Before you finally decide to treat genital herpes, it is a good idea to know more about this contagious disease or infection. Treating genital herpes should not be done without proper medical consultation first. Seeking professional medical help is a must especially for the first time patients especially if you plan to use the available medicines or drugs sold in the market.

The herpes virus has two strains and the type 2 virus is the one responsible for the genital herpes outbreaks. The symptoms of genital herpes are minimal. If you try to take a closer look at your genitals and the anal region, you will see blisters on the area. Since the herpes is located in a very sensitive area, some individuals don’t report it or they prefer not to seek medical help. By doing so, they are compromising the health of their sexual partner. Even if the herpes virus is dormant, you can still transmit it to your sexual partner. By taking proper treatment, you can prevent future herpes outbreaks or you can shorten the duration of such outbreaks.

There are various treatment options for genital herpes. You can use the medicine and drugs prescribed by doctors or you can opt for the natural treatments like herbs.

Valtrex

Valtrex is a drug which treats genital herpes. This is considered an anti viral medicine which can be used not only for genital herpes but also for treating cold sores, chicken pox, and shingles.

You must be aware that cheap valtrex can’t cure genital herpes because its main function is to prevent outbreaks or if the person is already suffering from herpes outbreaks, the drug can promote the healing process as soon as it is taken.

The DNA cells need certain enzymes for replication and so the herpes virus also needs such enzymes. Valtrex acts by inhibiting such enzymes thereby stopping growth of the herpes virus. The body has a defense system which combats the herpes virus but with the aid of Valtrex, the multiplication of the virus is stopped more quickly.

Canadian Valtrex also works by stopping the appearance of sores and rash associated with the virus. Once you take Valtrex, you must finish it according to the instructions even if the symptoms are no longer present.

At present, Valtrex is one of the best medicines to treat genital herpes, chicken pox, shingles, and cold sores. There are also other drugs that you can use like Famvir. When taking drugs like Valtrex and Famvir, you need to be supervised by a licensed and qualified doctor. You can also talk to your doctor about alternative medicines like herbs. Some useful herbs are thyme, lemon balm, and green/white tea.

You can’t just take Valtrex without proper medical consultation. You must provide the doctor with all the medical details. Pregnant women suffering from genital herpes can’t take the drug because it may have some effects to the unborn baby. Breastfeeding mothers are also not encouraged to take the drug without proper medical consultation.

Infections in the genital area show various symptoms and in the case of genital herpes, there is abnormal discharge, thick, profuse, colored, frothy blood. Itching and irritation is also present. When you experience these things, you should consult your doctor right away. Treating genital herpes can be done effectively if the doctor guides you in the treatment process.

Herpes simplex virus type I can cause bouts of cold sores, blindness and potentially lethal encephalitis when it reawakens from a quiescent state in the nerve cells it infects.

To prevent these consequences, the stealthy virus is kept under constant guard by the immune system, say University of Pittsburgh scientists. Their research challenges the once common notion that latent HSV-1 in sensory neurons is invisible to the immune system.

AntiViral drugs

Actually, immune cells keep the infection under close surveillance, actively holding HSV-1 in check without destroying the neurons harboring it, said Robert L. Hendricks, Ph.D., Joseph F. Novak professor and vice-chair for research in the Department of Ophthalmology and professor in the Departments of Immunology and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Sensory neurons may not regenerate, so an immune system attack that destroys them could do more harm than good.

In a paper published in the October 10 issue of Science, teams led by Dr. Hendricks and Paul R. Kinchington, Ph.D., also a professor in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology, show one way this balancing act is carried out.
Zovirax will not cure herpes, but it can lessen the symptoms of the infection.
Immune cells called CD8 T cells attack virus-infected cells with lytic granules, which are packets of potentially toxic enzymes. Transport of lytic granule contents into infected cells typically initiates a process that leads to a form of cellular suicide called apoptosis.

However, according to the researchers’ experiments, that isn’t the case when CD8 T cells target infected sensory neurons.

“Instead, the lytic granules attack the viral infection in neurons without killing them,” explained Dr. Hendricks, senior author. “One way is through a lytic granule enzyme called granzyme B, which cleaves an important HSV-1 protein required for viral replication. That means the neuron and the virus survive, but the infection can’t spread to other cells.“

Recurrences of cold sores, eye disease and other forms of herpetic lesions occur if the balance shifts and the virus can bypass surveillance by the immune system.

Dr. Hendricks noted that up to 90 percent of people eventually become infected with HSV-1, many in childhood. The initial infection typically produces mild symptoms or none at all, but the virus remains in the neurons for a lifetime, occasionally waking up to cause disease. It repeatedly scars the cornea when this occurs in the eye, making HSV-1 a leading infectious cause of blindness.

Previous studies showed CD8 T cells can use interferon-gamma to block reactivation without killing the neuron, but only some sets of neurons are controlled in this manner, Dr. Hendricks said. His team will continue to try to identify how immune cells, HSV-1 and neurons interact, which could have implications for treatment and vaccine development for HSV-1 infections, as well as for gene therapy applications that use harmless versions of the herpes virus as a vector to ferry treatment genes into cells.

