Science / Medicine : Lithium Tested as Herpes Remedy

Lithium, a drug used to treat manic depression, appears to relieve the painful symptoms of recurrent genital herpes in women, according to a Philadelphia psychiatrist.

In a preliminary study of 10 women treated with lithium for a year, outbreaks of genital herpes were less severe and less frequent, Dr. Jay Amsterdam of the University of Pennsylvania reported in the journals Lithium and Psychopharmacology.

Genital herpes, caused by the herpes simplex virus Type 2, infects 200,000 to 500,000 people a year, according to estimates by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The virus is spread through skin-to-skin contact. Outbreaks begin with a reddening of the genital area, followed by blistering and then hardened ulcers.

A just-completed second study of 17 patients confirmed that lithium helped female patients, but apparently did not help three men who received it, Amsterdam said. The oral lithium dose used was one-third that used to treat manic depression.

A Florida researcher whose work suggests that lithium inhibits the growth of the herpes virus called the results interesting but said the toxic drug should be used only as a last resort.