Therapy

If there is any doubt about the diagnosis, a smear of the mouth, throat and neck should be taken and an appropriate immunological examination performed in a microbiological laboratory. After a few days, the final result will be known. If the general symptoms are already so bad that it is no longer possible to wait for the results, prophylactic therapy should be started.

This includes symptomatic, antipyretic therapy. In children and toddlers this usually consists of paracetamol, which can be administered to the child in the form of suppositories. Afterwards, the virus-fighting therapy with acyclovir can be started.

However, this requires that the patient’s condition is relatively stable. If herpes sepsis has already occurred, the patient must be monitored immediately by intensive care medicine. Furthermore, symptomatic treatment trials with cooling mouthwashes and solutions can be carried out to reduce local pain stimuli.

When choosing food, not too solid food should be chosen and rather soft food should be used as long as the symptoms are present in the mouth and throat area. Therapy with Aciclovir should be continued until the vesicles in the throat area have disappeared. It is always possible that the disease will relapse.

In this case the therapy should be repeated. However, with or without therapy, herpes viruses remain in the body for the rest of their lives. When typical symptoms of a herpes infection first appear in the mouth and mouth area, a doctor should be consulted who can either confirm the diagnosis or find another reason for the symptoms.

This is especially true if symptoms such as an elevated temperature and significant difficulty swallowing are present. In these cases, a so-called herpes sepsis threatens which requires urgent medical attention. It is also true that an early diagnosis and the associated early start of therapy can significantly reduce the time it takes for symptoms to disappear.

A visit to the doctor is not always necessary. Thus, some symptoms of herpes can be treated by the patient himself. In case of uncertainty, it is nevertheless advisable to consult a specialist for advice, as the development of complications can often be prevented by the right therapy.

The disease often begins quite unspecifically with an elevated temperature. At this time it is usually not yet clear that this is an outbreak of the herpes infection. Here, antipyretic drugs such as paracetamol can be taken to lower the temperature.

As a precaution, children should consult their family doctor or pediatrician to detect dangerous diseases and not exceed the correct dose of the medication. A doctor should also be consulted if the fever is very high (above 40°C). Another main symptom of the disease is the sensitivity of the vesicles to pain.

These can be treated with painkillers and ointments. The doctor treating the patient can best decide together with the patient which individual therapy is appropriate in each case. Some aids can also help to keep the symptoms under control.

In particular, it is important to adjust the diet to avoid irritation of the wounds. Very dry and sharp-edged food can trigger the unpleasant pain, so it is best to avoid taking these foods until the blisters have healed. The same applies to very salty or spicy and hot food.Chilled food and drinks usually help to alleviate the symptoms somewhat.

If the symptoms do not improve after some time, a visit to a doctor is strongly recommended to avoid serious consequences of a herpes infection in the mouth. If a herpes infection has broken out in the mouth, different drugs are used depending on the clinical picture. There are basically two different types of medication.

On the one hand, it is often advisable to take medication that is only used to treat the symptoms of the infection. However, there are also drugs which fight the virus itself. However, there is no medication that can prevent a further outbreak of the disease.

So the virus is still present in the body even after the disease has healed. Symptoms are mainly alleviated by fever and pain-relieving medication. Paracetamol is often used to reduce fever, while local lidocaine ointments have an analgesic effect.

A systemic pain therapy is also possible. A drug that fights the virus and is used relatively frequently in a herpes infection is Aciclovir. Whether the use of Aciclovir can be recommended individually should be discussed with the treating physician.

There are numerous homeopathic remedies that are supposed to improve the symptoms of a herpes infection in the mouth. Some examples of commonly used remedies are Arsenicum album, Dulcamara, Rhus toxicodendron, Sepia and Sodium chloratum. Depending on the symptoms and individual situation, each remedy has a different indication.

For example, the use of Dulcamara is recommended for herpes infections, which in women is often triggered by menstruation. Since herpes infection of the mouth and throat is not a harmless disease, homeopathy should never be taken without consulting the treating physician. Since no scientific proof of the effectiveness of homeopathic medication has been found, a severe herpes infection in the mouth should not be treated by taking homeopathic medication alone. To avoid serious side effects, the advice of the treating physician should always be sought.