aciclovir 400mg tablets

Aciclovir is very effective in treating a full outbreak of genital herpes.

Episodic (acute) treatment

You take one aciclovir 400mg tablet three times a day for a total of 5 days.

Caution:  It’s important to maintain adequate hydration while taking either of the treatments for genital herpes.

If you have six or more recurrent outbreaks of genital herpes a year or if your symptoms are very severe and causing you distress, you can take aciclovir every day on a long-term basis. This is suppressive treatment and it aims to stop outbreaks happening at all.

How often do I take suppressive treatment?
You take one aciclovir 400mg tablet twice a day.

The treatment is continued for six to 12 months. Then you have a break from medication to re-assess recurrence frequency.  Suppressive treatment may be restarted if you have further severe outbreaks.
Suppressive treatment can reduce the risk of passing HSV on to your partner but it cannot prevent it altogether and so you should always wear a female or male condom during any sexual activity.
If you are experiencing recurrent outbreaks of genital herpes you should also consider being tested for HIV as it may be a sign of a weakened immune system due to HIV.
Caution:  It’s important to maintain adequate hydration while taking either of the treatments for genital herpes.

Common side-effects :-
Abdominal pain
Nausea and vomiting
Fatigue
Headache
Diarrhoea
Light sensitivity
Itchy skin and rashes

Patient Information Leaflet for Aciclovir 400mg Tablets