What Medication Treats Genital Herpes

What Are The Best Natural Remedies For Herpes

When experiencing a herpes outbreak, one of the most important things someone can do is keep the area clean, cool, and dry, since heat and dampness can irritate the sores. Maintaining a healthy immune system can go a long way too, according to Dr. Hayag. “A strong, healthy immune system can keep herpes under control, prevent outbreaks, and reduce the duration of symptoms,” she says. “Supplements like zinc, vitamin C, and echinacea are vital to increasing your immune function and easy to incorporate into your daily routine.” And when it comes to natural remedies, there are several that can provide much-needed relief.

When Is Preventive Treatment Considered

Some people have outbreaks of genital herpes very often or experience especially severe symptoms. Then it may be a good idea to take antiviral medication for a longer time including during symptom-free phases. The goal is to prevent further outbreaks and to keep the symptoms from becoming so severe. Also, the antiviral medication reduces the likelihood of infecting others. As preventive treatment, the WHO recommends the following:

• aciclovir: 400 mg two times per day,
• famciclovir: 250 mg two times per day or
• valaciclovir: 500 mg once per day.

Research shows that preventive treatment can considerably lower the risk of further outbreaks. The people participating had four or more herpes outbreaks per year before the start of the studies, and then took an antiviral medication or a fake treatment for up to one year. A comprehensive analysis of the study results shows that

• 96 out of 100 people who took a placebo had at least one further outbreak of genital herpes.
• 46 out of 100 people who were given antiviral medication had at least one further outbreak of genital herpes.

In other words, the medication prevented further outbreaks in 50 out of 100 people within one year.

People with very frequent herpes outbreaks also benefited from preventive treatment: In one study involving people with very frequent outbreaks, the medication lowered the number of episodes in one year from 11 to 2.

Why Genital Herpes Comes Back

Genital herpes is caused by a virus called herpes simplex. Once you have the virus, it stays in your body.

It will not spread in your body to cause blisters elsewhere. It stays in a nearby nerve and causes blisters in the same area.

If you can, avoid things that trigger your symptoms.

Triggers can include:

• surgery on your genital area
• a weakened immune system for example, from having chemotherapy for cancer

You May Like: How To Treat Herpes Flare Up

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.

Who Can And Cannot Take Aciclovir

Aciclovir can be taken by most adults and children.

Aciclovir is not suitable for some people.

To make sure aciclovir is safe for you, tell your doctor if you:

• have had an allergic reaction to aciclovir or any other medicine in the past
• have kidney problems
• are over 65 years old
• are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding

If your immune system is weakened , talk to your doctor about the best type of aciclovir for you.

They may recommend tablets rather than the cream.

Recommended Reading: How Can You Get Herpes 2

Side Effects And Follow

Side effects with these herpes drugs are considered mild, and health experts believe these drugs are safe in the long term. Acyclovir is the oldest of the three, and its safety has been documented in people taking suppressive therapy for several years.

People taking suppressive therapy should see their doctor at least once a year to decide if they should continue. You may find taking the pills every day to be inconvenient, the drugs may not work for you, or you may naturally have fewer outbreaks as time goes on. Your doctor can help you make treatment choices to suit your needs.

When Treatments For Genital Herpes Are Given

• Initial treatment. If you have symptoms such as sores when you’re first diagnosed with genital herpes, your doctor will usually give you a brief course of antiviral therapy to relieve them or prevent them from getting worse. Your doctor may keep you on the drugs longer if the sores don’t heal in that time.

After the first treatment, work with your doctor to come up with the best way to take antiviral therapies. There are two options:

• Intermittent treatment. Your doctor may prescribe an antiviral drug for you to keep on hand in case you have another flare-up this is called intermittent therapy. You can take the pills for two to five days as soon as you notice sores or when you feel an outbreak coming on. Sores will heal and disappear on their own, but taking the drugs can make the symptoms less severe and make them go away faster.
• Suppressive treatment. If you have outbreaks often, you may want to consider taking an antiviral drug every day. Doctors call this suppressive therapy. For someone who has more than six outbreaks a year, suppressive therapy can reduce the number of outbreaks by 70% to 80%. Many people who take the antiviral drugs daily have no outbreaks at all.

