Suppressive Antiviral Therapy For Herpes

How Can I Reduce My Risk Of Herpes Simplex

Preventing HSV-1

You can reduce your risk of contracting HSV-1 by avoiding physical contact with someone who has a cold sore. People can still spread HSV-1 when cold sores arent present, but its less likely.

If someone has an active HSV-1 infection, avoid:

• Sharing utensils, cups, lip balms or other personal care products.
• Touching the skin near their mouth.

Preventing HSV-2

If youre sexually active, you can take these steps to protect yourself and others from the herpes virus and other STIs:

• Be monogamous with one sexual partner or limit your number of partners.
• Get tested for STIs and complete any prescribed treatment.
• Tell your sexual partners if you have genital herpes so they can get tested.
• Use condoms during intercourse and dental dams during oral sex.

Wash your hands often if you have an outbreak or are around someone with symptoms.

If your sexual partner has genital herpes, these actions can lower your risk of getting the virus:

• Dont have sex when your partner has active symptoms. Condoms may not cover all sores, so you may still get the virus.
• Make sure your partner takes antiviral medication as prescribed.
• Wait to have sex until scabs fall off active lesions.

Also Check: Can You Kill The Herpes Virus

Other Uses For This Medicine

Acyclovir is also sometimes used to treat eczema herpeticum to treat and prevent herpes infections of the skin, eyes, nose, and mouth in patients with human immunodeficiency virus , and to treat oral hairy leukoplakia .

This medication may be prescribed for other uses ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

What Is The Usual Treatment For Genital Herpes

The doctor may prescribe antiviral tablets to speed up healing and reduce the severity of a first episode. Aciclovir is the most commonly used antiviral drug for treating genital herpes. You dont need the tablets if the first episode is mild, or if you have almost recovered before you see the doctor.If you get more episodes later on, you will be less likely to be offered with antiviral tablets as outbreaks clear up without treatment.To prevent a recurrent outbreak with antiviral tablets, you need to start taking them within 24 hours of noticing the beginning of the outbreak. When you start after 24 hours, it is unlikely that the tablets will have much effect. This is why you should have a prescription or tablets ready, so that you can start to take them as soon as possible see dosing information below. Members can ask for our antiviral drug fact sheet see subscription form. And we offer self-help suggestions too.

You May Like: How To Soothe Herpes Pain

How Can I Prevent Herpes Outbreaks

If you have lots of herpes outbreaks, your doctor may tell you to take medicine every day this is called suppressive therapy. It can help prevent future herpes outbreaks, and lower your chances of giving herpes to your partners.

Whether or not you take medicine to treat herpes, taking care of yourself by eating healthy foods, getting enough sleep, and avoiding stress might help keep future outbreaks from popping up.

No one knows for sure what triggers genital herpes outbreaks. Other infections, surgery, sex, your period, skin irritations, and stress may cause outbreaks. Sunburns, injuries to your lips, or other infections can cause oral herpes flare-ups. Try to avoid getting sunburned if you have oral herpes.

Genital herpes outbreaks usually happen less often and become shorter and weaker after a few years whether or not you get treated.

What Is The Best Genital Herpes Treatment

Content by

See our range of genital herpes treatments

Delivered discreetly from our UK registered pharmacy

The best genital herpes treatments are aciclovir and valaciclovir. Studies show that they help to reduce viral transmission by 75 â 90%. They can both be taken during an outbreak to help reduce the severity of a flare up. Alternatively, they can be taken daily to reduce the chances of getting an outbreak.

Also Check: How Can I Protect Myself From Herpes

How Should This Medicine Be Used

Acyclovir comes as a tablet, a capsule, and a suspension to take by mouth. It also comes as a delayed-release buccal tablet to apply to the upper gum of the mouth. The tablets, capsules, and suspension are usually taken with or without food two to five times a day for 5 to 10 days, starting as soon as possible after your symptoms begin. When acyclovir is used to prevent outbreaks of genital herpes, it is usually taken two to five times a day for up to 12 months. The delayed-release buccal tablet is usually applied with a dry finger as a one-time dose within 1 hour after itching, redness, burning or tingling cold sore symptoms begin but before the cold sore appears. Take or use acyclovir at around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take or use acyclovir exactly as directed. Do not take or use more or less of it or take it more often or for a longer time than prescribed by your doctor.

Do not chew, crush, suck, or swallow the delayed-release buccal tablets. Drink plenty of liquids, if you have a dry mouth while using the delayed-release buccal tablets.

