Treatment
How is genital herpes    treated?
What are your treatment    options?
Safety and tolerability

Did you know…

there’s more than one way to manage genital herpes. Talk to your doctor about all of the options available and choose the one that best suits your own personal concerns and needs.

Choose a Treatment That's
Right for You

What are your treatment options?

When considering your treatment options, first ask yourself what concerns you most about having genital herpes:

  • The risk of transmitting genital herpes to your partner?
  • The number and severity of the outbreaks you have?
  • The discomfort of your outbreaks?

If you are concerned about transmitting genital herpes to your partner…
Transmission reduction therapy with an oral antiviral medication, taken daily in combination with safer sex practices has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of transmitting genital herpes among heterosexual monogamous partners. Transmission reduction therapy also reduces viral shedding and the frequency of outbreaks.3

If you are concerned about the number of outbreaks you have…
Suppressive therapy involves taking an oral antiviral medication daily which can help to decrease the number of outbreaks and shorten the duration of outbreaks.  Many people are able to remain free of outbreaks while on suppressive therapy.1,2,4,5

If you are concerned about relieving the discomfort of your outbreaks… Episodic therapy involves taking an oral antiviral medication at the first signs of an outbreak (prodrome [?]), for a specific number of days. Episodic therapy helps to shorten the duration of pain and discomfort of outbreaks and speed the healing of blisters.1,4,5

Oral antiviral treatment choices
There are currently 3 types of oral antiviral medications available in Canada for the management of recurrent genital herpes. They are:

  Brand Names:
Acyclovir Alti-Acyclovir
Apo®-Acyclovir
Avirax®
Gen-Acyclovir
Nu-Acyclovir
Ratio-Acyclovir
Zovirax®5
Valacyclovir Valtrex®1
Famciclovir Famvir®4
Apo®-Famciclovir
Novo®-Famciclovir
PMS®-Famciclovir
Sandoz® Famciclovir

All of these medications are approved for use as episodic or suppressive therapy and there is one oral antiviral medication that is also approved for use as transmission reduction therapy.1,4,5 Talk to your Doctor about which treatment is appropriate for you.

Topical antiviral treatment choices
Topical antiviral medications available in Canada for the management of initial episodes of genital herpes infections include:

  Brand Names:
Acyclovir Zovirax® cream6
Zovirax® ointment7

 

References

 

1. Valtrex® (valacyclovir hydrochloride) Product Monograph. GlaxoSmithKline Inc., May 2006.

2. Aoki FY. Canadian Guidelines on Sexually Transmitted Infections 2006 Edition: Genital Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) Infections. Public Health Agency of Canada http://phac-aspc.gc.ca/std-mts/sti_2006/pdf_2006_e.html. Accessed May 15,2006.

3. Corey L, Wald A, Patel R, et al. Once-Daily Valacyclovir to Reduce the Risk of Transmission of Genital Herpes. NEJM 2004;350(1):11-20.

4. Famvir® (famciclovir) Product Monograph. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., January 20044.

5. Zovirax® Oral (acyclovir) Product Monograph. GlaxoSmithKline Inc., March 2007.

6. Zovirax Cream (acyclovir) Product Monograph. GlaxoSmithKline Inc., June 2002.

7. Zovirax Ointment 5% (acyclovir) Product Monograph. GlaxoSmithKline Inc., July 2001.
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