How Do You Treat Herpes In The Mouth

When To See A Doctor

Go see the doctor when you notice the early signs of mouth herpes Though the sores will disappear by themselves in 2 to 3 weeks without the help of any treatment measures, it is advisable to consult a doctor if certain conditions accompany the sores:

• Recently you have suffered from some severe health condition that has given you a weakened immune system.
• The cold sores persist and are not showing any signs of healing even after 21 days.
• Frequency of recurrence is high
• You are experiencing irritation in your hands, throat, eyes and neck.

What You Need To Know

• Fifty percent to 80 percent of U.S. adults have oral herpes.
• Oral herpes can be spread through intimate contact with someone who is infected.
• Oral herpes can be difficult to diagnose. Often confused with many other infections, it can only be confirmed with a virus culture called PCR, blood test or biopsy. PCR is the preferred test for diagnosing herpes infections.
• The best treatment for oral herpes is antiviral oral medication. Symptomatic treatment may include antiviral ointment, over-the-counter topical anesthetics or over-the-counter anti-inflammatory agents.

Whether you call it a cold sore or a fever blister, oral herpes is a common infection of the mouth area that is caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 . Fifty percent to 80 percent of U.S. adults have oral herpes. According to the National Institutes of Health, about 90 percent of adults have been exposed to the virus by age 50.

Once infected, a person will have herpes simplex virus for the rest of his or her life. When inactive, the virus lies dormant in a group of nerve cells. While some people never develop any symptoms from the virus, others will have periodic outbreaks of infections.

Treatment For Herpes Simplex Mouth Infection

You can give your child paracetamol in recommended doses to help ease your childs pain.

You can also use topical pain preparations directly in your childs mouth to relieve pain. These preparations include lignocaine gel 2% or lignocaine and chlorhexidine mouth wash .

You should encourage your child to drink fluids, even tiny amounts at a time. One option is oral rehydration solution like Gastrolyte® or Hydralyte, which you can get as liquid or ice blocks from your pharmacy.

If your child is used to a bottle, it might be easier to feed him using a cup and spoon until the infection improves. If your child is refusing food, try offering him very soft foods.

If the infection is severe or your child is at risk of a severe infection, your doctor might suggest an anti-viral medication like aciclovir.

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Symptoms Of Herpes In Mouth And Throat

Herpes in throat is very painful condition. In the beginning, patient may complain of malaise, profound tiredness, fever and headache. After few days, tiny blisters develop on the floor of the tongue, inside the mouth, on upper palate, on the uvula and at the back of the throat. The lesions after one or two days burst leaving the area red and sore.

During this period, patient experiences extreme pain in throat. He is unable to drink fluid and swallow anything by mouth due to pain. Patient complains of persistent burning in throat and mouth. There may be swelling of lymph nodes in the neck region. There may be excess flow of saliva.

Do Natural Remedies Help

There are several options that can be tried to ease the pain. A73612 and Donnor52059 suggest dabbing cornstarch directly on the sores. I can’t find any scientific studies that have researched this, but I can’t see that it would do any harm.

A73612 also recommends squirting water from a bottle over the sores when you pee. This is a time-honoured method that will help to ease the pain.

Yolandayw mentioned taking a simple painkiller such as paracetamol during an outbreak. Feelbroken advised putting Vaseline on the sores. Lidocaine 5%, a local anaesthetic gel that numbs the area, is another option. Some people find it helpful to put on five minutes before passing urine. You need to get it on prescription and it doesn’t suit everyone. Some people develop sensitivity to it which makes the symptoms worse.

Yolandayw also advised using ice as a home remedy. Simply wrap the ice in a tea towel and apply for 5-10 minutes. Never put ice directly on the skin as this can cause ‘ice burn’. Drinking plenty of water can also be helpful as it reduces the concentration of urine, making it less painful when you have to pee.

D91907 mentioned putting aloe vera gel on the sores. There is some scientific evidence that aloe vera is useful for both genital and oral herpes.

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What Does Herpes On The Tongue Look Like

The infection may manifest starting with small, shallow, gray-colored ulcers with a red base. Thereafter, they turn into crusted, scabbed, dry and yellow blisters. For some serious cases, a grayish coating on the tonsils may appear and the patient may also experience a sore throat with shallow ulcers.

So What Are You Telling Me

Antiviral pills are your best choice for the treatment of oral herpes. They are more reasonably priced and work better. Antiviral therapy with acyclovir, famciclovir , or valacyclovir hastens the healing of lesions if treatment is initiated in the early stage. No studies compare the three, so think about which one is easier to take and at the best price.

