You can elect to use valacyclovir to treat individual outbreaks as they occur or you can take valacyclovir daily to prevent outbreaks, which is typically recommended if you experience frequent and/or severe outbreaks or want to reduce the risk of transmitting herpes to a partner.
Connect with a doctor today to determine what plan is best for you.
You can take valacyclovir to treat outbreaks as they occur or take it daily to prevent outbreaks (typically recommended if you experience frequent and/or severe outbreaks or want to reduce risk of transmission).Â
Connect with a doctor today to determine what plan is best for you.
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Herpes is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can be caused by two different forms of Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV):
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- HSV-1 typically causes oral herpes. An outbreak of oral herpes happens around your lips, mouth, and throat, and is sometimes referred to as cold sores. According to the World Health Organization, 3.7 billion people in the world under age 50 have HSV-1.
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- HSV-2 typically causes genital herpes. Genital herpes can cause an outbreak around the vulva, vagina, cervix, anus, penis, scrotum, buttocks, and inner thighs. More than 417 million people have herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2).
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Herpes can be dormant in the body (no visible signs) or active (causing outbreaks).
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Learn more about the myths and facts about herpes here.
‍Whether you have either HSV-1 or HSV-2, it’s possible to get outbreaks in both areas (the mouth and/or genitals).
If you’re having an outbreak of symptoms, it’s best to get tested by a medical provider. The doctor will likely do a skin swab of the outbreak.
Some people who have herpes don’t experience symptoms at all. Even if you don’t have any symptoms, you can still be a carrier, so it’s important to get tested regularly if you’re sexually active.
‍Herpes is spread through:
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- Contact with a herpes sore, or the saliva of a person with a herpes infection in the mouth
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- Contact with genital fluids of a person with a herpes infection on their genitals
‍There is not a specific “cure” for herpes. Outbreaks can happen throughout a person’s life once they are exposed.
However, treatment can help alleviate the symptoms and reduce the risk of contracting herpes for sexual partners. Treatment can be used either when an outbreak occurs, or on a daily basis to prevent outbreaks.
If outbreaks occur repeatedly, the doctor may prescribe you a medicine called valacyclovir to take once daily. If it’s a single episode, the doctor may have you take valacyclovir twice daily for three days.
Learn more about treating herpes here.
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