Donât Miss: Can You Treat Herpes At Home

How To Use Famciclovir

Read the Patient Information Leaflet if available from your pharmacist before you start taking famciclovir and each time you get a refill. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Take this medication by mouth with or without food, usually 2 to 3 times a day or as directed by your doctor.

This medication works best when started at the first sign of an outbreak, as directed by your doctor. It may not work as well if you delay treatment.

The dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment.

This medication works best when the amount of drug in your body is kept at a constant level. Therefore, take this drug at evenly spaced intervals. To help you remember, take it at the same times each day.

Continue to take this medication until the full prescribed amount is finished. Do not change your dose, skip any doses, or stop this medication early without your doctorâs approval.

Tell your doctor if your condition persists or worsens.

Don’t Miss: How To Get Rid Of Genital Herpes Home Remedies

What Are The Symptoms Of Genital Herpes

The symptoms of genital herpes vary a lot. Most people have very mild symptoms or none at all.

Symptoms can vary from a mild area of irritation to more painful blisters or sores and generally feeling unwell. Common symptoms may include:

• sometimes sores on the cervix

If you are having a first episode of genital herpes, you are more likely to also feel generally unwell and have fever, headache and general bone and muscle aches.

This may last for several days, during or after which reddened areas may appear on your genitals. These may develop into painful blisters. The blisters then burst, generally to leave sores that gradually heal, usually without scarring.

The severity of this first episode varies between people, but for some it may be severe and last for up to 3 weeks if not treated. These symptoms should quickly resolve with treatment. There is effective treatment available if symptoms are problematic.

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.

Read Also: How Long Does Herpes Outbreak Last Without Treatment

Read Also: What Does Herpes Look Like Pictures

Zovirax Side Effects List For Healthcare Professionals

Adverse Drug Reaction Overview

The most frequent adverse reactions associated with the use of Zovirax are headache and nausea.

Neurological side effects have also been reported in rare instances. Elderly patients and patients with a history of renal impairment are at increased risk of developing these effects. In the reported cases, these reactions were generally reversible on discontinuation of treatment.

Clinical Trial Adverse Drug Reactions

Because clinical trials are conducted under very specific conditions the adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials may not reflect the rates observed in practice and should not be compared to the rates in the clinical trials of another drug. Adverse drug reaction information from clinical trials is useful for identifying drug-related adverse events and for approximating rates.

Treatment of Herpes Simplex

Short-term administration : The most frequent adverse reactions reported during clinical trials of treatment of genital herpes with oral Zovirax in 298 patients are listed in Table 1.

Table 1 : Adverse Reactions Reported in Clinical Trials of Treatment of Genital Herpes with Acyclovir

Less Common Clinical Trial Adverse Drug Reactions

Abnormal Hematologic And Clinical Chemistry Findings

No clinically significant changes in laboratory values have been observed in clinical trials for the treatment of chickenpox and zoster, and for the treatment and suppression of genital herpes with Zovirax.

What Are Recurrences Of Herpes And How Likely Are They

Recurrences are repeat symptoms which appear at or close to the place where the infection was first noticed. These are often fairly minor and may be no more than a small spot that heals in a few days. They may be accompanied by sensations itches or nerve twinges. They are unlikely to be as severe as first symptoms and may be almost unnoticed.

Recommended Reading: Will Herpes Be Cured In My Lifetime

Is There A Cure For Herpes Simplex

There is no cure for herpes simplex. Once you have the virus, its a lifelong infection.

What is the outlook for people with herpes simplex?

For many people, the first herpes outbreak is the most severe. Many outbreaks are less frequent and milder after the first year of infection. Some people may have only one outbreak and never have another again.

Herpes infection doesnt usually pose a serious health risk. The risk of a health complication due to herpes is higher in infants and if you have HIV/AIDS, cancer or an organ transplant.

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.

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 .

Don’t Miss: How Long Do Herpe Bumps Last

Drug Treatment For Genital Herpes

If you are infected with genital herpes, your doctor may prescribe oral antiviral drugs to help ease your symptoms during both a first episode and recurrent episodes. Your doctor may also suggest taking antiviral drugs daily as a suppressive therapy to reduce symptoms and protect partners.

Remember, though, that antiviral drugs do not wipe out the virus completely. It continues to live in your body, so if you stop taking the drugs that suppress it, you may have more frequent or more intense symptom outbreaks, and the risk of your transmitting the virus to others rises.

Three antiviral drugs, all taken by mouth, are used to treat genital herpes:

Antiviral Uses In Preventing Flu

Here, your doctor may be able to prescribe an antiviral and that is if you come in close contact with other people or family members who may have the flu and you may further want to avoid getting the flu infection, the centers for disease control and prevention also abbreviated as CDC however discourages this kind of practice, this is simply because it can lead to drug resistance strains of this virus. People at risk of severe flu are recommended by CDC to take the antibiotics. These people are such as the pregnant mothers or people who have asthma related diseases, heart disease or heart attack do gain the antiviral treatment soon as the symptoms of the flu start to show. The most effective way to prevent flu is vaccination.

