Why can't herpes go away?
Herpes is challenging to cure because of the nature of the virus. The HSV infection can hide away in a person's nerve cells for months or years before reappearing and reactivating the infection.
Can an outbreak of herpes last months?
Symptoms may last several weeks and go away. They may return in weeks, months, or years. A doctor or nurse can tell you if the sores are caused by herpes by looking at them or by testing fluid from the sores. The thing is, many people with genital herpes have no symptoms, or have very mild symptoms that go unnoticed.
Can a herpes outbreak stay forever?
Herpes is not a virus that goes away. Once you have it, it stays in your body forever. No medication can cure it completely, though you can control it. There are ways to relieve the discomfort from the sores and medications to reduce outbreaks.
How long do herpes outbreaks last with medication?
Initial herpes outbreaks usually last between two to six weeks, while recurrent ones resolve a lot faster. Recurrent outbreaks should heal within a few weeks or sooner.
Can herpes worsen over time?
It might be annoying, but herpes doesn't get worse over time or cause serious health problems like other STDs can. If you don't get treated for herpes, you might keep having regular outbreaks, or they could only happen rarely. Some people naturally stop getting outbreaks after a while.
What's the stages of herpes?
There are two phases, latent and prodrome. Latent phase: Infection has occurred, but there are no symptoms. Prodrome (outbreak) phase: At first, the symptoms of a genital herpes outbreak are typically mild. As the outbreak progresses, the symptoms become more severe.
Is herpes still contagious after 10 years?
Rates of genital HSV-2 shedding decrease the longer a patient has had the disease, US investigators report in the January 15th edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases. However patients who had been infected with genital herpes for ten or more years were still shedding the virus on 17% of days.
Can you still spread herpes while on medication?
Jan. 5, 2012 -- People with genital herpes can still infect their sex partners -- even if they are taking anti-herpes drugs that prevent herpes outbreaks. Even when they don't have an active herpes outbreak, people who carry genital herpes viruses are at risk of infecting their sex partners.
How long does it take for valacyclovir to work on herpes?
For most initial herpes outbreaks and cases of recurring herpes, valacyclovir takes effect very quickly and provides some level of relief in as little as two to three days. Generally, the sooner you take valacyclovir after noticing symptoms, the faster it will be to provide relief.
Why is acyclovir not working?
In some cases, herpes flare-ups do not respond to acyclovir, valacyclovir or famciclovir, probably due to resistant forms of HSV-1 and HSV-2. People living with HIV with suppressed immune systems—CD4 counts below 100—who have been on long-term acyclovir have developed drug-resistant herpes.
Can you take more than 2 doses of Valtrex?
A person should not take more than 1 day (2 doses) of Valtrex when treating cold sores.
Can you still have outbreaks on Valtrex?
Can you have an outbreak while taking Valtrex? Yes, while daily Valtrex has been shown to reduce genital herpes outbreaks by 70% to 80%, it is still possible to have an outbreak while taking the medication. However, the frequency of outbreaks tends to go down over time for a lot of people.