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There is no cure for genital herpes . However, you can control the symptoms and prevent some future outbreaks. Medicine that is used to control the symptoms is called outbreak or episodic therapy. Medication that is used to prevent future outbreaks is called suppressive therapy.
Keep in mind that even when you are taking medicine for an outbreak, you are still contagious. You can still infect your partner or your baby. Suppressive therapy may reduce your risk of infecting others, but it will not eliminate this risk entirely.
When you begin to experience any early symptoms of a genital herpes outbreak, you can take medicine to control the severity and the duration of the symptoms. You take the medicine only when you are experiencing the symptoms to make you more comfortable.
Suppressive therapy is used to prevent future outbreaks of genital herpes. This involves taking the medicine every day to help suppress or prevent the outbreaks before they occur. You may want to take suppressive therapy if you tend to have outbreaks frequently.
There are three medicines available for episodic and suppressive therapy for genital herpes. All of these are antiviral medicines—medicines capable of weakening the virus.
The medicines for episodic and suppressive treatment of genital herpes include:
References:
Aoki FY, Tyring S, Diaz-Mitoma F, Gross G, Gao J, Hamed K. Single-day, patient-initiated famciclovir therapy for recurrent genital herpes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Clin Infect Dis. 2006;42(1):8-13.
Health matters fact sheet: genital herpes. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases website. Available at: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/stdherp.htm, Accessed July 18, 2005.
Herpes: get the facts. American Social Health Association website. Available at: http://www.ashastd.org/hrc/educate.html . Accessed July 18, 2005.
Martens MG, Fife KH, Leone PA, Dix LP, Brennan CA. Once daily valacyclovir for reducing viral shedding in subjects newly diagnosed with genital herpes. Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol. 2009;2009:105376.
Last reviewed September 2010 by Lawrence Frisch, MD, MPH
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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