What Are Herpes Treatments for Each Stage?

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is the main cause of genital herpes and oral herpes. The virus is too common, but not all people recognize they’ve had it as the virus never shows up symptoms.  When it comes into the body, it stays dormant in the nervous system and will be reactivated by triggers. That’s why people with herpes often experience other outbreaks in the following years. While there’s no cure for HSV, treatments may help relieve its symptoms as well as prevent recurrences. However, herpes treatments vary from people depending on their symptoms. Thus, if you have herpes infection, your health- care provider will check and choose proper treatment for you. The article gives you more information about types of treatments for herpes.

How do you know if it’s herpes?

Herpes is sometimes confused with other conditions. If you can’t be sure about the virus, here’re some signs you should notice.

For genital herpes, you may experience:

• Itching, burning in the genitals
• Painful urination
• Vaginal discharge
• Painful sores in the genital area, buttocks or thighs
• Fever, body aches and headaches in the primary outbreak

Genital herpes and genital pimples are sometime misunderstood. So it’s important to distinguish between them in order to seek proper treatment

Related: Herpes Tests: Everything You Need to Know About

For cold sores, you may suffer from:

• Itching, tingling, burning sensation around the mouth or in the lips
• Fluid- filled blisters
• Blisters can merge and then burst
• Fever, sore throat, muscle aches, headache and swollen lymph nodes in the first- time outbreak

Cold sores are mistaken for canker sores because these often occur on your  mouth. However, while cold sores result in blisters outside your mouth, canker sores are inside the mouth.

What are types of herpes treatments?

Most herpes cases are prescribed antiviral medications to treat. The treatments help ease the severity of symptoms and shorten an outbreak. Thus, people often take medication as soon as they notice initial signals of an outbreak. Typically, there’re three available medicines for herpes, including:

• Acyclovir
• Valacyclovir (Valtrex)
• Famciclovir (Famvir)

These have been shown to give clinical benefits for genital herpes. Acyclovir works by preventing the virus from spreading to other cells. Valacyclovir is absorbed in the intestines and liver to acyclovir, so it may be used in lower doses than acyclovir. Famciclovir also helps inhibit the spread of HVS to other cells.

In addition, you can use them as creams to apply affected areas. Prosurx is also an antiviral cream for herpes. It contains powerful antiviral ingredients approved by the FDA. So, it destroys the virus at the root and prevenst it from coming back.

Related: 7 Tips to Treat Herpes and Prevent Future Outbreaks

What are herpes treatments for each stage?

Herpes treatments depend on symptoms in each stage. Before giving treatments, your doctor will check, test and ask detail information about your herpes infection. There’re three treatment categories for herpes infections

1. Primary herpes outbreak

The first- time herpes outbreak is more severe than others, it often accompanies with painful symptoms and lasts longer. So, people with primary herpes infection should receive treatment to reduce the severity as well as shorten the healing time. The following regimens may be effective:

• Acyclovir 200 mg taken from 7 to 10 days (five times a day)
• Acyclovir 400 mg taken from 7 to 10 days (three times per day)
• Valtrex 1000 mg taken from 7 to 10 days (twice a day)
• Famvir 250 mg taken from 7 to 10 days (three rimes per day)
• Prosurx applied to affected areas 3 times per day

Related: What Are the Stages of Herpes Outbreaks?

2. Recurrent herpes flare ups

Herpes can be reactivated when it meets triggers; therefore,  people with the virus may experience several outbreaks a years. If you have less than 6 herpes outbreaks per year, you can consider taking medications. But, herpes medicines will work best when you take them as soon as the initial symptoms occur. These are treatment options you can take:

• Acyclovir 400 mg for 5 days (three times daily)
• Acyclovir 800 mg for 2 days (three times a day) or for 5 days (twice a day)
• Valtrex 500 mg for 3 days (twice a days)
• Valtrex 1000 mg for 5 days ( once per day)
• Famvir 125 mg for 5 days (twice per day)
• Famvir 1000 mg for 1 day (twice per day)

However, if you have more than 6 herpes outbreaks a year, you may need suppressive treatment to reduce the symptoms. The treatment helps reduce the number of herpes outbreaks by 70% to 80%. Your doctor may prescribe the treatment, including:

• Acyclovir 400 mg twice per day
• Valtrex 500 mg once per day
• Valtrex 1000 mg once per day
• Famvir 250 mg twice per day

You may take the medicines daily until there’s no outbreak at all. But, the treatment only reduces recurrences, doesn’t stop viral shedding.

Besides antiviral medicines, alternative treatment can be used for herpes treatment. Lysine is often mentioned as a good treatment for herpes, but the evidence is still mixed. While some studies have investigated positive results, others have found none. Excitingly, honey is an alternative treatment that has more reliable evidence. It contains more natural antimicrobial properties that heal herpes symptoms well.

Though herpes isn’t curable, antiviral treatment can work well to reduce the severities as well as the number of herpes outbreaks. Depending on your symptoms, doctor will prescribe proper treatment for your herpes infections.