Evidence shows that starting antiviral therapy with one of these three medications at the very start of a herpes outbreak on your mouth is your best chance to relieve pain and shorten the outbreak:

Acyclovir

Famciclovir

Valacyclovir

Single-day dosing with either famciclovir or valacyclovir is more convenient, and may have an overall lower cost compared to five days of acyclovir.

Cleared up?

Dr O.

Depending on the dose, 25 pills of acyclovir typically cost about $12 $20, though some pharmacy generic discount programs have it available for less. Famciclovir runs about $20 and under for the 1500 mg dose , and from $20 $25 for the 750 mg doses . Valacylovir may be the best combination of price and convenience in some cases, at around $15 at some pharmacies for the four 1 g tablets required for a full course.All are typically considered Tier 1 prescriptions by insurance, meaning youll pay only your lowest copay.

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How Are Genital Herpes Diagnosed

Other STIs, like syphilis, cause similar symptoms. In addition to a physical exam, your healthcare provider will take a fluid sample from the blisters to test for the herpes virus. If your blisters are healed or you dont have blisters, a blood test can check for HSV-2 antibody, a marker that shows you have been exposed to the virus.

Is It Safe To Breastfeed If I Have Genital Herpes

Yes- as long as there is no open lesion on chest or breast . If you have an active outbreak while breastfeeding, its possible to spread the infection to your nipples through touch. Careful hand-washing can prevent this spread. You shouldnt nurse from a breast that has herpes sores. You can pump breast milk until the sores heal. Dont give your baby expressed breast milk if the pump comes into contact with an open sore.

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How To Cope After Diagnosis

Many posters were occupied with the issue of passing on the infection. Yolandayw points out that you can minimise the risk of transmission by postponing sex until all the sores have healed. She also mentioned that condoms should be used. They won’t completely prevent transmission but they will help.

Ending on a positive note, many posters emphasised that there was light at the end of the tunnel. Learning of the diagnosis may feel stressful at first, but it’s a manageable condition and certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Lucy03934 has had genital herpes for 25 years. She’s been married for 18 years and has two sons – living proof that there is life after herpes.

Canker Sores Versus Cold Sores

Canker sores and cold sores both cause pain and discomfort, but thats where their similarities end. Canker sores are ulcers that occur on the inside of the mouth, tongue, throat, and cheeks. Theyre usually flat lesions. Theyre not contagious and are not caused by the herpes simplex virus.

Cold sores are usually found on the lips and outside the mouth. Theyre highly contagious. Cold sores are raised and have a bubbly appearance.

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What Does Herpes On The Mouth Look Like

Herpes often leads to sores on the lips or on the tongue, but the infection doesnt cause sores immediately. At the initial stage of the infection, you might notice flu-like symptoms and headache.

The severity of these symptoms may vary from person to person, and in many cases, the infection can be asymptomatic. Blisters can develop a few days after the infection.

These early stage blisters are red and may cause itching and irritation while eating and drinking. Over the next few days, the blisters become more painful and fluid starts to build up inside them. The fluid is highly contagious, and over the course of a few days, these blisters crust over and heal.

Herpes Symptoms And Signs

In order to diagnose herpes, a health care provider can swab an area of visibly active herpes infection or, if symptoms arent active, a blood test can be given that measures the number of herpes antibodies present in the body. The antibodies dont indicate herpes itself, but rather show the immune systems response to the presence of the virus in the body. Its important to note that sometimes a swab can give false negative results since herpes lesions need to be large enough to yield enough detectable virus and if the outbreak is already healing it also may not be detected in a swab.

The most common herpes symptoms include:

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Herpes On The Tongue: Common Symptoms Prevention And Treatment

What is herpes on the tongue? What causes it? And how do you treat it? Many people are familiar with cold sores that appear on the lips, but this painful chronic condition can appear inside the mouth too.

If you have herpes on your tongue, read on to learn more about this oral health issue. In this article, well explore the common causes and remedies of this condition and also answer questions such as:

• What are the causes of herpes on the tongue?
• What does herpes in the mouth look like?
• Are there different stages of oral herpes? What are they?
• How can you prevent oral herpes?
• How do you treat herpes on the tongue?

What About Topical Herpes Treatments

Topical creams and ointments like Zovirax and Denavir are available and have been studied for oral herpes . Turns out they dont work so well, are really expensive and usually require frequent daily applications.

Now, there is a new topical medication for oral herpes that was just approved which may hold more promise, at a cost Im sure. Sitavig is different and comes in a tablet you place on the gum which delivers a high concentration of acyclovir directly to the lip, the site of the cold sore infection. Sitavig used just once lessened healing time compared to doing nothing. The reason this is exciting is that previous studies show that antiviral creams and ointments are of moderate benefit at best. This is true for topical acyclovir, Denavir, and the over the counter medication Abreva.

