Herpes Treatment and Herpes Information
Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). There are two common forms, herpes simplex 1 (oral herpes or cold sores) and herpes simplex 2 (genital herpes. Despite being incurable, forms of herpes treatment do exist. Asymptomatic (showing no signs of infections) carriers of this STD commonly transmit the virus without being aware they were infected in the first place. The virus burrows into the ganglion of nerves where it remains dormant until viral shedding occurs, when the virus replicates on the surface of the skin, often before external signs of infection manifest. During shedding carriers of this STD are at their most contagious. Herpes treatment continues to develop, vaccines are not yet available however, but are being worked on.
Herpes Treatment
Antivirals can be prescribed for herpes treatment by doctors such as acyclovir, famiciclovir, or valacyclovir. These serve to both lessen transmission rates and the severity of outbreaks. Acyclovir is available in a generic form. If taken daily, antivirals cut the possibility of transmission to one's partner during viral shedding in half.
There are two forms of treatment for this STD, intermittent and suppressive. Suppressive treatment involves taking antivirals daily and would help in a situation where outbreaks are frequent. By taking antivirals daily the chance that one would pass on the virus drops dramatically, further increased if your partner is taking antivirals as well. This STD treatment manages to reduce symptoms of flareups in infected individuals. Intermittent treatment on the other hand involves keeping antiviral medication around to treat specific flareups. Taking the prescription for two to five days from the first signs of an outbreak help end the outbreak more swiftly and less painfully as the medication helps make the sores disappear. Suppressive therapy is chosen in herpes treatment over intermittent in situations where the virus is negatively impacting one's day to day life. Topical creams exist to manage the pain caused by open sores, but are rarely prescribed. Loose fitting clothes will help with preventing chafing during an outbreak of this STD. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophin, aspirin and ibuprofen can help reduce the pain and any fever associated with active infection.
Coping With Herpes
No Vaccine yet exists for this STD, it is incurable. 60-90% of the world has herpes simplex 1 making it an incredibly prevalent STD, even though in most cases its actually spread through non-sexual contact such as sharing eating utensils or drinking from a shared container. Despite being currently incurable, vaccines are being developed to aid in herpes treatment. Over a period of years, the recurrence rate drops in an individual as the outbreaks grow farther and farther apart as well as becoming less severe. Once one discovers the triggers associated with an outbreak, one can work to minimize them by maintaining a regular sleep pattern, a healthy diet and avoiding stressful situations that may bring on an outbreak to lessen the frequency of them. Ultimately one should consult their physician for specific advice about herpes treatment and testing.
