Antiviral drugs for herpes

There are a lot of antiviral medicines which are being used in order for the genital herpes to be treated. Some of the most commonly used medicines are famciclovir, Valacyclovir and acyclovir. According to the experts, all of these medications have shown good results. In almost all cases, these medications are taken orally but in some cases they can also be administrated intravenously. That is especially the case in severe genital herpes outbreaks and herpes in newborns. A topical form of one of these medicines exists as well but it is not that effective in treating genital herpes which is why the doctors do not recommend it being used.

Genital herpes problem

All of these medicines are effective because they stop the growth of the herpes simplex virus. Not every person can receive these medicines and they are usually given to those who are experiencing a primary outbreak of genital herpes, suffer from frequent recurrent outbreaks of genital herpes, want to decrease the length and severity of the recurrent outbreaks and the possibility of transmitting the virus without having the intention. Apart from these, pregnant women who suffer an outbreak or are in the final four weeks of pregnancy may receive these medicines as well. Taking antiviral medicines is very important in cases a woman suffers from a genital herpes outbreak. The main reasons why that is so, are because these medicines will not only speed the healing process but will reduce the severity of an outbreak as well. The symptoms will not last as they usually do if a woman uses antiviral medicines. Seeing the symptoms as soon as they occur is very important because if a person takes the medicines then, they will be most effective. There are some cases when a person experiences more than 6 recurrences in a period of one year and then the person needs to take these medicines every day. This is called suppressive therapy. According to the data, the number of outbreaks will reduce by up to 80% in cases where a person consumes these antiviral medicines. However, it is important to know that just like all the other medicines, these cause certain side effects as well. But statistics show that most people do not experience them. Some of the most commonly seen side effects of these medicines are headache, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, the feeling of general illness, problems with vision, confusion, a rapid heartbeat and dizziness. All of these side effects require medical assistance but it is essential that a person contacts the emergency service if trouble breathing or seizures are experienced.

Antiviral drugs for genital herpes

The scientists have developed major drugs which are supposed to fight herpes simplex virus. These antiviral agents are known under the names of nucleosides and nucleotide analogues. They work by blocking the viral reproduction. The three most commonly used antiviral medicines all differ in chemical structure, dosage and price. Apart from blocking the viral reproduction, these medicines will also reduce the time which is required for the genital herpes outbreaks to heal. The medicines will also significantly lessen the severity of a primary outbreak of genital herpes. Tingling and pain are the two symptoms which occur in almost all cases of genital herpes. It is important that a person notices these symptoms because the medicines are a lot more effective if taken as soon as these symptoms occur. The person will usually take these medicines for a period of up to 7 days and that is the usual time during which the symptoms will disappear.

How do antiviral drugs work

These antiviral drugs which are being used for the genital herpes reduce the viral replication by inhibiting viral DNA synthesis. DNA synthesis is essential for the reproduction of the virus. By doing this, the medicines will make sure that the virus remain inactive.Acyclovir and penciclovir are known to have almost the same mechanism of antiviral action against herpes simplex virus. Both of these medicines are selectively phospphorylated by viral thymidine kinase of TK nowhere else but within the virus infected cells. Apart from these similarities, there are also certain differences as well. These differences are in the mode of these two antiviral medicines. The studies have shown that penciclovir has a higher affinity for herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase than acyclovir. Due to this fact, the levels of penciclovir triphosphate in the infected cells are a lot higher than the levels of triphosphate of the other medicine. All of the three types of these medicines are not that different when the effectiveness is considered. All of them are pretty safe and even though there are certain side effects which may occur, they are not that common. The medicines are taken either episodically or suppressively. The doctors will usually prescribe oral acyclovir or Valacyclovir rather than famciclovir.