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Intravenous Treatment for Herpes

Intravenous antiviral therapy is not the most common method of treatment used in the main manifestations of herpetic conditions. However, for some people, especially the immunocompromised (people with weakened immune systems), and in the case of some complications of herpetic infections, intravenous treatment is beneficial.

  1. Penciclovir and HSV

    • Penciclovir is one effective treatment option for people with weakened immune systems who have contracted herpes simplex viruses, which cause conditions including cold sores and genital herpes. It has been shown to be as effective as acyclovir, a treatment that has long been used in the treatment of conditions caused by herpes simplex viruses, according to Hillard M. Lazarus, of the Ireland Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University.

    Acyclovir and HSV-2

    • Intravenous acyclovir has been demonstrated to improve symptoms of genital herpes during the first outbreak as well as reducing complications, according to research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine by Lawrence Corey, MD, and others. Although acyclovir is a standard treatment for genital herpes, intravenous treatment is not standard.

    Acyclovir and HSE

    • Intravenous acyclovir is a standard treatment for herpes simplex encephalitis, a rare complication of infection with herpes simplex viruses. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) as of 2009 was conducting studies into what follow-up treatments are effective after the use of intravenous acyclovir, to mitigate complications of herpes simplex encephalitis.

    Acyclovir and VZV

    • Intravenous acyclovir is used to manage outbreaks of varicella-zoster virus--VZV, a virus of the herpes family that causes both chickenpox and shingles--in immunocompromised patients. In people with weakened immune systems, shingles outbreaks can be severe, long-lasting and are accompanied by many complications, such as the virus spreading to other parts of the body, and the use of intravenous acyclovir is more effective than other therapies, according to Drs. Ann M. Arvin and Anne A. Gershon.

    Considerations

    • Intravenous therapy and other therapies deemed appropriate for the treatment of herpetic conditions can successfully manage symptoms. However, no treatment can cure someone of a herpetic condition, and further outbreaks may be possible even with treatment.

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