This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Acyclovir in genital herpes

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

There is little doubt about the value of oral acyclovir in the treatment of the initial infection of genital herpes, but in recurrent genital herpes, both oral and topical treatments have been disappointing.

In the initial infection of genital herpes:

  • oral acyclovir - if started within six days of the rash, acyclovir orally reduces time to healing, pain and virus shedding. Dosage - 200mg five times daily for 5 days

  • Acyclovir cream - less effective than oral and does not affect systemic symptoms. Dosage - 5% cream five times a day for 5 days started within five days of the onset of symptoms

Recurrent episodes of genital herpes (e.g. > 10 episodes per year) may require continuous acyclovir therapy (400 mg bd).

Reference:

  • (1) NEJM (1983) 308, 961-21.
  • (2) J Antimicrob Chemother (1983) 12 Suppl.B: 79 -88.
  • (3) Evidence-based Medicine (1997), 2(2), 43.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.