Seeking out more antivirals

It has been three months since I began my antiviral endeavor. Lysine, Olive Leaf Extract, Lauricidin, Thymic Protein A (ProBoost), and ViraStop have all been added to my regimen over this time.

As you will read in my blog archive, during the first month of treatment I had many severe side effects, which are often called the "herxheimer reaction" (although since this is a viral infection, that term may not be appropriate). These effects came and went and gradually became milder and milder. I still seem to have cycles of these effects, but they are only a small fraction as strong as during the beginning.

Because the "herxheimer" symptoms have gone away, but I still have full blown CFS, I am worried that this treatment isn't working as I hoped it would. It can mean a few different things:

Possibility 1: That a lot of the viruses and pathogens have been killed off and I'm about to get better. That would be great, but I don't have much reason to believe that yet.

Possibility 2: That my body is not aborbing as much of the supplements, thus diminishing their effect. That would not be too great and I am not sure how I would fix that if that were the case. I guess taking a break from the supplements for a week then restarting might fix it, but I worry that if this isn't really the case, I'll be giving the viruses the upper hand during that time period.

Possibility 3: That the viruses have adapted to the antiviral supplements, or that they are no longer effective on then for some reason. I don't know how likely that is.

Possibility 4: That the supplements helped fight of the viral infection to an extent, but are not strong enough. I would need to add other antiviral agents.

Possibility 5: That the symptoms were not a herxheimer reaction at all, or that I don't have the viral infection I think I do.

I am inclined to believe that the problem is a combination of Possibilities 2 and 4. I'm not sure what to do next. There are other herbs with antiviral properties, but efficacy is questionable. A prescription drug might be necessary. Ampligen, Valcyte, and Valtrex are what I'm considering. The patent expires on Valtrex this year, and it will be significantly cheaper, so that might be an economical option. Of course Ampligen isn't approved yet andwill be very expensive when it is.

Other agents include artesunate, immunovir, and kutapressin. None of these are approved or for sale in the U.S. But they have have been reported to help CFS, often significantly, especially in cases brought on by Epstein-Barr or other infections by viruses in the herpes family (namely Cytomegalovirus and HHV-6).