Cold Sore Medicine On Genital Herpes

When To Contact A Medical Professional

Its best to see a doctor as soon as possible. That way, they can properly diagnose genital sores and prescribe an appropriate course of treatment.

So if you notice a new genital sore, a change in an existing sore, genital itching, bleeding, pain, or fever alongside sores, book an appointment straight away.

Seeing a doctor is particularly important if the cause is an STI. Young people assigned female at birth are especially at risk for developing serious long-term health complications from untreated STIs, according to the

To Use Acyclovir Cream Follow These Steps:

Can I Use Abreva On Genital Herpes

Question posted by Rachel_Marie22 on 30 Oct 2011

Official Answer

Abreva is indicated for the treatment of cold sores around the mouth caused by Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1. Abreva is not to be used on genital herpes which is most commonly caused by Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2

There is no medication to cure your body of the genital herpes virus. Treatment is aimed at easing symptoms, reducing the frequency of recurrences and reducing transmission.

Symptoms can be improved by:

salt bathsice packs to the affected areapain-relieving medication such as acetaminophenantiviral medication such as acyclovir, famciclovir and valacyclovir. These can reduce the severity of an episode if taken early enough .

Topical antivirals like Abreva usually used for cold sores on the lips or face are not appropriate for use on the genitals.

For more information see:

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If you’re looking for an OTC treatment or quasi preventative, L-Lysine supplement is the same type of treatment as Acyclovir. If you use it daily as maintenance, it can make outbreaks a little less painful or minimize the duration of the outbreak. It can also be used on episodal herpes. And if you have HSV I, it may make outbreaks virtually painless and brief.

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What Are The Side Effects Of Valtrex

This is not a complete list of side effects, and others may occur. A medical professional can advise you on side effects. If you experience other effects, contact your pharmacist or a medical professional. You may report side effects to the FDA at www.fda.gov/medwatch or 800-FDA-1088.

Valtrex can cause several side effects, most of which are not dangerous. However, some serious side effects can occur.

Other Cold Sore Treatments

Beyond patches, creams, and gels, other over-the-counter medications and home remedies may help reduce cold sore symptoms. These include:

• Over-the-counter pain medications: Drugs such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen may help reduce the pain and swelling of a cold sore.
• Cold compresses: These may also help with pain or discoloration. A person can make a compress by covering an ice pack in a cloth and holding it against the affected area.
• Kanuka honey: A 2019 study suggests that Kanuka honey may be as effective as antiviral medication for treating cold sores.

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How Long To Take Them

For the treatment of herpes infections, the usual course of treatment is five days. However in some instances your doctor may want you to take your tablets for ten days.

For prevention of herpes infections, you should continue to take this medicine every day as prescribed by your doctor.

Do not stop taking Valtrex tablets just because you feel better. The herpes outbreak may not be completely over.

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Symptoms Of Oral Herpes

Oral herpes is most often caused by HSV-1, but can also be caused by HSV-2. It usually affects the lips and, in some primary attacks, the mucous membranes in the mouth. A herpes infection may occur on the cheeks or in the nose, but facial herpes is very uncommon.

Primary Oral Herpes Infection

If the primary oral infection causes symptoms, they can be very painful, particularly in children. Symptoms include:

• Tingling, burning, or itching around the mouth are the first signs.
• Red, fluid-filled blisters that may form on the lips, gums, mouth, and throat.
• Blisters that break open and leak. As they heal, they turn yellow and crusty, eventually turning into pink skin. The sores last 10 to 14 days and can be very uncomfortable.
• Blisters that may be preceded or accompanied by sore throat, fever, swollen glands, and painful swallowing.

Recurrent Oral Herpes Infection

A recurrent oral herpes infection is much milder than the primary outbreak. It usually manifests as a single sore, commonly called a cold sore or fever blister . The sore usually shows up on the outer edge of the lips and rarely affects the gums or throat.

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How Long Will A Tube Of Abreva Cream Last For The Average Cold Sore Sufferer

Our surveys indicate that one 2.0-gram tube of Abreva cream will last the average cold sore sufferer through 2-3 episodes. Which is a years supply for the average sufferer.

However, because the duration of cold sores varies among different individuals, your results may vary. It is important to apply Abreva cream according to the package directions and recommended dosage .

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What Is The Best Medication For Herpes

The effectiveness of a particular medication varies depending on the person, so thereâs no single âbestâ herpes treatment. Doctors prescribe the most suitable drug for each patientâs condition, medical history, and current medications. That said, here are a few of the drugs most commonly used to treat HSV:

This doesnât encompass the full scope of potential side effects, just the most common ones. Anyone considering treatment with one of these medications should speak with a healthcare professional for a more comprehensive list.

