Antiviral medicines are the recommended treatment for herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection.

Medication Choices

Acyclovir (Zovirax), famciclovir (Famvir), and valacyclovir (Valtrex)

The topical form of acyclovir (Zovirax ointment) offers little benefit in the treatment of genital herpes and is not recommended.

What To Think About

People taking antiviral medicine every day (suppressive therapy) may want to talk to their doctors about not taking the medicine for a short period each year. This can help determine whether genital herpes outbreaks recur as frequently. They can then decide whether they need to continue taking medicine. People who have six or more outbreaks a year or who have severe outbreaks may benefit from taking antiviral medicine every day.

Antiviral medicines for genital herpes work best when they are taken as soon as symptoms are noticed. For that reason, people with herpes should keep a supply of the medicine on hand.

Acyclovir (Zovirax) is most commonly used for pregnant women. Valacyclovir (Valtrex) also may be used during pregnancy.^{4, 5}

People with impaired immune systems may be more likely to:

• Need daily antiviral medicine to prevent recurrent outbreaks.
• Develop a resistance to some antiviral medicines. For these people, other antivirals are available, but they must be given through a vein (intravenously, or IV) and can have dangerous side effects.