Birth Control Forum - Birth Control And Coldsores?

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Q: Birth Control And Coldsores?

asked by: averiex on April 25th, 2006

Experienced User

Here seems like a good place to ask this.

I've always gotten coldsores when stressful situations come up, but very rarely do I get them more than two or three times a year. I get one, I wait, it goes away.

I started my first year of college in the fall and in october I started breaking out with tons of coldsores, and i'm not even joking, clusters of about 4 or 5, different sections of my lip, for weeks at a time. I would get them, they'd go away, they'd immediately come back, they'd go away, i'd get my period and my body would be in an uproar -- poof they're back!

In october I started on the birth control yasmin, and i'm wondering --

has anyone else had something similiar?

My mom thinks it may have been from the stress of college, but in all honesty, the last couple months of high school I had tried to end my life three times and was much more stressed than ever before.

I also started becoming sexually active in october, and the first outbreak of last year during college was immediately after I had given my first and only boyfriend head.

At first I had worried maybe I contracted something from him, like perhaps he was shedding the virus, or hiv, but he's completely clean and doesn't even have the herpes or hiv virus in his body, one or two (we both got checked).

I am wondering if the yasmin was to blame.

Feedback would be much appreciated!

Replies(14)

xashleex

replied on April 25th, 2006

Experienced User

Ive never heard of nethang happening like that but I know my mom has this problem w/ acid blister where she would too many acidy stuff like fruit or tomatos and she had it verified from a doctor thatt it was to cause....But if u got checked out I doubt its herpes but ive read that stress , illnesness, can cause a herpe break out but if u got checked out that wouldnt be it...Maybe u should go check it out at the doc n see if they can do something for u:)

averiex

replied on April 25th, 2006

Experienced User

xashleex wrote:

ive never heard of nethang happening like that but I know my mom has this problem w/ acid blister where she would too many acidy stuff like fruit or tomatos and she had it verified from a doctor thatt it was to cause....But if u got checked out I doubt its herpes but ive read that stress , illnesness, can cause a herpe break out but if u got checked out that wouldnt be it...Maybe u should go check it out at the doc n see if they can do something for u:)

oh, I know for fact it's herpes, because cold sores is the herpes virus (and actually very oddly, part of the chicken pox family as well! I found that fascinating considering I never had the chicken pox, and yet get so many herpes outbreaks!)

thanks for the advice anyway.

Carifairy

replied on April 25th, 2006

Extremely eHealthy

Yes coldsores are herpes... You can get it from simply kissing a guy, and you may have kissed another guy who had it..People tend to get outbreaks during times of stress because their immune systems weaken..I have genital herpes, and take daily suppressive therapy so I do not outbreak.

averiex

replied on April 26th, 2006

Experienced User

carifairy wrote:

yes coldsores are herpes... You can get it from simply kissing a guy, and you may have kissed another guy who had it..People tend to get outbreaks during times of stress because their immune systems weaken..I have genital herpes, and take daily suppressive therapy so I do not outbreak.

i know this, I received it from my mother as a child I would assume; I was always taking her drinks.

I took valtrex as a trial and it made me very dizzy, but my main question was

has anyone noticed a connection between birth control and coldsores? I'm fully aware of what herpes are, I have just about every single tidbit of information reguarding the subject.

Carifairy

replied on April 26th, 2006

Extremely eHealthy

Not as I know, and I am in the healthcare field, I work at planned parenthood...

You know, valtrex made me dizzy too, but I take zovirax instead which doesn't..Zovirax is avaiable in lower doses, so I think that helps.

averiex

replied on April 26th, 2006

Experienced User

carifairy wrote:

not as I know, and I am in the healthcare field, I work at planned parenthood...

You know, valtrex made me dizzy too, but I take zovirax instead which doesn't..Zovirax is avaiable in lower doses, so I think that helps.

i take 3mg of ointment of zovirax; i'm in training to become a medical doctor.