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Can Genital Herpes Be Treated

Your physician can prescribe different medications to help reduce your symptoms and speed up the healing of an outbreak. These medicines work best when you start them soon after an outbreak occurs.

To reduce pain during an outbreak:

• Sit in warm water in a portable bath or bathtub for about 20 minutes. Avoid bubble baths.
• Keep your genital area clean and dry, and avoid tight clothes.
• Take over-the-counter medications, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Avoid aspirin.

Let your physician know if you are worried about your genital herpes. He or she can recommend a support group to help you cope with the virus.

What Happens If I Dont Receive Treatment

Genital herpes can cause painful genital sores and can be severe in people with suppressed immune systems.

If you touch your sores or fluids from the sores, you may transfer herpes to another body part like your eyes. Do not touch the sores or fluids to avoid spreading herpes to another part of your body. If you do touch the sores or fluids, quickly wash your hands thoroughly to help avoid spreading the infection.

If you are pregnant, there can be problems for you and your unborn fetus, or newborn baby. See Im pregnant. How could genital herpes affect my baby? for information about this.

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Conditions Hydrocortisone Creams Cannot Treat

Hydrocortisone is not useful as a treatment for hives . This is because hives are caused by histamines, not skin inflammation.

Histamines are chemicals produced by the immune system in response to allergens, which are allergy-causing substances. An overreaction can sometimes cause a rash.

In this case, an oral antihistamine may be the best treatment choice. At the same time, hydrocortisone cream may be prescribed to relieve itchiness and swelling.

Hydrocortisone cream has its limits. Don’t count on it to relieve:

• Acne. In fact, the cream could make it worse.
• Broken skin, including blisters, boils, ulcers, or chancre sores.
• Rosacea and impetigo. The cream can upset both conditions.

The point should be clear: Using hydrocortisone cream on these problems would be a little like using a shop vac on a small kitchen fire. It’s a fine tool but the wrong one for the job.

You may use hydrocortisone cream on children. But be careful, especially with infants and toddlers. Speak with your pediatrician before using hydrocortisone cream to treat eczema or diaper rash. Other products may be gentler and work just as well on little ones.

Where Does The Herpes Virus Live In The Body

The herpes simplex viruses are latent, meaning they can live in the body without causing symptoms. After the initial infection, the virus gets into the nerve roots and spreads to the sensory nerve ganglia, the junctions where nerves from different parts of the body come together. For the genital area, the ganglia are adjacent to the spinal cord in the lower back. For orofacial herpes , the ganglia are located behind the cheek bone.

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When To Talk With A Doctor

Herpes isnt curable, but it can be treated with antiviral medications. These medications can reduce the severity of an outbreak.

If you suspect you have herpes, make an appointment with a doctor. Its also a good idea to talk with your doctor about a herpes screening if:

• your current or previous sexual partner has herpes
• youre planning to have sex with a new partner
• you had a risky sexual encounter

If youve already been diagnosed with herpes and youre currently experiencing an outbreak, the outbreak might go away without causing complications and without treatment.

However, its wise to make an appointment with your doctor if:

• the outbreak is particularly painful or unbearable
• youre experiencing symptoms of other STIs
• youre experiencing frequent, severe outbreaks

If youre sexually active, its a good idea to have regular STI screenings. You can book appointments for STI screenings with your doctors office. You could also try a local clinic, certain pharmacies, or Planned Parenthood.

Genital Herpes Treatment In Pregnancy

You may be offered antiviral treatment:

• to treat outbreaks in pregnancy
• from 36 weeks to reduce the chance of an outbreak during birth
• from diagnosis until the birth if you first get herpes after 28 weeks of pregnancy

Many women with genital herpes have a vaginal delivery. You may be offered a caesarean, depending on your circumstances.

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Suppressive Therapy For Recurrences

To suppress outbreaks, treatment requires taking pills daily on a long-term basis. Acyclovir and famciclovir are taken twice a day for suppression. Valacyclovir is taken once a day. The doses for these antiviral drugs are reduced in people with impaired renal function.

Suppressive treatment can reduce the frequency of outbreak recurrences by 70% to 80%. It is generally recommended for people who have frequent recurrences . Because herpes recurrences often diminish over time, you should discuss annually with your provider whether you should stay with drug therapy or discontinue it.

There is some evidence that valacyclovir may help prevent herpes transmission, particularly in situations where one heterosexual partner has HSV-2 and the other partner does not. However, this drug does not completely prevent transmission. While taking any suppressive therapy for genital herpes, it is still important to regularly use latex condoms and to avoid any sexual activity during recurrences.

