Has anyone been treated with an antiviral drug as a part of their therapy? My mother has to begin taking methtrxte and an antiviral drug, and I haven't read of anyone receiving the antiviral. Thank you

They tried my husband on 6 weeks of acyclovir (sp?) which is an antiviral. The dosage was extremely high. We didn't see any benefits from it. However, they didn't do it at the same time as methotrexate. So maybe that will make a difference. What's the name of the antiviral they're recommending? They've also mentioned an anti-viral used for malaria but I don't know the name of it and we haven't personally tried it. yet.

I did the anti-viral with the methotrexate at one point during treatment - we are more susceptible to viruses as a result of the treatments - in particular there was one that could affect the heart as memory serves. It is a precautionary measure to be sure. Also, many of my toenails are now havens of fungus, I guess I will have to get to a podiatrist and have them removed...

Thank you, both, for your responses. The antiviral is acyclovir, the same as prescribed to your husband, ThnKnPos, and she's taking it at the same time as the meth. 400 mg of the antiviral, 2.5 mg x 6 tablets of the meth once a week, both for 4 - 6 months. Also folic acid on the days she's not taking the meth. I read about the acyclovir and it's interesting that it's also prescribed for the chicken pox / shingles virus, among other viruses. She had shingles about 8 years ago, way before the diagnosis of LGL or before any of us had ever even heard of it.

I was put on a regimen of an antibiotic (ciprofloxin), anti-fungal (diflucanzole) and anti-viral (Valtex) as a prophylactic measure for six months, while being treated with Sandimmune. Was allowed to discontinue it for the time being while my counts stay up, but it is apparently fairly standard protocol.

my husband takes Methotrexate and Plaquenil, which is an antimalaria drug. He has RA, and those meds were prescribed for the RA first, though some combination of them is also a treatment for LGL. Both his RA and LGL were brought into remission within 6 months with all the meds he was taking. I still don't really understand what an antimalaria drug has to do with anything, but our friend who has joint issues stemming from Lyme Disease also takes Methotrexate and Plaquenil.

Hi, ddixon, thanks for your post. I'm very happy for your husband's good health now and hope it continues well into the future. It's a story that gives me optimism for my mom's treatment.

My husband was instructed to keep a prescription of cipro (antibiotic) available at all times and take it when we saw signs of infection. For the past 6 months we've been battling kidney issues. He's on his 3rd round of cipro in 6 months. In March they had to pull out the big guns, IV antibiotics and something stronger than cipro but in the same family. It helped until recently. They're not sure if the acyclovir aggravated it or not but that's when he stopped taking it. He's on his 3rd week of methotrexate. How long does it take before you start seeing a difference in symptoms? Dr. told us give it 6 weeks before they starting upping doses. I think I was too hopeful we would have a quick turnaround. He's sleeping 18 hours a day. What's Sandimmune?

Sandimmune is the brand name for cyclosporine. Neoral is other other cyclosporin brand, although it is apparently slightly different, referred to as modified or cyclosporine-A. The warnings on the packages say not to mix the two, although they apparently target the same lymphocytes.

I have sjogren's syndrome and LGL and my Dr just started me on Plaquenil (the malaria drug) It was rough on my stomach at first but I seem to have adjusted to it. The pain and fatigue is still here but it's a little better.

Hello, There is a Olive leaf extract ( containing Oleuropein ). You can do some researches about it on internet.This natural herb is known to be a very good fighter. Olive leaf is commonly used to fight colds and flu, yeast infections, and viral infections. Could someone who is a patient of Dr. Loughran ask him for his opinion about using this herb , curcumin and CoQ10 on a regular way.