Today, up to 90% of the world's population is infected with the herpes virus. In most cases, he does not manifest himself in the human body, but sometimes there are relapses.
Modern medicine can not yet completely destroy the virus, but has already learned how to deal with the symptoms of the disease, each time helping people survive these unpleasant periods of their lives until the next aggravation. To facilitate the patient's health, special medicines and procedures are used.
One of the known and effective drugs, which allows you to get rid of the herpes virus as quickly as possible, is Acyclovir.
Contents of
- Summary of the features of the
- virus General characteristics of the preparation
- How to take the tablets Acyclovir for herpes
- Some features of taking the tablet form of the preparation
- External application of
- When are injections used?
- Features of children's treatment
- Is it possible to treat infants
- Joint reception with other drugs
- In the vast areas of RuNet are discussions. ..
- Acyclovir for the prevention of herpes
Shortly about the characteristics of the virus
External signs of the virus living in the human body arise in the case of hypothermia, colds, andalso on the basis of depression or stress.
Herpes occurs in two forms:
- on the lips, in the mouth, in the tongue and in other parts of the facial area;
- on the genitals and near them.
Herpes on the lips can appear after an excessively long tanning, sometimes it can occur in a person who has been in a room with a working air conditioner for a long time. Symptoms of this disease give people many physical, aesthetic and psychological problems. Especially it concerns women. External manifestations of the herpes virus occur when the level of immune defense of the human body decreases.
Infection occurs when a healthy person contacts a virus carrier. Getting into the body, the bacteriophage damages cells, 
is spreading throughout the body.
During relapses, the rash occurs on the lips and other mucous membranes. Today, medicine does not have the means to completely destroy the virus in the human body, therefore, symptomatic medicines having a drying, disinfecting effect are used.
Among the medicines used to combat the herpes virus, aciclovir in the form of ointment, cream and tablets is popular with doctors and patients. The drug has a large-scale effect on the pathogen.
General characteristics of the drug
Acyclovir is an effective antiviral drug that suppresses the reproduction of viruses, but, unfortunately, the drug can not be overcome by the drug itself. The drug is especially effective in the following cases:
- treatment of infection of the skin and mucous membranes affected by the herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2;
- for the prevention of acute conditions caused by herpes of types 1 and 2 in patients with a normal level of immune protection;
- in order to prevent primary and recurring episodes of herpes infections 1 and 2 types in people with immunodeficiency;
- in the complex treatment of HIV infection, as well as in patients who underwent bone marrow transplantation;
- treatment of herpes keratitis;
- therapy for oral infections caused by the varicella-zoster virus and shingles, both primary and recurrent.
Acyclovir is available in several forms and each of them is used to treat herpes on the lips and in the mouth: 
- injection fluid in 250 mg vials( there are 5 of them in the package);
- tablets contain 200 mg of active ingredient each, in the package there are 20( 100) pieces;
- , an external agent in the form of ointment ( 1 gram contains 50 mg of active substance) contains 5 grams of the drug in each tube;
- Eye Ointment 3%( in 1 gram - 30 mg) tubes of 5 grams.
Allergic reactions are contraindications to the use of this medication.
The drug prevents the formation of new vesicle blisters, reduces the likelihood of the spread of the herpes virus to other skin areas.
Reduces the risk of complications of herpetic infection, which can damage internal organs, and also helps the rapid formation of crusts in place of the rash, weakens the level of soreness in the exacerbation of the disease.
How to take Aciclovir tablets with herpes
Tablets besides the main active ingredient with the complex name 2-amino-1,9-dihydro-9 -( (2-hydroxyethoxy) methyl) -6H-purin-6-one, contain the following auxiliary components:calcium compounds, potato starch, lactose, aerosil.
Tablets Atsiklovira used in a complex form of herpes, the treatment is carried out according to a certain pattern and under the supervision of the attending physician.
Before starting a therapeutic course, the patient should inform the doctor about taking other medicines, as their combined effects together with tableted acyclovir can adversely affect the kidneys.
Also during the visit to the doctor it is necessary for him to inform about the existing chronic ailments. Due to the fact that there is a disease, corrections can be made to the treatment, for example, the dosage has been changed.