Can I Use Zovirax/aciclovir Cream For Genital Herpes On My Penis/vulva

Zovirax/aciclovir cream is not as effective for genital herpes as taking aciclovir tablets and there is no added benefit to using it as well as tablets. So, it is not recommended to use Zovirax/aciclovir cream in the genital area. For further information read national guideline for the management of anogenital herpes.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Cold Sores

Cold sores start with an itchy and tingling sensation usually on the mouth, lips or nose and may form small blisters that crust after 3 days.

Cold sores usually clear up after 2 weeks without leaving any scars. They can be highly contagious, even when the blisters arent present. The virus can spread between people by direct physical contact, such as kissing, skin-to-skin contact and sharing drink containers, eating utensils, towels or toothbrushes with someone who already has a cold sore.

As well as a blister-like spot, the following symptoms are also common:

How To Tell Your Partner You Have Herpes

Before we get into the practical side of having sex with herpes, its important to cover another topic that many infected people worry about telling their sexual partner about their infection status.

If you are aware that you have herpes, you need to tell your sexual partner. Even when you avoid sex during outbreaks, use condoms and follow other safe sex practices, theres still a risk of transmitting the virus. This makes it essential that your sexual partners are informed.

Many people feel anxious about telling their romantic interest that they have herpes, for reasons that are very understandable. Nobody likes to disclose that they have an STD, especially to the person theyre sexually and romantically interested in.

However, done the right way, letting your partner know that you have herpes doesnt have to be a stressful or negative experience.

First, before you disclose to anyone that you have herpes, its important to check which type of the herpes virus youre infected with. Our guide to herpes tests covers the most common herpes testing methods and explains how you can get tested to see if you have HSV-1 or HSV-2.

If you have HSV-1 and only develop herpes sores on your lips, disclosing your status to your sexual partner is fairly straightforward. After all, an estimated 67 percent of the worlds population under the age of 50 have HSV-1, meaning theres a good chance that your partner has the virus.

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Is Genital Herpes Infection Related To Hiv

Herpes and HIV are caused by different viruses. But patients infected with these viruses are more likely to transmit either disease to their sexual partners. Patients with herpes are more vulnerable to HIV infection. People newly diagnosed with herpes should be tested for HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections.

Patients who are infected with both herpes and HIV also may have a higher concentration of HIV viruses in their body because of the interaction between the herpes virus and the HIV virus. When HIV damages a persons immune system, the person may be more likely to shed herpes simplex virus asymptomatically.

Additional Treatment For Oral Herpes

Antiviral pills are often a better choice for treating oral herpes, especially if you have recurrent outbreaks . Theyre typically less expensive than oral herpes creams and are effective options to consider.

If you have persistent oral herpes infections, taking oral antiviral medications may be a better option than creams. Here are three of the most commonly used oral antivirals with their typical cold sore treatment doses:

• Valacyclovir : 2,000 mg by mouth every 12 hours for 1 day

• Famciclovir: 1,500 mg by mouth one time only

• Acyclovir buccal tablets : 50 mg dissolved in the cheek one time only. Healthcare providers sometimes prescribe different doses of oral acyclovir capsules and tablets. This is considered an off-label use, as theyre not FDA-approved for treating cold sores.

There are currently no studies that directly compare all three antiviral medications. But a review of multiple studies found that valacyclovir healed cold sores faster than acyclovir.

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Virus Shedding And Transmission

Transmission is generally more likely when the infected partner is symptomatic because viral shedding is greater. Research shows that for HSV-2, shedding occurs:

• 10.2% of days when asymptomatic
• 20.1% of days when symptomatic

However, transmission can still commonly occur when the infected partner has no symptoms.

Among heterosexual couples with one infected partner, research has found that transmission was 10% over one year. The transmission occurred when the infected partner was asymptomatic 70% of those times.

This indicates that while viral shedding is higher when a person is symptomatic, prevention methods, even when they are asymptomatic, are equally important.

How To Apply Aciclovir Cream

• Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturerâs printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about using aciclovir cream and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you could experience from using it.
• Apply the cream five times a day. The best way to do this is to use it every four hours during the day . Dab the cream on to the area rather than rubbing it in. This will minimise any damage to the blisters, which could cause pain and spread the virus around.
• Start using the cream at the first sign of infection and continue to use it for five days. This is often sufficient time for the sore to heal but you can continue to use the cream for a further five days if needed. Remember to wash and dry your hands before and after using aciclovir, to prevent spreading any infection.
• If you forget to use the cream, apply it as soon as you remember and then continue using it again at your usual times.

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