How Long Will it Take to Cure & Control Herpes?

Genital herpes is a viral condition caused by an infection with a herpes simplex virus (HSV)--generally HSV-2, but sometimes caused by HSV-1, the virus responsible for cold sores. Herpes impacts individuals differently, and controlling the condition depends largely on how frequent and severe a given person's symptoms are. There is no cure for genital herpes.

Episodic Treatment

• People whose outbreaks are not frequent (generally four or fewer outbreaks per year) may elect to treat their herpes episodically with prescription antiviral medications like acyclovir, valacyclovir or famciclovir. These medications, when taken within 24 hours of developing the prodromal (initial) symptoms of an outbreak, act quickly to repress the action of the virus as it tries to replicate, according to the International Herpes Management Forum (IHMF). This has the effect of somewhat shortening an individual herpes outbreak, which generally lasts about two weeks, as well as reducing the severity of symptoms.

  Other steps people can take to help facilitate the healing of a shingles outbreak include keeping their sores dry and clean, wearing loose cotton undergarments to avoid irritating the sores as well as icing the area, according to GlaxoSmithKline, maker of the antiviral medication Valtrex.

Daily Suppressive Therapy

• For people with more frequent outbreaks, daily suppressive therapy might be appropriate. In this treatment plan, antiviral medications are used on a daily basis to help stop outbreaks from occurring. In addition to limiting symptoms, this treatment method also reduces the chances of passing the virus on to others, according to both the Mayo Clinic and GlaxoSmithKline. This effect of daily suppressive therapy has only been established in heterosexual sex contacts.

Outbreaks Over Time

• People affected by genital herpes tend to have fewer outbreaks over time. However, there is no way to know specifically how the course of the illness will affect any given individual. For instance, some people may go decades without any symptoms and then suddenly develop them, while other people may continue to have frequent herpes outbreaks throughout their lives.