The course of treatment is prescribed by a doctor and should not be interrupted in any way. External symptoms of the disease may already disappear, but in order to completely suppress the infection, the medication can not be stopped in any case.
Take the pill with food, or immediately after it. Drink the drug with sufficient liquid.
Adopting Acyclovir in the case of herpetic lesions of the lips and oral cavity should be in this order and dosage:
- Adult should take the medication 1 tablet at a 4-hour time interval in the afternoon and 8 hours at night, on the
for 5 days,and with a severe course of the disease, doctors extend the therapeutic course to 10 days. - Patients with immunocompromised need to drink two tablets through the same time periods.
- For children who are under 2 years old , the doctor prescribes half of the adult dose, and after 2 years of age - complete.
- To the elderly, the has a special approach: the fluid withdrawal in the body is slowed, so the concentration of the substance can be increased. This can lead to an increased risk of adverse reactions that the drug may provoke. Usually in this case, prescribe for a reduced dosage of medication, or increased intake of water.
Treatment is started as soon as possible, in the period before the onset of skin lesions of the lips or at the very beginning.
Some features of taking the tablet form of the drug
The drug is able to increase the sensitivity of the skin to direct rays of the sun. Therefore, during the course of therapy with Acyclovir, doctors are advised to protect themselves as much as possible from natural and artificial sunbathing.
In rare cases, the tablet drug can cause drowsiness and dizziness, visual impairment for a while. These undesirable reactions can occur in people with diseased kidneys.
In the presence of the above reactions, the patient must wait for the period of treatment to delay with driving the car and other works where more attention is needed.
Herpes is contagious to surrounding people. The virus will cease to carry danger when the affected areas are already covered with a crust.
In case of an allergic reaction to this medication, you need to replace it with an analog.
External use of
For external treatment, ointment or Acyclovir cream is used. The difference of these means from each other is in different bases.
The cream contains less fatty components, so it has a softer effect on the problem site, the medicine is absorbed more quickly. When applying the ointment, it creates a protective film that prevents the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms into the herpetic vesicles.
Therefore, the cream of acyclovir is used on the skin areas under the clothes, and the ointment works well on open problem areas - on the lips, cheeks and forehead.
When the first symptoms of herpes appear, the patient should be interested in starting treatment as soon as possible. If this is not the first case of infection, the person already knows about the external signs of the disease and the accompanying sensations.
If itching or discomfort in the area of the lips should immediately apply ointment or cream on the problem area, you can not wait until the bubbles are formed.
The medication begins to work immediately after soaking. At the same time, the development of the bacteriophage is inhibited. The active substance of the drug cleans the affected areas with herpes, and then removes the products of the vital activity of the virus outwards. Herpes is very sensitive to this antiviral drug. Negative results can be observed only in a person who has an immunodeficiency in an anamnesis.
Before applying the product to painful places, they must be washed using soap, and then it is easy to get wet with a natural towel.
During the active phase of herpetic infection, personal belongings of the patient to other family members can not be used, in particular, it is strictly forbidden to use the ego towel. After the end of the treatment period and subsequent washing, it will no longer be infectious.
Ointment and Cream Acyclovir is used every 3 hours( up to 6 times a day) for 3-5 days. 
Women at this time is not recommended to use cosmetics. It is not advisable that lipstick or facial care cream fall on the affected area.
In the first period after the beginning of treatment with an antiviral cream, the patient still remains infectious for a certain time. Then the infection can spread to other parts of the body or to a healthy person.
Therefore, there are recommendations that should be adhered to to prevent this situation:
- before applying the cream to the affected area, you need to put on a fingertip or use a cotton swab;
- if during handling of a problem site to it was a touch by hands, then they must be carefully washed;
- it is necessary to protect eyes from getting into them cream, in case of such a situation, they should be washed in running water.
The preparation in the form of a cream is not intended for application to mucous membranes in the mouth. But in small quantities, the medicine does not carry danger, so that acyclovir slipped from the lips is completely safe for health.
Acyclovir for external application can cause mild burning after the start of treatment. This is normal and does not require a change in the drug.
