Medications may be used to control outbreaks. There is no cure for genital herpes. However, daily use of antiviral medications can prevent or shorten outbreaks. Antiviral medicines can also reduce your chance of infecting it to others.
Antiviral medications directly treat herpes infections and can help reduce the severity or duration of an outbreak. This includes Abreva (docosanol), a topical antiviral available without a prescription, and prescription antivirals such as Zovirax (acyclovir) and Valtrex (valacyclovir). Antivirals can also be taken daily to prevent outbreaks in people with frequent recurrences. The most common treatments for herpes come in the form of pills.
These may include the antiviral drugs acyclovir, famciclovir, and valacyclovir. Herpes symptoms are primarily treated with three main medications taken in pill form. These are acyclovir (Zovirax), famciclovir (Famvir), and valacyclovir (Valtrex). In severe cases, treatment may include the intravenous (IV) medication acyclovir.
There's no cure for herpes, but you can control outbreaks with home treatments and over-the-counter medicines that can help ease pain. Your doctor may recommend that you take the medication only when you have symptoms of an outbreak or that you take a certain medication daily, even when you have no signs of an outbreak.