There is no set number of outbreaks per year that doctors use to decide when someone should start suppressive therapy. Rather, more important factors are how often the outbreaks happen and if they are severe enough to interfere with your life.

Continued

Read Also: Can Herpes Spread To Other Parts Of The Body

Can You Test For Herpes At Home

Yes, there are at-home sexually transmitted infection tests for herpes.

LetsGetChecked is a health and diagnostic company that offers home laboratory testing services. The home Herpes Test checks for HSV-1 and HSV-2 by taking a blood sample from your finger.

Read more about at-home herpes tests here.

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.

Read Also: What Does Herpes Look Like On Your Skin

A Pregnant Woman Can Give Herpes To Their Unborn Baby

The estimated number of pregnant women infected with HSV-2 is 880,000. Most transmission to newborns occurs during vaginal delivery. If a woman had genital herpes before getting pregnant, their baby may be infected but the chance is very low — less than 1%. However, the risk of infecting the baby is much higher when a woman is newly infected late in pregnancy.

If you are pregnant and think you may be infected, tell your doctor right away. Women with genital herpes are examined carefully for any symptoms before giving birth. If sores or signs that an outbreak is coming are present at the time of delivery, the baby may be delivered by cesarean section .

What If I Forget A Dose Of Aciclovir

If you forget a dose of aciclovir, take it as soon as you remember, unless itâs nearly time for your next dose. In this case, just skip the missed dose and continue with your next one as normal.

Never have 2 doses at the same time. Never have an extra dose to make up for a forgotten one.

If you forget doses often, it may help to set an alarm to remind you.

You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to remember your medicines.

You May Like: How To Calm Genital Herpes

Also Check: What To Use For Herpes Outbreak

Antiviral Medicine Can Be Taken Daily

For some people, taking an antiviral medicine every day works best because they have:

• Frequent outbreaks

• A partner who doesnt have the virus

Frequent outbreaks

Even if you treat an outbreak, you can have new outbreaks. Some people have several outbreaks a year. If you have six or more outbreaks a year, your dermatologist may recommend taking an antiviral medicine every day.

Taken daily, this medicine can reduce how often you have an outbreak. Studies show its safe to take daily and can reduce outbreaks by 70% to 80%.

A partner who doesnt have the virus

If your partner doesnt have the virus that causes genital herpes, taking an antiviral medicine every day can decrease the risk of passing the virus to your sexual partner.

Even when taking medicine, you can still give your partner the virus. You can reduce this risk by skipping sex when you have sores and wearing a condom when you dont.

If you decide to take medicine daily, youll likely take it every day for at least one year. At the end of one year, your dermatologist should re-evaluate you to see if you still need to take an antiviral every day.

Avoid The Following While You Are Using Acyclovir Buccal Delayed

• Do not chew gum, touch, or press the buccal tablet after it has been applied.
• Do not wear upper dentures.
• Do not brush your teeth until it dissolves. If your teeth need to be cleaned while the tablet is in place, rinse the mouth gently.

Shake the suspension well before each use to mix the medication evenly.

Your symptoms should improve during your treatment with acyclovir. Call your doctor if your symptoms do not improve or if they get worse.

Take or use acyclovir until you finish the prescription, even if you feel better. If you stop taking acyclovir too soon or skip doses, your infection may not be completely treated or may become more difficult to treat. The delayed-release buccal tablet is applied as a one-time dose.

Also Check: What To Put On Genital Herpes Sores

Treatment If The Blisters Come Back

Go to a GP or sexual health clinic if you have been diagnosed with genital herpes and need treatment for an outbreak.

Antiviral medicine may help shorten an outbreak by 1 or 2 days if you start taking it as soon as symptoms appear.

But outbreaks usually settle by themselves, so you may not need treatment.

Recurrent outbreaks are usually milder than the first episode of genital herpes.

Over time, outbreaks tend to happen less often and be less severe. Some people never have outbreaks.

Some people who have more than 6 outbreaks in a year may benefit from taking antiviral medicine for 6 to 12 months.

If you still have outbreaks of genital herpes during this time, you may be referred to a specialist.

Aciclovir Tablets And Liquid

Doses will vary, depending on why you’re taking aciclovir. Your doctor will tell you how much to take and how often.

A single dose is generally between 200mg and 800mg, and may be lower for children.

You’ll usually take aciclovir 2 to 5 times a day. Try to space the doses evenly throughout the day.

