my symptoms away twice as fast as Valtrex.
If you are going to a UNIVERSITY…Call the school and ask for the infirmary, they have low cost or no cost care for students…
If not then go find a community health clinic.
They can prescipe pills that help prevent outbreaks.
Also you can go to the store and by ABREVA (IT USE TO BE BY PRESCRIPTION ONLY, NOW IT IS OVER THE COUNTER). Its $10-20, and it is really for cold sores on the mouth, but you can still use it on the sores that are not inside “your vagina”, or (penis opening) even though it is not for that, herpes simplex 1(COLD SORES) and hewrpes simplex 2(std herpes) are basically the same thing in diffrent areas.
anyway once a person becomes infected, Herpes Simplex Virus lies dormant in the body, waiting for just the right conditions to become active again. There can be many triggers which activate the virus, such as eating arginine-rich foods (like chocolate, cola, beer, seeds and nuts); the onset of a cold or fever; sunburn; the menses cycle & any physical or emotional event that introduces stress to the body. Each person’s triggers are different, but all herpes sufferers have one thing in common–worrying about the next outbreak adds even more stress, which just feeds the vicious cycle and makes it worse!
And there is no real treatment that can cure herpes, but antiviral medications can shorten and prevent outbreaks during the period of time the person takes the medication. For example Herpeset is a good (probably the best) product. It works by stimulating your immune system to fight the HSV virus.
It worked and is working for me!
I do not know if any pharmacies carry Herpeset but I do know that you should purchase it directly from the manufacturer and read more about the product here http://www.herpeset.com/?aid=749165 . In addition, daily suppressive therapy for symptomatic herpes can reduce transmission to partners…!
since 2005 I got 5 outbreaks! every outbreak every ~6 months. every spring and every autumn! that was very hard time for me! then I started to use the proper diet for me and some herbal treatment and listen “Bobby McFerrin – Don’t Worry Be Happy” . Now I don’t have any outbreaks for about ~2 years!
good luck!
Working in women’s health + personal experience