Herpes TreatmentUsing antiviral drugs as a 'herpes cure' have provided people diagnosed with genital herpes the chance to free themselves from the manifestations of herpes for an extended period of time. At the same time, this helps minimize the level and extent of the symptoms in instances of flare-ups. Using drug therapy as a solution does not necessarily treat the condition but is intended to make living with the condition more convenient. Acyclovir, famciclovir, and valacyclovir are the three major drugs used for treating herpes. They are available as a pill taken orally. For severe herpes cases, intravenous acyclovir is utilized. When initially diagnosed with genital herpes, doctors will generally suggest a brief course, ranging from 7 to 10 days, of antiviral medicines to reduce symptoms or aggravating the condition. If the blisters do not heal within the specified time, the doctor will require the extension of antiviral medicines. Once the initial treatment has been given, there might be a need to cooperate with your doctor in order to find the best method for taking antiviral drugs. There are a couple of alternatives for taking these medications. The first option is intermittent treatment. With this method, the doctor will suggest use of antiviral drug for availability in case there is another flare up. This kind of herpes cure requires you to take pills for 2 to 5 days whenever you feel that a flare up will take place or there are noticeable sores. With suppressive treatment, the doctor will recommend anti-viral drugs if you have frequent outbreaks. If you are experiencing six occurrences within a year, suppressive therapy can decrease the occurrence to 70% to 80%. This method of treatment can reduce the onset to zero outbreaks for the year. There is no requirement for the number of annual occurrences that doctors set in deciding when is it appropriate to undergo suppressive therapy. The most vital consideration to bear in mind is the number of outbreaks as well as their intensity to hamper with your daily functions. In addition, daily suppressive treatment helps in the reduction of the likelihood of virus transmission to a sex partner. This solution lowers the possibility of viral shedding, a process wherein the virus reproduces itself on the surface of your skin. Recently, a study involving people taking daily doses of valacyclovir showed that this herpes cure can serve as a shield to sex partners from getting infected, although condom use is still necessary. Fifty percent of the sexual partners taking dosage of valacyclovir on a daily basis experienced virus infection and the remaining fifty percent was free from infection. 75% of sexual partners showed symptoms of genital herpes, regardless of virus infection. The side effects of this herpes remedy is relatively mild and experts in the health field regard it as safe in the long term. Among the three drugs used for herpes treatment, acyclovir is the oldest and its safety has been noted in people administering suppressive therapy for several years. People intending to use these herpes cures should consult their doctors for at least once in a year to see if they should go on with the treatment. At first, you may feel discomfort taking the pills everyday, the drug is not effective, or there has been fewer occurrences as time wears on. Your doctor can help in determining the specific treatment that suits your needs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valaciclovir |
