Medicating with Acyclovir to Treat the Cold Sore Virus
If you suffer from the virus that causes cold sores as well as other viral conditions, your doctor may have counseled a prescription medication to treat it. Though there is no medication available at the present time that will cure any kind of herpes, the virus that causes cold sores, you can stop the growth of the infection and keep it from spreading throughout your body by taking Acyclovir. Other common forms of the herpes pathogen include genital herpes, chicken pox,and shingles.
You must begin to take Acyclovir as a treatment for cold sores as quickly as the symptoms start to manifest themselves. If you feel a tingling that you know is the onset of developing a cold sore, that’s the time to start the treatment. It’s also important that you continue taking all the medication even if your symptoms disappear while you’re taking the drug. While you are on this drug, it will be necessary for you to drink plenty of water to maintain proper kidney function. It’s up to you whether you prefer to take it with or without food, but taking it after you’ve eaten can stop your stomach from being upset.
Many people are nervous to take prescription drugs of any kind because of the complications. As in all cases, you will have to weigh the pros and cons of taking this medication. While you have an active case of any herpes virus, you are infective. You want to avoid activities which would put your sores in contact with somebody else. Taking the medication will help the disease clear up more quickly so that you can resume an ordinary life.
Possible negative complications of Acyclovir include back discomfort, almost no urination, excess weakness, bruising, bleeding, nausea, headache, diarrhea, light-headedness, distended extremities, and loss of appetite. None of these side-effects are thought to be serious, but if you hate putting any chemical substance into your body, you may prefer just to let your cold sore run its natural course or to use topical medications.
Having a cold sore is rarely fun, but you can help relieve the symptoms and speed up recovery by taking Acyclovir to heal a cold sore. The choice is up to you and your doctor.