The paper’s lead author is Jared E. Knickelbein, Ph.D., and coauthors include Michael B. Yee, B.S., Catherine J. Baty, D.V.M., Ph.D., all of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Kamal M. Khanna, Ph.D., University of Connecticut.

The research was supported by the Eye and Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh, New York- based Research to Prevent Blindness and the National Eye Institute.

The major drugs developed to work against herpes simplex virus (HSV) are antiviral agents called nucleosides and nucleotide analogues, which block viral reproduction. They include acyclovir (Zovirax), valacyclovir (Valtrex), famciclovir (Famvir).

The antiviral medications available in pill form have been specifically developed for the treatment of genital herpes. Antiviral medications may significantly lessen the severity of a primary outbreak and reduce the time it takes genital herpes outbreaks to heal. The medication also decreases the number of days of painful symptoms and for some people, the number of days you can spread the virus. Antiviral medication is most effective if it is taken when you first notice the prodromal symptoms (tingling and pain) of a recurrent genital herpes outbreak and if they are taken for the next 5 to 7 days or until symptoms go away. Some people with frequent recurrent outbreaks (more than 6 recurrences a year) take antiviral medication every day (suppressive therapy) to help reduce the frequency and duration of recurrent outbreaks.

Brief History

Acyclovir (brand name Zovirax) is the oldest of the antiviral medications. It has been available since 1982 in a topical form (as an ointment) and sold since 1985 in pill form. Now acyclovir is available in a generic form.

Valtrex (valacyclovir) was the second antiviral medication to come to market in the United States, and it was approved by the FDA in December 15, 1995. Valtrex is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. Valtrex is a prodrug of acyclovir, meaning that the body converts it to acyclovir after it has been absorbed. This medication delivers acyclovir more efficiently so that the body absorbs much of the drug, which has the advantage of taking the medication fewer times during the day.

Canadian Famvir (famciclovir) is a prodrug manufactured by Novartis. When taken, the body converts it to the long-acting antiviral drug penciclovir. Like valacyclovir, it is well absorbed, persists for a longer time in the body, and can be taken less frequently than acyclovir.

Mechanism of action

Antiviral agents reduce viral replication by inhibiting viral DNA synthesis, needed to reproduce itself. This helps to keep the virus inactive. Approved indications and uses

Acyclovir is indicated for:

• treatment of initial episodes and the management of recurrent episodes of genital herpes

• treatment of acute herpes zoster (shingles)

• treatment of chickenpox (varicella)

Valacyclovir is indicated for:

• treatment or suppression of genital herpes and for the suppression of recurrent genital herpes

• reduction of transmission of genital herpes

• treatment of herpes zoster

• treatment of cold sores (herpes labialis)

Famciclovir is indicated for:

• treatment or suppression of recurrent genital herpes

• treatment of acute herpes zoster

Efficacy

Clinical studies have not found any significant differences in effectiveness among the three medications. All are quite safe, very rarely producing any side effects at all. For the treatment of first genital herpes infections, oral acyclovir or valacyclovir is preferable to famciclovir. The efficacy of famciclovir for initial episode genital herpes infection has not been established.

Intravenous acyclovir is used to treat serious flare-ups or outbreaks that effect internal organs.

Adverse reactions and side effects

All these agents are well tolerated and have excellent safety records. Possible side effects from oral agents include nausea, vomiting, headache, fatigue, tremor, and very rarely, seizures. They can effect the kidney, however, and people with kidney problems should use them with caution and at lower doses. Intravenous administration increases the risk for kidney problems and can cause blood clots at the injection site. In rare cases, it can cause central nervous system complications.

Pharmacokinetics

Generic Zovirax has poor bioavailability of about 20% and a short half-life, which necessitates frequent dosing. Acyclovir speeds healing of lesions and suppress viral shedding if taken within 24 hours of the first indication of a recurrent episode. Early treatment may even prevent the development of lesions in some patients.

Valacyclovir provides a unique mechanism of enhancing the oral bioavailability of the parent compound, acyclovir. Cheap Valtrex is a prodrug converted to acyclovir in the intestine and liver. It has better bioavailability (about 55%) and has a longer duration of action than acyclovir. Thus, valacyclovir requires less frequent dosing than acyclovir. Valacyclovir is most effective if taken within 24 hours of the first signs of an outbreak.

Famciclovir is a prodrug for the active metabolite penciclovir. Famciclovir is converted into its active compound within the infected cell by contact with an enzyme from the virus. It has high bioavailability of 77%. It remains active in the body longer than acyclovir (half the dose is still active after 10 to 20 hours) and, like valacyclovir, requires less frequent dosing (usually two or three times a day). It is most effective if taken within six hours of onset of symptoms.

Both Famciclovir and valacyclovir have greater oral bioavailability that acyclovir. Famciclovir and valacyclovir, which are better absorbed by the body, can be taken less often than zovirax online. The simpler dosing schedule of famciclovir and valacyclovir, allows patients more convenient dosing regimens with less interruption of their activities of daily living.