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Not Only Treating Genital Herpes But Suppressing Genital Herpes
People with genital herpes who want to eliminate (suppress) outbreaks altogether can take antiviral medication daily to hold HSV in check so that it's less likely to flare up and cause symptoms. For individuals who have frequent recurrences (six or more per year), studies have shown that suppressive therapy can reduce the number of outbreaks by at least 75% while the medication is being taken. Also, for some, taking an antiviral on a daily basis can prevent outbreaks altogether.
Intermittent therapy treats recurrences as they occur.
The clinical value of oral anti-viral treatment for genital herpes is now well-established. Even when you have genital herpes, you do not always have an outbreak of sores. While antivirals can be successful in controlling herpes symptoms, researchers also have turned their attention to the important issue of antiviral therapy and asymptomatic shedding. Does suppressive therapy lower the risk of unrecognized herpes reactivation as well as curb recognized outbreaks?
Suppressive therapy has been studied in thousands of patients and it appears to be both safe and effective. Because the medications differ in their absorption rate and duration of effectiveness, dosages vary with suppressive therapy treatment ranging from one to two pills every day.
Some people think they can only transmit herpes to their partner if they have an outbreak, or in the prodromal period immediately before and then again right after an outbreak. They're wrong. Genital herpes can be transmitted at any time which is why some individuals who have many sexual partners or whose partners are not infected with the herpes virus may decide to use suppressive therapy against HSV even though they do not have any symptoms.
Although herpes can be transmitted at any time, people with herpes are not equally infectious at all times. In general, a person is most infectious during an outbreak, in the period immediately before and after an outbreak, and in the first year after he is infected, but he still can transmit the virus at other times. Furthermore, some people don't recognize when they are having an outbreak. One study of 53 individuals who tested positive for genital herpes, but who had said they did not actually have outbreaks, found that half them actually were having outbreaks but didn't realize it. However, even with that complication aside, six out of seven of the individuals who had no signs of clinical herpes were still found to be shedding virus.
Unfortunately, many patients and many physicians are unaware of both the risk of asymptomatic transmission of herpes and how effective suppressive treatment can be in preventing it. If you are living with herpes and have one or more uninfected sexual partners, consider discussing the possible advantages of daily suppressive therapy with your doctor.
It’s important to keep your partner safe. Remember condoms are not 100% effective at preventing the spread of herpes, since it is transmitted from skin to skin. So remind him, or her, that 70% of new herpes infections are acquired from people who have no symptoms at the time of transmission and that suppressive therapy has been shown to reduce the likelihood of transmission by half or more.
Tags: antiviral treatment, asymptomatic, herpes, herpes outbreaks, Medications for Herpes, prodromal period, suppressive therapy, suppressive treatment for herp
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