Can Genital Herpes Be Treated?
So far, medical advances have provided no cure for genital herpes. There are no vaccines to prevent HSV infection and antibiotics are not effective in destroying the viruses. The bleak picture is this: once you have acquired it, you will live with it for the rest of your life. But there are antiviral medications that were found to relieve the painful symptoms, shorten the duration and severity of outbreaks, and may even impede recurrent outbreaks.
A specialist, such as a gynecologist, urologist, or dermatologist, may recommend any of these three antiviral medications: acyclovir, famciclovir, and valacylovir. All of these three can stop the growth of the herpes simplex virus, but the acyclovir is used by many, probably because it is the least expensive.
These antiviral medication can be taken either intravenously or orally. The intravenous method is done for newborns and when the infection is severe, as what happens in a primary (first-time) outbreak. Oral medication may take about seven to ten days. There are available topical forms of acyclovir but these were found to be impotent against HSV.
Acyclovir is given immediately to those with distressing primary outbreaks. But it may be taken by some people with recurrent outbreaks so that these will be less painful and will disappear sooner. It can also be taken by some who wanted to reduce the risk of passing the virus to their sexual partners.
Acyclovir is also taken by people who wanted to prevent a recurrent outbreak. This can be sensed by the infected person when he or she feels a tingling or painful sensation in the areas where the herpes blisters usually appear. When such sensations, called prodromal symptoms, begin, a person may take acyclovir for about five days. For people who experience more than six recurrent outbreaks in a year, some doctors would suggest “suppressive therapy”.
Such therapy involves the taking of oral acyclovir everyday. But with this therapy, there is a possibility that the virus can develop resistance to the medication, especially for people who were already taking other antiviral treatments. Thus, it is also advisable to consider not taking acyclovir for certain days or weeks of the year.
The antiviral medications may also have side effects. Some of the reported side effects are headaches, lightheadedness, or malaise, which is just a feeling of general illness. A person may also suffer nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, joint pains, and a decreased appetite. In rare cases, diarrhea and constipation can be encountered. Large doses of intravenous acyclovir may cause kidney problems, thus, it is safer to stick with the prescribed dosage given by the doctor.
While the genital herpes is being “treated”, the infected person
must avoid any sexual contact to prevent the spread of this particular STD.
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