But if there was a strong redness, there was swelling of the skin, which is accompanied by itching, then you should consult a doctor for advice.
When are injections used?
Nyxes against herpes infection are required only in case of frequent relapses or extensive lesions. This condition occurs with long-term absence of adequate treatment for 
or in case of low immune defense of the body in HIV and after bone marrow transplantation.
This is a serious medication, so before the treatment such patients undergo a thorough examination. This method of therapy is chosen exclusively by a specialist, referring to the patient's anamnesis.
The passage of the therapeutic course with the help of injections of Acyclovir can delay the onset of a relapse of the disease for up to 5 years, if the patient will lead a healthy lifestyle. For a longer period of remission, it is necessary every year for preventive purposes, but only for the doctor's prescription, to use non-injectable drugs of Acyclovir.
Features of the treatment of children
Both in adults and children, herpes infection can make itself felt at the most inopportune moment. In addition to the onset of the rash the child is overcome by a general weakness, the temperature rises slightly. To catch a disease the kid can at contacts with infectious adults, and also with contemporaries and in public places.
When herpes rashes on the lips, children are most often prescribed an external form of Acyclovir( ointment or cream), less often tablets, the dosage depends on the age and condition of the baby.
The infected areas are treated as described above. If it is a congenital herpes, then it is treated in combination with the use of tablets.
Can I treat babies
Viral infection in infants often develops in a complicated form. Herpes is an insidious disease and can cause severe damage to the internal organs and nervous system in the 
.
In young children, in addition to the rash, the infection is manifested by fatigue, muscle pain, fever. The child has itching and burning. The rash is transformed into a wound that the baby is combing to the blood.
As a result, they heal very long. Therefore, when a child develops an illness, parents should have patience and carefully monitor their baby.
Treatment should be started immediately after the diagnosis of the disease. To do this, use Acyclovir in tablets and as injections( depends on the complexity of the disease).Also, babies are prescribed medications that boost the body's immune forces and interferons. The rate of recovery and the absence or presence of complications depend on the speed of response and the onset of the therapeutic course.
Joint reception with other drugs
Treatment of herpes should be comprehensive. Correctly conducted therapeutic course gives the chance to hope for a stable remission.
In addition to antiviral, immunostimulating drugs and antibiotics, analgesics are also used. If there are pronounced painful sensations, then medicinal products of gamma-aminobutyric acid, sedatives and anticonvulsants are prescribed.
On the vastness of RuNet, there are discussions. ..
About how effective Acyclovir in the aggravated herpes virus on the lips can be judged by the feedback of ordinary Internet users.
When I was a student, I had periodic eruptions on the lips. Was treated by Zoviraks. It was an expensive drug, and the tube was very small in size. He acted, really, well.
But once again I purchased Acyclovir. It has the same active substance, and its cost is several times less! This is an anti-crisis version of Zoviraks, and it works no worse.
Olga, 27 years old
It was in the winter: my baby came from the kindergarten with a face-covering. On examination at the doctor it was found out, that it is a herpetic infection. Acne on the face of the child was about 10 pieces. They started with redness, and then they became watery and grew. All of them were in the circumcircle triangle. The doctor prescribed pills and Acyclovir ointment for us. The outer tool was not at all expensive and very effective, and together with the pills the disease quickly receded. The effect of the treatment was felt literally in 2 days: our sores have already begun to dry out.
But on the recommendation of the doctor, we kept the home regime for 2 weeks. Although my son was prone to various allergic reactions, but, fortunately, they were not followed.
Anastasia, 30 years old
Acyclovir for the prevention of herpes
Everyone knows that the prevention of any disease is much easier and safer than its further treatment. This fully applies to herpes.
Vaccination is a good protection against the virus. The vaccine must be stabbed once every 3 years. It is also important to comply with hygiene procedures, and still lead a healthy lifestyle, take care of the immune system.
Certain medications can also prevent the exacerbation of the virus. Acyclovir can also be referred to these drugs.
Dosage is different from that used for treatment. The drug is taken for prophylaxis for 1 tablet 4 times a day, or 2 tablets 2 times a day.