Also Check: What Medication For Genital Herpes

Suppressive Valacyclovir Therapy To Reduce Genital Herpes Transmission: Good Public Health Policy

Paul BonnarCopyright

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License, which permits for noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any digital medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not altered in any way. For details, please refer to

Treatment For Genital Herpes

There are three antiviral medications that are FDA-approved for the treatment of genital herpes:

• Acyclovir: The oldest antiviral medication for herpes is acyclovir. It has been available since 1982 in a topical form and sold since 1985 in pill form. Acyclovir has been shown to be safe in persons who have used it continuously for as long as 10 years.
• Valacyclovir: A newer drug, valacyclovir, actually uses acyclovir as its active ingredient. This medication delivers acyclovir more efficiently so that the body absorbs much of the drug, which has the advantage of taking the medication fewer times during the day.
• Famciclovir: Famciclovir uses penciclovir as its active ingredient to stop HSV from replicating. Like valacyclovir, it is well absorbed, persists for a longer time in the body, and can be taken less frequently than acyclovir.

Antiviral medication is commonly prescribed for patients having a first episode of genital herpes, but they can be used for recurrent episodes as well. There are two kinds of treatment regimens: episodic therapy and suppressive therapy.

You May Like: Can You Use Abreva For Genital Herpes

Patients Materials And Methods

Subjects and setting. Healthy men and women who were seropositive for HSV-2 were considered for enrollment. Patients were eligible if they had a diagnosis of a first episode of genital HSV-2 infection 6 months before enrollment. Alternatively, patients were eligible if they had longstanding genital herpes infection and a recurrence rate of 6 episodes during the preceding year. Patients who had been receiving recent suppressive therapy were eligible if they reported 6 recurrences/year before initiating suppressive therapy. Suppressive therapy was stopped for at least 1 month before enrollment, and at least 1 recurrence was required during that time. Subjects were excluded if they were immunocompromised, HIV positive, had abnormal renal or hepatic function, or had a history of malabsorption or of ocular HSV. Women of childbearing potential had to use an effective method of contraception throughout the study. Study participants were recruited by newspaper advertisements, flyers, and local health clinics at 2 centers: the University of Washington Virology Research Clinic in Seattle and the Westover Heights Clinic in Portland, Oregon. Enrollment took place between August 1995 and July 1996. The protocol was approved by human subjects review committees, and all subjects gave written, informed consent.

How Do Dermatologists Treat Herpes Simplex

There is no cure for herpes simplex. The good news is that sores often clear without treatment. Many people choose to treat herpes simplex because treatment can relieve symptoms and shorten an outbreak.

Most people are treated with an antiviral medicine. An antiviral cream or ointment can relieve the burning, itching, or tingling. An antiviral medicine that is oral or intravenous can shorten an outbreak of herpes.

Prescription antiviral medicines approved for the treatment of both types of herpes simplex include:

Taken daily, these medicines can lessen the severity and frequency of outbreaks. They also can help prevent infected people from spreading the virus.

Also Check: How Does Herpes Medication Work

Treatment For Cold Sores

• Cold sores have no treatment. Once youve contracted the virus, it will remain in your body for the rest of your life. In most cases, the sores will heal on their own in 1 to 2 weeks.

• Antiviral drugs can help you recuperate faster, especially if you start taking them as soon as you notice an outbreak.

You May Like: What Can I Put On Herpes Blisters

Treatment Of Recurrent Genital Herpes

Most herpes recurrences are so mild and infrequent that taking treatment isnt considered necessary or helpful.

For some people herpes recurrences, while infrequent, can be more prolonged and you may find taking a short course of medication when you recognise the signs of a recurrence lessens the length and severity of the symptoms and reduces the risk of transmission if you are sexually active. This is called EPISODIC TREATMENT as it is not taken all the time.

Because this therapy is most effective before you develop skin rashes or lesions , it is important you have a readily available supply of medication to start as soon as you experience signs that you are having a recurrence.

Episodic treatment is 500mg of valaciclovir twice daily for 3 days taken 3 times daily for 2 days).

Ask your Doctor to prescribe 50 x 500mg tablets of valaciclovir and self-initiate treatment at the first sign of a recurrence starting.

Also Check: Is Hiv And Herpes Test The Same

Read Also: What Can You Put On Herpes Sores