"Acyclovir": pills that defeat herpes

What is Acyclovir? Tablets, powder, cream or solution for injection?

First, it is a powerful antiviral drug, used primarily to combat herpes and other diseases that are difficult to treat. The medicine is produced both in the form of creams, ointments, and in solutions and in a tablet form. Forming a special viral DNA in the body, suppresses the growth of a new generation of the virus, the drug "Acyclovir". Tablets are partially absorbed from the intestine, and most of the drug is excreted by the kidneys.

How is this medicine used? Usually, four tablets are prescribed per day, duration of application is not less than five days. If the diagnosis is "recurrent genital herpes", in this case "Acyclovir" (tablets) is prescribed twice a day for 800 mg.

Therapy should be interrupted for half a year or a year in order to be able to assess the effectiveness of treatment, develop further tactics in the prevention of the disease.

It must be remembered that the components of the drug penetrate the placenta to the fetus and are excreted in breast milk, so "Acyclovir" (tablets) during pregnancy and lactating mothers can not be consumed! Only if the expected effect of treatment significantly exceeds the potential risk for the fetus, it is possible to take this drug with the permission of a qualified specialist. In general, extensive clinical studies on the effects of drugs on the body of pregnant women and nursing mothers are not conducted, so here you need to act very carefully.

The medicine "Acyclovir": tablets, instruction (400 mg)

People prone to allergic reactions, you need to be careful, since after applying the drug on the skin can appear a strong itching rash, which will take place immediately after the withdrawal of the drug. Extremely rare side effects are nausea, vomiting, intestinal colic, diarrhea, a slight increase in bilirubin in the blood, a concentration of urea or creatinine, migraine and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Since the drug "Acyclovir" (tablets) is potent, it is necessary to take a sufficient amount of liquid during treatment, otherwise the active substance can settle in the renal tubules, thus causing problems with the kidneys.

Patients with neurological diseases, electrolyte balance disorders in the body, kidney and liver problems, as well as severe hypoxia should be careful when taking the drug. In order to reduce the risk of kidney damage with intravenous administration, the drug should be administered very slowly, using a dropper for an hour. If the first symptoms of nephropathy have appeared, immediate withdrawal of the medicine is required!

The drug "Acyclovir" sometimes has a toxic effect on the central nervous system. This is most likely in patients with impaired immunity and in elderly people, especially when administering high doses.

There have been cases when thrombocytopenic purpura or hemolytic uremic syndrome was registered with acyclovir. Such cases are very rare, and even more rarely - with a fatal outcome. Usually this is observed in patients with clinically manifested forms of HIV infection.

The drug is not recommended for young children under the age of two years and children in the treatment of varicella zoster if it occurs in mild, uncomplicated form.

While treating genital herpes, it is better to give up sexual intercourse for the duration of therapy, in the extreme case use condoms, because The use of the drug does not protect against "rewarding" the partner's virus.

Creams and ointments for external use (5%) should not be applied to the mucous membrane of the eyes and oral cavity, t. The risk of development of expressed local inflammation is high.