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Anonymous wrote:Need an Rx for L-Lysine?

What is it?

Nope, you just buy it in the vitamins section of the drugstore.

It's an essential amino acid, which means we really need it but don't make it ourselves, so we have to get it in the food we eat. The dosage that you'd take is not harmful.

Here's a link to the entire Wikipedia site:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysine

Here's a pertinent quote from Wikipedia:

"L-Lysine is a necessary building block for all protein in the body. L-Lysine plays a major role in calcium absorption; building muscle protein; recovering from surgery or sports injuries; and the body's production of hormones, enzymes, and antibodies.


[edit] Clinical significance
It has been suggested that lysine may be beneficial for those with herpes simplex infections.[5] However, more research is needed to fully substantiate this claim. For more information, refer to Herpes simplex - Lysine.

There are Lysine conjugates that show promise in the treatment of cancer, by causing cancerous cells to destroy themselves when the drug is combined with the use of phototherapy, while leaving non-cancerous cells unharmed.[6]"

I swear it worked for me when nothing else including Zovirax did. My aunt was on Zovirax for a year, almost lost her eye, and it was L-Lysine that helped her almost immediately.

A friend's mother told me to take L-Lysine to prevent cold sores. She said since she's started taking it, she's never gotten a cold sore.

Doesn't hurt. No side effects that I can discern. I used to take it daily for years. I stopped, and a few months later got a cold sore. What the heck, give it a shot!

Cheers,
Babs

Slinky wrote:.........
PREVENTION:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/shingl ... DSECTION=9

The Prevention URL is the one you should read, Rooster, to talk to your doctor about and help you decide about the vaccine.

Thanks Slinky, that's a useful link and I quote from it:

Prevention

Two vaccines may help prevent shingles — the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine and the shingles (varicella-zoster) vaccine.

Chickenpox vaccine
The varicella virus vaccine (Varivax) has become a routine childhood immunization to prevent chickenpox. It's recommended for children between ages 12 months and 18 months. The vaccine is also recommended for older kids and adults who've never had chickenpox.

Though the chickenpox vaccine doesn't guarantee you won't get chickenpox or shingles, it can reduce your chances of complications and reduce the severity of the disease.

Shingles vaccine
The varicella-zoster vaccine (Zostavax) can help prevent shingles in adults age 60 and older who've had chickenpox. Like the chickenpox vaccine, the shingles vaccine doesn't guarantee you won't get shingles. But this live vaccine will likely reduce the course and severity of the disease and reduce your risk of postherpetic neuralgia.

The shingles vaccine is given as a single injection, usually in the upper arm. It's only used as a prevention strategy, however. It's not intended to treat people who already have the disease. Common side effects include redness, pain and swelling at the needle site, itching and headache.

Not 60 yet but I will definitely look into this if I make it to 60.

I wonder why 60? Sounds arbitrary.

Well, heck, yer more than welcome, Rooster. If you looked at the very top of the Prevention page there's the full list of the 10 sections of the Shingles information. Click on any one of them to find further info.

Section 4: Risk Factors: ... More than half of the shingles cases occur in adults over 60. ...

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/shingl ... DSECTION=4

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR WONDERFUL COMMENTS THEY REALLY MADE ME FEEL BETTER, IM TAKING TWO MEDS SEPTRA-800,TWO TWICE DAY ANDACYCLOVIR-800-FIVE A DAY, IT DOES SEEM TO BE BETTER TONITE THE SWELLING HAS GONE DOWN, I HOPE THE WORST IS OVER BUT I KNOW IT CAN COME BACK, I JUST HOPE I CATCH IT IN TIME.I WILL TRY THE L-LYSINE THANKS,

In all the literature I've read on getting the shingles vaccine (Zostavax) it seems to say "If you had chicken pox" you are a candidate. I am over 60 but do not know if I had chicken pox or not. If I did not have chicken pox can I still get the vaccine? I even called Merck, and they would not commit, only said to ask your doctor. Anyone have any thoughts. Thanks

I think if you haven't had chicken pox you're not liable to get Herpes Zoster (Shingles).

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/shingles/DS00098

Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you've had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive (dormant) in your nerves. Years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles.

Vaccines can help reduce the risk of shingles, while early treatment can help shorten a shingles infection and minimize the chance of complications.

I wonder if there's a blood test to show if you have the virus antibodies.
O.

GOOOOOOD Question Ozij!!! And certainly worth investigating.

ozij wrote:I think if you haven't had chicken pox you're not liable to get Herpes Zoster (Shingles).

Although you could get Chickenpox which is no fun as an adult.

I wonder if getting the Chickenpox vaccine (and not chickenpox itself) helps/hurts prevent shingles?

YES YOU CAN GET THEM IF YOU HAVENT HAD CHICKEN POKS THE DR TOLD ME NOT TO BE AROUND ANY ONE WHO HASNT HAD THEM ORE OLDER PEOPLE WHO MITE BE SUSEPTABLE,SO I HAVE BEEN CAREFUL NOT TO BE WITH KIDS OR OLDER ONES THANKS AGAIN FOR THE OUTPUT,

donah wrote:YES YOU CAN GET THEM IF YOU HAVENT HAD CHICKEN POKS THE DR TOLD ME NOT TO BE AROUND ANY ONE WHO HASNT HAD THEM

I had a very light case of Chickenpox as a kid (less than 15 "pox"). When my children got their vaccination, the Doctor asked me if I had ever had Chickenpox because he claimed that IF you never had them, it is possible to catch it from a recently vaccinated child. Weird huh. They did the zoster on me though and I was already immune so I guess 15 was enough!