What is acyclovir? Pills, powder, cream, or injection?
Firstly, it is a powerful antiviral drug, used mainly to combat herpes and other diseases that are difficult to treat. The medicine is produced both in the form of creams, ointments, and in solutions and in tablet form. Forming a special viral DNA in the body, Acyclovir inhibits the growth of a new generation of virus. The tablets are partially absorbed from the intestines, and most of the drug is excreted by the kidneys.
How is this medicine used? Usually four tablets are prescribed per day, the duration of use is at least five days. If the diagnosis is "recurrent genital herpes", in this case, "Acyclovir" (tablets) is prescribed twice a day for 800 mg.
Therapy must be interrupted for six months to a year in order to be able to assess the effectiveness of treatment, to develop further tactics in the prevention of the disease.
It must be remembered that the components of the drug cross the placenta to the fetus and are excreted in breast milk, so Acyclovir (tablets) should not be used during pregnancy and lactating mothers! Only if the expected effect of treatment significantly exceeds the potential risk to the fetus, is it possible to take this drug with the permission of a qualified specialist. In general, extensive clinical studies on the effect of the drug on the body of pregnant women and nursing mothers have not been carried out, so you need to be very careful here.
The medicine "Acyclovir": tablets, instructions (400 mg)
People prone to allergic reactions need to be careful, because after applying the drug on the skin, a severe itchy rash may appear, which will pass immediately after the drug is canceled. Extremely rare side effects are nausea, vomiting, intestinal colic, diarrhea, a slight increase in bilirubin in the blood, urea or creatinine concentration, migraine and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Since the drug "Acyclovir" (tablets) is potent, it is necessary to take a sufficient amount of liquid during treatment, otherwise the active substance may settle in the renal tubules, thereby causing kidney problems.
Patients with neurological diseases, electrolyte imbalance in the body, kidney and liver problems, as well as severe hypoxia should be careful when taking the drug. In order to reduce the risk of kidney damage with intravenous administration, the drug should be administered very slowly, using an dropper for an hour. If the first symptoms of nephropathy appear, immediate drug withdrawal is required!
Means "Acyclovir" sometimes has a toxic effect on the central nervous system. This is most likely in patients with impaired immunity and in the elderly, especially when prescribing high doses.
There have been cases when thrombocytopenic purpura or hemolytic uremic syndrome was recorded with Acyclovir therapy. Such cases are very rare, and even less so - with a fatal outcome. This is usually observed in patients with clinically manifested forms of HIV infection.
The drug is not recommended for small children under the age of two years and children in the treatment of chickenpox disease, if it occurs in a mild, uncomplicated form.
When treating genital herpes, it is better to abandon sexual intercourse during the course of therapy, in extreme cases, use condoms, because the use of the drug does not protect against "rewarding" the partner virus.
Creams and ointments for external use (5%) should not be applied to the mucous membrane of the eyes and oral cavity, because a high risk of developing severe local inflammation.