# L-Lysine safe?



## nikkihoi (Jul 5, 2006)

Hi there!

Pre pregnancy, I would take Lysine often. I'm prone to cold sores, especially when stressd or the verge of being burned out/sick.
I haven't taken it at all since the pregnancy and haven't had any cold sores....
until this morning







:
I went home from work not feeling well either.
I use the topical lysine which helps but I'm wondering if you anyone knows if it's ok to take while pregnant. There seems to be conflicting info out there in the www.

Thanks for your help!


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## pianojazzgirl (Apr 6, 2006)

Oh wow, I was just coming to post the same question. Eagerly awaiting some answers...


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## Cinder (Feb 4, 2003)

I looked it up at the begining of pregnancy and I agree with you, very conflicting answers, I chose to just live with the cold sore...but I'm eagerly awaiting some other answers.


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## mkmoro311 (Oct 23, 2006)

My midwife told me to take it!


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## jayayenay (Sep 28, 2003)

safefetus.com says it's pregnancy risk category C and that it does cross the placenta:

- Studies on animals show adverse effect and toxicity on fetus.
- No adequate and well controlled studies done on pregnant women.
- Drugs should be given only if the potential benefit outweighs the potential risk to the fetus.

http://www.safefetus.com/DrugDetail....e&TradeId=2544


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## mzfern (Nov 16, 2004)

My midwife told me it's fine -- both topically and internally in moderation (1 500mg dose/day)

ETA: I don't know if this matters to anyone, but my midwife is also a naturopath.


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## koru (Sep 7, 2006)

i've taken it during all my pregnancies with no ill side effects (that i know of, i suppose). l-lysine is just an amino acid that you get normally in food, too, so i didn't worry too much about it. granted, the dosage is a bit more but it's not like you would take it all day everyday, right?


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## dutchgal (Nov 25, 2006)

I take a Lysene+ (that's the name of it) and the naturopath at the store that I bought it from said it was good to take when pregnant, but just lysene depleted something (I forget what) in pregnancy, so ask lots of questions, I had no idea there was a difference between plain lysene and this particular lysene that I take (same brand as the Greens+ stuff).


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## Ruthe (May 31, 2005)

I took 500 mg for about three days a few weeks ago; Although it's category C (crosses the placenta) I get the impression it's not harmful in and of itself; it's an amino acid. The problem seems to be that having high levels of L-Lysene in your system prevents you from absorbing other amino acids that you need. I decided to limit usage to only a few days, and keep the dosage low. I probably would skip it in the first trimester. If you get a LOT of cold sores, you could consider taking it at the very end of your pregnancy to avoid haviing a cold sore when the baby is born... in the unlikely event the baby needs to spend time in the NICU, many hospitals will not let anyone with an active cold sore into the NICU because herpes is such a deadly risk to neonates. Which would be a dreadful situation to be in.


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## 4lilfarmers (Feb 9, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mkmoro311* 
My midwife told me to take it!

same here


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## seaheroine (Dec 24, 2004)

I was scouring the intarweb looking for the exact same thing! I normally take it orally daily - for well over a year and a half now - and haven't been sick much at all, save for a day or two here and there, and absolutely ZERO cold sores. Of course, as soon as I got my positive I stopped taking everything and got sick immediately. Maybe because I deal with the public...but I would really like to be taking it. Thanks for the question!


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