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Facts And Statistics About Herpes

• According to the World Health Organization, an estimated two-thirds of the global population under 50 years old are infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 .
• Estimates for HSV-1 prevalence in the U.S. among people aged 049 years are 178 million women and 142 million men .
• In total, about 75 percent or more of the American adult population has the HSV-1 virus that usually causes oral herpes , and about 20 percent to 30 percent have HSV-2 that usually causes genital herpes.
• Men and women are affected by HSV-1 about equally. Roughly 6 million women in the U.S. become infected with HSV-1 each year, along with 5 million men.
• Slightly more women than men are affected by genital herpes, whether from HSV-1 or HSV-2. Middle-aged women are most likely to acquire genital herpes.
• Transmission of HSV most often occurs without symptoms, so its estimated that 85 percent of people with genital herpes dont know it. Many dont have any symptoms at all after the initial infection, and only about 15 percent ever receive a HSV-2 infection diagnosis in their lifetimes.
• Most primary oral/facial HSV infections are caused by HSV-1 however, facial infection by HSV-2 is increasingly becoming common.
• Less children are becoming infected with HSV-1 than in the past in high-income countries, mostly due to better hygiene and living conditions.
• After someone comes into contact with an active herpes outbreak on another person, the incubation period takes about one week.

Can I Still Have Sex If I Have Herpes

If you have herpes, you should talk to your sex partner and let him or her know that you do and the risk involved. Using condoms may help lower this risk but it will not get rid of the risk completely. Having sores or other symptoms of herpes can increase your risk of spreading the disease. Even if you do not have any symptoms, you can still infect your sex partners.

You may have concerns about how genital herpes will impact your overall health, sex life, and relationships. It is best for you to talk to a health care provider about those concerns, but it also is important to recognize that while herpes is not curable, it can be managed with medication. Daily suppressive therapy for herpes can also lower your risk of spreading genital herpes to your sex partner. Be sure to discuss treatment options with your healthcare provider. Since a genital herpes diagnosis may affect how you will feel about current or future sexual relationships, it is important to understand how to talk to sexual partners about STDsexternal icon.

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What Are The Types Of Herpes Viruses

Herpes is a group of contagious viruses. All of these viruses cause blisters and sores. Some of the more common herpes viruses include:

• Type 1: HSV-1, or oral herpes, causes cold sores to form on lips, gums, tongue and inside the mouth. It can cause genital herpes in some cases This type usually spreads through saliva when you kiss someone with open herpes sores. You can also get HSV-1 by sharing items like toothbrushes, lipsticks or eating utensils.
• Type 2: HSV-2 causes genital herpes.
• Herpes zoster: This virus causes chickenpox and shingles.

Fight Mouth Herpes With Magnesium And Calcium

Maintaining a healthy immune system helps in fighting herpes outbreak. Thats why it is essential to take vitamins and supplements if you have herpes. Adding magnesium and calcium to your diet or taking supplements will keep the bodys natural ph balance. It combats mouth herpes. Aside from vitamins and supplements, there are various treatment options to fight mouth herpes.

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Nongenital Herpes Simplex Virus

RICHARD P. USATINE, MD, and ROCHELLE TINITIGAN, MD, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas

Am Fam Physician. 2010 Nov 1 82:1075-1082.

Patient information: See related handout on cold sores, written by the authors of this article.

• References

Nongenital herpes simplex virus type 1 is a common infection that most often involves the oral mucosa or lips . The primary oral infection may range from asymptomatic to very painful, leading to poor oral intake and dehydration. Recurrent infections cause cold sores that can affect appearance and quality of life. Although HSV-2 also can affect the oral mucosa, this is much less common and does not tend to become recurrent.

SORT: KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Oral acyclovir suspension is an effective treatment for children with primary herpetic gingivostomatitis.

A = consistent, good-quality patient-oriented evidence B = inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence C = consensus, disease-oriented evidence, usual practice, expert opinion, or case series. For information about the SORT evidence rating system, go to .

How To Treat Herpes

This article was medically reviewed by Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS. Luba Lee, FNP-BC is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner and educator in Tennessee with over a decade of clinical experience. Luba has certifications in Pediatric Advanced Life Support , Emergency Medicine, Advanced Cardiac Life Support , Team Building, and Critical Care Nursing. She received her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Tennessee in 2006.There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, several readers have written to tell us that this article was helpful to them, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,627,184 times.

Herpes is an outbreak of painful, itchy blisters caused by a viral infection. While there is no cure for herpes, antiviral medications can relieve symptoms and shorten an outbreak’s duration. There are also steps you can take on your own to ease your discomfort. To reduce the risk of subsequent outbreaks, maintain a healthy diet, get 7 to 9 hours of sleep nightly, and try to keep your stress levels in check.

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