Supressive treatment dosage

[jerrybuckets]

Hi everyone:
I was first diagnosed with genital herpes on 02/19/13 I was having my first outbreak it was just at the base of my penis exactly where my penis starts and my pubic area ends. I was prescribed with valacyclovir 500mg twice a day for 5 days, by the third day the scabs where dry and I had no pain so the treatment worked. Just 4 days ago I started to feel itchiness on the same area and it was a few small blisters so the next day I started again the same treatment, the same dosage. The scabs stop growing or spreading and by now are dry. Its been only 2 months apart this second outbreak. The antiviral its really expensive but given the frecuency of the outbreaks should I go under supressive therapy? and if so, Whats the dossage and period of time i should do it?

P.S. This is the first time I post here so don`t know the rules if there`s any and also this is my second language so pardon my writing skills...

[gracefromHHP]

oh that's a really poor way to diagnose herpes :(


you need to follow up with a type specific herpes igg blood test. your partner also will need tested to know their status too.

where your actual lesions are is meaningless except for when you have them.

[jerrybuckets]

Thanks for your answer Grace!!!

I wasn't tested at all my doctor saw my blisters at the time and he knew right away that was herpes, he gave the 5 day treatment and azithromycin 500 mg  just a pill and told me if by the next three days i didn't improve to go back again; but like I said my symptoms disappear by the third day almost completely so I never went back.

The thing is that I don't have a steady sexual partner and condoms doesn't cover at all the area where the blisters are plus I know they aren't as effective to decrease the risk of contagion to others as the supresive therapy. Now I have the info and I'll start taking the pills as soon as I end this current treatment.

Thank you once again.

[gracefromHHP]

let's start at the beginning - what testing did you have done initially to confirm hsv2?

not unusual at all to have a 2nd recurrence that soon either - about half of folks newly infected with hsv2 do.  

acyclovir is generally much cheaper than valtrex is. you can price the difference at your local pharmacy.  the dose for suppressive therapy with acyclovir is 400mg twice a day every single day.

grace