Experiences with suppressive therapy for oral HSV-1?
I’m curious how others here handle this.
I’ve had oral HSV-1 (cold sores) pretty much my whole life. It used to flare up only a few times a year, but since my partner and I became more active in swinging with others, it seems to get triggered much more often and that worries me.
Of course I am not active if I feel symptoms coming on or have an active cold sore, but mentally I do worry a lot about possibly transmitting it to others. Especially because I sometimes develop a cold sore 24-48 hours after contact, even if it was “just” kissing. It already ruined one really nice club night for me. I had a great experience with someone there, but about 30 hours later a cold sore appeared and I completely spiraled because I had no way of contacting the woman I had kissed and briefly gone down on that night.
We’re also ramping up our experiences a bit, and I really enjoy giving oral (both man and women). So I’m trying to find a balance between being responsible and not constantly being stuck in anxiety/fear around HSV transmission.
I’ve read that some people use suppressive therapy with valacyclovir or acyclovir to:
- reduce outbreaks
- and possibly lower transmission risk as well
So I’m curious:
- do others here use suppressive therapy?
- daily or only around dates/events?
- what dosage?
- has it helped?
- and how do you personally approach disclosure with oral HSV-1, considering how incredibly common it already is?
Mostly interested in real-life experiences from people in non-monogamous/swinger spaces. I’ve already done a lot of reading on the medical/statistical side of this, so I’m mainly looking for practical experiences and perspectives.
And yes, I’m aware that a large part of the population already carries HSV-1, that a first outbreak can take weeks or even months to appear, and that suppressive therapy is never a 100% guarantee.
I also understand that swinging always involves some level of risk. I’ve done a lot of reading on this topic already. But having dealt with this virus myself for most of my life makes me very determined to do whatever I reasonably can to reduce the chance of transmitting it to others who still don't have it.
Thank you for sharing your experience!