Thread: Looking for a decent STD Clinic

Probably not the best place for this thread but...

A good friend has taken ill and is looking for treatment of the dreaded herpes. He is new to town and has teh money to spend on treatment.

Any recommendations for private clinics in Bangkok for testing/treatment. Cant find anything on the net other than the usual 2 or 3 public hospitals.

Can pm me or mail me please.

Thanks for the help. I will pass it on. I have been doing some research myself. Although it is not curable it is possible that some med's stop the outbreaks occurring regularily.

Are there antibiotics that can help the blisters heal quicker? I have heard of I-Lysine as a diatry supplement but cannot get this in any of the pharmacies.

There are so many med's that one can get as suppresors, but which ones actually work?

I'm sorry there is a lot of mis-information in this post so I must respond.

Originally Posted by Ice Maiden

You cant treat herpes!

This is not necessarily true, see below. You probably meant that you can't cure herpes because it is a virus which is correct.

If the sores are really that terrible and dont go away after a few weeks then you can have them frozen off but that is only in extreme cases and it dosen't stop other attacks of herpes.

You are confusing genital herpes with genital warts here, 2 completely different STDs. The treatment for genital warts often does involve the freezing process you mentioned as does treatment for warts anywhere else.

You can take medication to lessen the severity of the outbreak and it is not advised to place creams on the affected area at the time of an outbreak because it will only make the pain worse in many cases.

This is correct there are anti-viral medications that have been shown to reduce the length and severity of outbreaks. The oldest (and cheapest) medication is called Zovirax and it's generic name is Acyclovir. The newer (more expensive) medication is called Valtrex and its generic name is Valcylovir. Valcylovir is metabolized in the red blood cell where it's needed, it has been shown to be more effective and faster acting than Acycylovir. The use of creams and other topical treatments are not recommended because they have not been demonstrated to be effective though, it does stand to reason that putting anything on an open sore will be painful.

Outbreaks are caused by stress/change of diets/weather... Many different reasons and they last usually only a few weeks but it depends on the person.

Correct. The longer one has the virus the better their body gets at fighting it. This translates to a reduction in the frequency, severity, and duration of the outbreaks.

But most people dont know they have herpes because they may get a tiny outbreak without realising then most people never get another outbreak so they dont know they have herpes.

I wouldn't say that most carriers are not aware they have it but it's probably fair to say that many carriers may not be aware. There is a blood test that checks for the unique anti-bodies that your immune system develops in response to the virus which can be done at any time.

I wouldn't advise going to hospitals in Thailand, sure you could try and I'm sure they'd charge stupid money for medications your friend dosen't need because herpes is NOT curable.

Unless your friend has a good relationship with a Thai pharmacist I would advise them to go to a hospital because the medication from a hospital pharmacy will likely be the same cost or cheaper (even with the hospital / doctor fee included) than paying the 'farang price' at a pharmacy on the street. If your friend can get the 'Thai price' at a pharmacy or $ is not a concern they don't really have to see a physician. Just request the medications I've indicated above.

However, because having herpes is sometimes a side effect from having HIV/AIDS I'd suggest your friend has a HIV test A.S.A.P.

This is completely incorrect HIV / AIDS is a completely different STD and is in no way related to herpes except that it is also a virus. Herpes is NOT ever a 'side effect' of HIV / AIDS.

I hope this helps to clear up some mis-conceptions and my apologies to Ice Maiden if it sounds like I'm stepping on your toes. I know your reply was made with the best of intentions but I can't let incorrect medical advice go unanswered.
I've considered starting up some sort of 'farang medical counseling' business in LOS. This reminds me to look into it further when I get settled over there in a few months.
--E

Originally Posted by Ice Maiden

You cant treat herpes!

Don't be silly IM. of course you can. You can't 'cure' Herpes 1 or 2 but you can make it a lot more bearable.

I have had Type 1 all my life but since the invention of Acyclovir (Zovirax) have never had a noticable outbreak. Another couple of newer anti-viral drugs are Famciclovir (Famvir) and Valacyclovir (Valtrex).

I used to use Zovirax cream from any Boots but it is relatively expensive. Now I go to a local pharmacy and ask for local version. Slap it on when you feel a tingle and it goes away.
Same for type 2. The problem with type 2 (the genital version) is , that after the initial, it outbreak can lie dormant for years so you think it's gone but you are still capable of infecting others.

OTM, antibiotics won't help because it's a virus but the drugs above give relief in a day or so.

Don't let Ice Maiden scare the bejasus out of you. Herpes is NOT a side effect of HIV/AIDS.
People who can't be bothered with 'Safe Sex' are the sort of folk likely to pick a whole bouquet of STDs.

Stay away from Bumrungrad, it is priced for rich medical tourists. Other hospitals will charge a few hundred Baht for consultation, blood tests and prescription. A fraction the cost of going abroad.

I guess we were typing away at the same time Chalkie

True, Eric. But at least I agreed with you, even if you said it much better.

Do you know if the blood test for Herpes distinguishes between 1 and 2?

Originally Posted by Ice Maiden

If the sores are really that terrible and dont go away after a few weeks then you can have them frozen off but that is only in extreme cases and it dosen't stop other attacks of herpes.

Uhggg...hope you're not talking from experience!

Originally Posted by Chalk Face

Do you know if the blood test for Herpes distinguishes between 1 and 2?

I'm 98% sure that the blood test can not distinguish between herpes simplex 1 and herpes simplex 2 but it might be worth a Google to confirm from a respectable site like webmd.com

Hmmmmm. It seems that you can catch either variety in either area It doesn't make much difference to the symptoms nor prognosis. It IS possible to distinguish but.........

The gold standard for the antibody test for Herpes infections is the Western blot (WB) analysis which has the ability to distinguish between types 1 and 2 antibodies. However due to its cumbersome nature WB is not a practical option for the routine clinical laboratory.
From STDWeB

http://www.stdweb.com/Asha/herpes1.HTM

All this talk is making me hungry...