How to Live With Herpes Type 1

Living with herpes type 1 involves being honest with sexual partners about your condition, using protection to prevent spreading the virus and reducing the amount of stress in your life to prevent flare-ups. If you need support from people who are in your situation, there are herpes support groups available online and locally. Talk to your doctor or physician about medications such as Valtrex to reduce the number of outbreaks.

Instructions

• 1

  Herpes is spread through skin-to-skin contact, such as sexual intercourse. If you are in a new relationship, tell the other person about your condition before becoming intimate. Failure to tell someone can result in damaging the relationship and is a breach of trust. Be prepared to face rejection from your partner if he doesn't want to be with you after you disclose your condition.

• 2

  Use protection at all times. Although condoms do not protect your partner 100 percent from acquiring herpes, using a latex condom when engaged in sexual intercourse can reduce the risk of passing it to your partner. You can also reduce the risk of transmission by avoiding skin-to-skin contact after the first sign of prodrome, which is the tingling and itching sensation you feel before an outbreak occurs. Once the outbreak has happened and the skin has healed, skin-to-skin contact is safe.

• 3

  Reduce your stress levels. Take up yoga or practice meditation to decrease the amount of stress. Stress is a trigger for a herpes outbreak. Managing your stress levels can lessen the severity and length of your outbreak. If you have a cold or the flu, your immune system is weakened, and it can allow an outbreak to occur. Increase vitamin intake while sick, or take a daily multivitamin to keep your immune system strong.

• 4

  Take herpes medication. Valtrex and Famvir are two of the many herpes medications available on the market. Take your medication as directed, or at the first sign of an upcoming outbreak. Waiting until after the outbreak has occurred lessens its effectiveness. There are topical creams such as acyclovir that can be used in combination with your oral medication to speed up healing time. To assist in healing, apply ice packs to the sore to reduce swelling, and wear loose clothing to prevent irritation. When bathing or showering, thoroughly clean your sore using a mild soap, and dry the sore completely.

• 5

  Find a support group. Online support group Herpes-Network.com offers a private and confidential online forum for those who have herpes to talk to others in similar situations and share information and stories. Call the National Herpes Hotline at [phone] to speak with someone confidentially to obtain more information about the virus.