Review Does Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Represent a Poly-Herpesvirus Post-Virus Infectious Disease? 2025, Ariza et al
- Thread starter John Mac
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- ebv epstein-barr hhv-6
Utsikt
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
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Skimming the last study by Montoya:
There are minuscule differences between the groups in subjective outcomes. Most were not statistically significant, and those that were are probably not clinically meaningful. The original primary outcome was not met. It was funded by the owner of the drug, Roche.
If that is representative for the rest of the references, there is not much to go on here.
"studies demonstrating that long-term therapy (6 months) with the herpesvirus-targeting antivirals valaciclovir or valganciclovir led to improved clinical symptoms"
To me that more likely means that when your immune system is fighting a virus, it increases the severity of some ME symptoms. It doesn't mean that the virus is causing the disease. If it was the cause, I'd expect antiviral treatments to switch ME off, not just reduce the severity of some symptoms.
To me that more likely means that when your immune system is fighting a virus, it increases the severity of some ME symptoms. It doesn't mean that the virus is causing the disease. If it was the cause, I'd expect antiviral treatments to switch ME off, not just reduce the severity of some symptoms.
jnmaciuch
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Also, drugs have off-target effects. Even if you had a robust trial proving it was the drug causing improvement, it could be due to off-target effects rather than some hidden disease-causing virus.
Rick Sanchez
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
As someone who believes to briefly having had a massive positive reaction to Valacyclovir, to the point where I thought I might genuinely recover. I was surprised afterwards to find how few people would claim that antivirals improved their MECFS online. Even brain retraining or something similarly idiotic has a lot more so-called success stories. I`d also think that a lot of MECFS patients would randomly be on valacyclovir due to having cold sores or whatever, yet I`ve found no success stories like this.
The lack of anecdotes together with the poor results from the studies make it very difficult to believe that this is an avenue worth approaching. I also have a very hard time understanding why 6 months would be necessary for a study like this?
The very few stories where it at least sounds like a genuine reaction might have occurred, have always had a very quick reaction to antivirals. We are talking hours, days or weeks in the stories I have come across online. Even then of course it might not have been valacyclovir at all. But the 6 months especially just sounds like a good opportunity for randomness or regression to occur. Setting yourself up to being fooled by randomness.
The lack of anecdotes together with the poor results from the studies make it very difficult to believe that this is an avenue worth approaching. I also have a very hard time understanding why 6 months would be necessary for a study like this?
The very few stories where it at least sounds like a genuine reaction might have occurred, have always had a very quick reaction to antivirals. We are talking hours, days or weeks in the stories I have come across online. Even then of course it might not have been valacyclovir at all. But the 6 months especially just sounds like a good opportunity for randomness or regression to occur. Setting yourself up to being fooled by randomness.