Therapeutic target
- Improvement of the symptomatology
Therapy recommendations
- Virostasis (antivirals; agents that inhibit viral replication) required:
- Primary therapy (initial therapy): aciclovir, famciclovir, valaciclovir; duration: 7-10 days.
- Recurrence therapy (therapy for recurrence): Aciclovir, Famciclovir, Valaciclovir [reduce dose compared to primary therapy]; Duration: 5-10 days.
- Prophylaxis:
- General prophylaxis: aciclovir, famciclovir, famciclovir; duration: no longer than 6 to 12 months.
- During pregnancy: aciclovir starting from the 38th week of pregnancy; before delivery over 3-10 days.
- Analgesia (analgesics/painkillers): NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs): e.g., diclofenac and ASA (acetylsalicylic acid), or else the group of non-acidic analgesics (paracetamol, metamizole).
- Therapy duration: a few days to months (chronic suppression)!
- See also under “Further therapy“.
Antivirals
Virostatics are drugs that stop viruses from replicating. They inhibit an enzyme in the virus that replicates genetic information. However, these drugs do not reach dormant viruses in the nerve ganglia (nerve nodules), so recurrences are possible. Aciclovir is considered the antiviral of choice for herpes virus infections. Newer drugs with good efficacy are fanciclovir or valciclovir.
Analgesics
Analgesics are pain relievers. There are several different subgroups, such as the NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), which include diclofenac and ASA (acetylsalicylic acid), or the group around the nonacidic analgesics acetaminophen and metamizole. They are all widely used. Many preparations in these groups carry a risk of gastric ulcers (stomach ulcers) with prolonged use. Diclofenac is usually prescribed for severe pain associated with herpes infections.
