What Are the Treatments for Viral Encephalitis?

Viral encephalitis is an infection of the brain that can cause the brain to swell. Viruses such as measles, herpes and rabies, as well as viruses from mosquitoes or ticks, are usually to blame. The infection can infect the brain and spinal cord itself, or the infection can spread to the brain from another part of the body that has been infected. Symptoms often include an unrelenting headache, stiffness and pain in your joints, fever that comes on suddenly, rigidity in your neck, throwing up, fatigue, convulsions, irritability, and possible paralysis. Coma could occur. It's important to seek treatment right away to have the best prognosis.

Rest and Nutrition

• Doctors recommend that you get enough rest while sick with encephalitis. Rest is important because if your brain is swelling, it needs rest in order to heal. Sleep can help your body heal and build up more resistance to disease, thus making the immune system better able to fight off the encephalitis.
  It's also important that you eat nutritiously and drink plenty of fluids. Fluids, including soup, broth and jello, help flush the virus out of your system and prevent you from becoming dehydrated.

Palliative Treatment

• Palliative treatment is treatment that relieves the pain and discomfort associated with a disease or sickness. With viral encephalitis, your doctor may recommend that you take Tylenol or other pain relievers to help with your pain and reduce any fever.

Antiviral Medications

• If you have had herpes or chicken pox, which are both viruses, and your encephalitis stems from one of those diseases, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral drug such as acyclovir or ganciclovir. Sometimes encephalitis can occur as a complication of the herpes virus or the chickenpox virus. The antiviral drugs help stop the virus from growing, which helps lessen the time a patient might be ill.

Anti-Inflammatory Medications

• If you have intense swelling in your brain, your doctor may also start you on corticosteroids, which should help relieve the swelling. Examples of corticosteroids include methylprednisolone or prednisone.

Anticonvulsant Medications

• If you experience seizures or convulsions from the disease, your doctor may prescribe anticonvulsants. Anticonvulsants might include phenytoin, ethosuximide and clonazepam. Your doctor will determine which medication is right for you.