Carifairy

replied on April 26th, 2006

Extremely eHealthy

:) yay the healthcare field is amazingly fullfilling

sh5nton

replied on May 3rd, 2006

New User

I was kissed by a boy who had herpes when I was 3, my mother was not happy having warned the other parent to keep her child away from me. Now whenever my immune system is very low I get a gross scabby sore under my nose. Yeap..Ewww. Zovirax works if you can get it quick enough. My question though, is if I contracted the virus from a little boy am I just as contagious as he was when I first got it and got it for life, or do I have a lesser strain. I do not want to give it to someone for life. (ok, unless they were mean and pretty) also how do you get rid of the red scarring it leaves behind?

Landailyn

replied on May 4th, 2006

New User

Genital herpes and cold store herpes are the exact same virus. Describing them as 1 or 2 or whatever is merely to difirentiate where the sores appear. Stress causes you to break out because stress weakens your immune system, giving the virus a chance to pop up because your body can't fight it back down. Once you get herpes, it bonds to your dna forever and there is no cure. The best you can do is boost your immune system to prevent breakouts. Take echinacea tablets regularly and exercise when you are under a lot of stress, avoid sugar, and eat healthy.

I have no idea whether the bc had anything to do with it though.

averiex

replied on May 4th, 2006

Experienced User

landailyn wrote:

genital herpes and cold store herpes are the exact same virus. Describing them as 1 or 2 or whatever is merely to difirentiate where the sores appear. Stress causes you to break out because stress weakens your immune system, giving the virus a chance to pop up because your body can't fight it back down. Once you get herpes, it bonds to your dna forever and there is no cure. The best you can do is boost your immune system to prevent breakouts. Take echinacea tablets regularly and exercise when you are under a lot of stress, avoid sugar, and eat healthy.

I have no idea whether the bc had anything to do with it though.

i know absolutely everything when it comes to coldsores; I know about what to eat, what vitamins to take, what amino acids to limit into my body; but what I was curious about is the birth control increased all my emotions tenfold; stress, crying, weight gain, suicidal thoughts, etc. Considering coldsores are brought on by these type of attitudes-- the stressing on the body-- I was wondering if anyone had more outbreaks while on it. Now that i'm off it i've had less outbreaks.

JameRoo430

replied on May 12th, 2008

New User

Yes! I am taking a different type of oral contraceptive but I have the same problem! I think it depends on your body I don't think it happens to everyone but I have heard of others. My second year of college I tried to go on the pill and the same thing happened to me! Outbreak city! I went off of them after a couple of months, and recently tried again. The same thing happened! It's not as bad this time but if I ever forget and have to take a double dose the next day I get a cold sore or two without fail, EVERY time! And sometimes in between. I am getting married soon so I went off the pill again because I don't want to have cold sores for my wedding!

Carifairy

replied on May 13th, 2008

Extremely eHealthy

LANDA- The type 1 and Type 2 are actually unique in many ways!!

HSV 2, commonly referred to as Genital herpes, lives in the bottom of the spine, in the nerve cells.

HSV1 lives at the neck, in the nerve cells.

HSV1 genitally is still 'genital herpes', but we usually call it HSV1 genitally.

iloveyouboo

replied on March 5th, 2009

New User

i was actually just wondering the same thing.
i recently started taking bc and realised i was getting alot more cold sores then ususally.
i usually get like 1 a year and i have gotten 3 in the past 2 monthes.
i thought it was just stress and everything else just adding up but hormones also trigger cold sores and bc is obviously alot of hormones.
im going to the doctor tommorw, but im thinking thats why i am getting them so often.

lizzytish

replied on November 3rd, 2009

New User

i have been on the pill for about 5 years never with any problems, and have recently switched prescriptions due to insurance changes(switch to higher hormone levels). ever since then i have been having repeated cold sores over and over. one would happen, heal and then another a day later in the same spot. i've been taking valtrex for them which is like magic, but in all honesty i think it would be cheaper and less stressful to just switch back to my old pill instead of taking 2 prescriptions. Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo had no problems for me.

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