Lithium (potential)

[friendlyface]

Hello Everyone, another potential remedy for you all to look into!

So, I have been working with my naturopath about my herpes simplex. So far, this is the only doctor I have trusted on this issued (All the M.D. were of little to no help) He has had me on a therapy involving Lomatium as the key ingredient along with germanium and a fibrin defense cleanse. So far, after my initial outbreak (which was ridiculously short-lived and anti-climactic), I have not had another - and this is after putting my body to the test - stress, not sleeping well, drinking, poor diet, etc.
I was on Valtrex, but opted to stop it after about 2 weeks in preference of his therapy. I believe I have made the right choice.

About 2 days ago he gave me a call and told me he wants to try me on a new anti-viral. I go to his office - he is one of those long-winded-yet-to-the-point types that loves to talk about everything and relate it back to medicine - anyways, we get to talking about this new anti-viral for herpes that a friend of his in Portland, Oregon has concocted.

Apparently his friend is a Harvard Med-school grad (typically, but not always, implying that he is an gratuitously intelligent medical scientist). This doctor apparently found (as many others have) that Lithium, which is used for Bi-polar disorder, in small doses, is quite toxic to herpes simplex, so much so it inhibits the virus from replicating. So he created a vitamin therapy with Lithium as its key ingredient. This doctor then went to a distributor friend of his, and began to package his medicine for sale. Then, on a business visit to Portland, my naturopath doctor got together with his friend, and asked for a few bottles. Ergo, now I have this medicine that has been designed to inhibit the herpes simplex.

This is where I want to be careful with my language, because I feel most of us on this website have learned to be weary of people touting cures. However, the way my naturopath described to me - relating information from his friend in Oregon - is that this medicine has cure potential. Obviously, like listening to good music tuned poorly, I was excited and skeptical at the same time. I trust my naturopath doctor a lot, and he did not outright say it was a cure - but when I asked how it is being marketed, he said that his Harvard friend wants to promote it as some sort of cure...

Anywho, the point here is not necessarily if this is a cure or not - I'm not even sure if we could ever know. Even if this medicine does eradicate the virus, I'll still show anti-bodies when blood-tested, correct? At least for a good while. But what is of interest here is the potential of Lithium as a therapy to lessen Outbreaks and as a potential cure at some point.

Anyways, talk is cheap, here are some websites I've found containing studies linking lithium as toxic to herpes simple:

Evaluation of Lithium as an Inhibitory Agent of Herpes Simplex Virus in Cell Cultures and During Reactivation of Latent Infection in Rabbits
aac.asm.org/cgi/reprint/25/4/522.pdf

Disruption of Herpes Virus Nucleocapsids using Lithium Iodide,
Guanidine and Mercaptoethanol
http://vir.sgmjournals.org/cgi/reprint/20/3/395.pdf

(WO/2001/049300) COMBINATIONS FOR THE TREATMENT OF DNA VIRAL INFECTIONS COMPRISING A LOOP DIURETIC AND LITHIUM
http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?...0&DISPLAY=DESC

There is a plethora of research done on this, yet I've heard very little about lithium on this website... These are just three websites/research done on this.

What I ask of everyone here is if they have heard anything about Lithium as an agent f death for the Herpes virus? Or if anyone has tried Lithium as a supplement?

lastly, my naturopath informed me that his Harvard friend had been administering this product with good results, whatever that means...? I am going for a blood test soon, and after that I will begin this medicine. Upon completion I'll go for another blood test, ect. I also hope to come into contact with this Harvard guy the next time I visit my naturopath.

-FreindlyFace

P.S. There are many questions to be asked of course, like why is there not being more invested in this treatment option for herpes? Well, hopefully together, we can answer some of those.

[Caliope]

I've only heard of Lithium being used for mental disorders. I think it was originally used for depression. It has the added benefit of making the person who takes it unable to drink alcohol without becoming violently nausious.

Of course I don't know anything about the different combinations of the drug and didn't know it was offerred otc.

If you've only had one ob. I'd assume that you have a healthy immune system and it is possible that with or without medications or supplements that you might be one of the lucky few who don't get ob's very frequently.

In any event let us know what you experience if you take this lithium supplement or if you hear of others who have success with it.

I checked out 2 of the links you attached and noticed that each citation is utilizing different forms of lithium.

[friendlyface]

http://www.igsli.org/general.html#Anchor-5677

The Antiviral Effect of Lithium in the Treatment of Herpes Simplex Infections (J.K. Rybakowski)

Under experimental conditions, lithium inhibits the replication of herpes simplex virus types 1 (HSV-1) and 2 (HSV-2) at a concentration of 5-30 mmol/l, most likely by interfering with viral DNA synthesis.
Long-term treatment with lithium at doses typical for the prophylaxis of affective disorders can attenuate or even inhibit the reactivation of labial or genital herpes infections, both in patients with affective psychoses and in individuals who do not suffer from a psychiatric illness.
Topical therapy with 8% lithium succinate ointment has been shown to have a positive therapeutic effect on herpes lesions.
The effect of lithium on herpes infections may not only be due to the inhibition of viral DNA synthesis, but also to the stress-reducing, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory properties of the drug.

I wonder, can lithium supres viral shedding as well? if it can inhibits the reactivation of labial or genital herpes, then shedding would also no occur, correct?

Its all very interesting

[LivingLife77]

Starting Lithium after Famvir and Valtrex Failure. My naturopath put me on 300 Lithium. We will see what happens. HE is hopeful it can kick ass more than FAMVIR!!!

[SiameseDream]

Originally Posted by Caliope

If you've only had one ob. I'd assume that you have a healthy immune system and it is possible that with or without medications or supplements that you might be one of the lucky few who don't get ob's very frequently.

I get confused when I read this. I thought that most people (90%) dont even show signs of HSV.

[LivingLife77]

I have it chronically--non stop--I would read some of my posts. Nothing has worked. Naturopath docs have completely different ammo.

[ntdc]

Woah lithium, that stuff is no joke and has a lot of pretty serious side effects. Someone over on HHP recently started it but after a decade of trying everything else. You may want to read up on it before trying
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium...cts_of_lithium

don't believe wikipedia? you can read on some bi-polar forums ppl will talk about the same side effects.

[LivingLife77]

I appreciate your support NCTC but I have tried Valtrex and Famvir and am still in a state of near constant breakouts. My naturopath said I am really a far out case. If I am in the sun for even less than an hour I start getting itchies and I have a breakout within the next 2 days. 1 alcoholic drink-breakout. I was debating about writing back because stress may cause a breakout. My naturopath said he is going to use all tricks of the trade to help me and that is the advantage. He can do more than any normal doctor who would just give me FAMVIR or Valtrex and walk away--which is what all my other doctors did.

He at least gives me hope so I am going to try/do what he says and see what happens. Since I have already lost 10 pounds, weight gain doesn't matter to me, loosing hair=SO WHAT?--The dosage I was taking of Famvir was WAY WORSE for my KIDNEYS. I took HIV patient dosage every single day--not just outbreaks.

I am going to see what happens and report back. He told me he tries Lithium when Famvir doesn't work and he has seen that Lithium basically kicks the virus's butt!

[ntdc]

Please keep us up to date on it thanks.

[LivingLife77]

Itching sometimes, Hives on hand that magically show up and them magically disappear less than an hour later which makes me think I am going out of my mind, trouble concentrating, feel like I am loosing my mind

The good thing is since I feel like I am loosing my mind I don't actually feel depressed, but this stuff is scary. I am stopping immediately.

The best thing for sleep, feeling slightly better is trazadone in low doses. Higher doses the sun appears like fire you feel worn down.