Your doctor has ordered acyclovir, an antiviral agent, to help treat your infection. The medication will be added to an intravenous fluid that will drip through a needle or catheter placed in your vein for at least 60 minutes every 8 hours for 5 to 10 days.
Acyclovir is used to treat
- herpes infections of the skin, nose, and mouth in people with weak immune systems
- herpes infections in newborn infants
- herpes simplex encephalitis (brain infection with swelling caused by the herpes virus)
- varicella-zoster (shingles; a rash that can occur in people who have had chickenpox in the past) in people with weak immune systems
- the first outbreak of a genital herpes infection (a herpes virus infection that causes sores to form around the genitals and rectum from time to time)
Acyclovir is in a class of antiviral medications known as synthetic nucleoside analogues. It works by stopping the spread of the herpes virus in the body. Acyclovir will not cure genital herpes and may not stop the spread of genital herpes to other people. This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
This medication is most effective if started soon after the first signs of infection appear.
Your symptoms should improve during your treatment with acyclovir. Call your doctor if your symptoms do not improve or if they get worse.
Your health care provider (doctor, nurse, or pharmacist) may measure the effectiveness and side effects of your treatment using laboratory tests and physical examinations. It is important to keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. The length of treatment depends on how your infection and symptoms respond to the medication.
- Zovirax®
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