If you take aciclovir:

• 4 times a day you could take it first thing in the morning, at midday, in the late afternoon and at bedtime
• 5 times a day for example, you could take it at 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm and 11pm

You can take aciclovir with or without food. Drink plenty of water while taking this medicine to help keep your kidneys working well.

Keep taking the medicine until it’s all finished or until your doctor or pharmacist tells you to stop taking it.

For treating a viral infection, you’ll usually take aciclovir for 5 to 10 days. For prevention, you may need to take it for a long time.

Tablets: swallow the tablets whole with some water. If you find tablets difficult to swallow, you can dissolve them in water. Add a tablet to a small glass of water and stir. Drink all the liquid to make sure you get the full dose.

Liquid: use the measuring spoon or plastic syringe that came with your medicine. If you do not have a measuring spoon or syringe, ask your pharmacist for one. Do not use a kitchen teaspoon as you will not get the right amount of medicine.

Recommended Reading: How Soon Can You Tell If You Have Herpes

Treatment Options + Pricing

If you experience outbreaks often, a daily dose of valacyclovir can prevent them and make it less likely that you’ll pass herpes to partners. If your outbreaks are less frequent you might choose to only take valacyclovir when you feel an outbreak coming on this will lessen the outbreak’s severity and help it heal faster. We bill insurance if you have it, and out-of-pocket prices are detailed below.

*For a 90-day supply of daily valacyclovir the out-of-pocket price is 83 cents per pill.

Online Genital Herpes Treatment

At hellowisp.com, we make it easy to buy valacyclovir online so you can treat genital herpes safely, privately and on your terms. Before online Telehealth, getting antivirals meant making an appointment with your doctor or going to urgent care, but now you can have medication delivered directly to your home. Although many of us experiencing an outbreak would prefer to get herpes medication without a doctor, it is not possible to get Valtrex without a prescription. But with wisp, consulting a doctor to get medication for herpes is easy as sending an email.

For immediate and effective herpes treatment, the Center For Disease Control does not recommend over the counter herpes medication. Prescription antivirals, like Valacyclovir& Acyclovir are the best medication for genital herpes and can help you prevent future outbreaks from ever happening.

Why risk another outbreak? Keep extra meds on hand for when you need them

Recommended Reading: How To Care For Herpes Outbreak

Is There A Cure Or Treatment For Herpes

There is no cure for herpes. Antiviral medications can, however, prevent or shorten outbreaks during the period of time the person takes the medication. In addition, daily suppressive therapy for herpes can reduce the likelihood of transmission to partners.

Several clinical trials have tested vaccines against genital herpes infection, but there is currently no commercially available vaccine that is protective against genital herpes infection. One vaccine trial showed efficacy among women whose partners were HSV-2 infected, but only among women who were not infected with HSV-1. No efficacy was observed among men whose partners were HSV-2 infected. A subsequent trial testing the same vaccine showed some protection from genital HSV-1 infection, but no protection from HSV-2 infection.

Articles Ongenital Herpes Treatment

• Future Treatments

Scientists have studied alternative treatments, like herbal extracts and nutritional supplements, based on some genital herpes patients’ claims that they help relieve symptoms. Some study results have been promising, others discouraging.

Many people say that an extract of the echinacea plant helps boost the immune system’s ability to fight the genital herpes infection. Some say it decreases the frequency and severity of genital herpes outbreaks. Researchers in the U.K. compared the effect of echinacea with that of a placebo. They gave echinacea to 50 people with genital herpes for six months and a placebo for another six months. There was no significant difference in the number of herpes outbreaks during the two periods.

Another study showed that an ointment containing propolis, a waxy substance that honeybees make, may help genital herpes sores heal. Sores healed faster for people using the propolis ointment than in those using ointments containing the antiviral drug acyclovir or a placebo. The ointment was applied to herpes sores four times a day. After 10 days, 24 of the 30 people using propolis ointment said their sores healed, compared with 14 of the 30 people using acyclovir ointment and 12 of the 30 using a placebo.

Researchers have also found that the herb Prunella vulgaris, and an edible mushroom, Rozites caperata , contain chemicals that fight both the oral herpes virus and the genital herpes virus .

Don’t Miss: How To Avoid Herpes Outbreaks