Dave Kowloski

Genital Herpes – Treatments to Alleviate Symptoms

Although there is as yet no known cure for herpes there are several safe treatments that you can use to alleviate symptoms.

You should always visit your doctor first and get an early diagnosis.

First get a trained professional to diagnose the problem and confirm the presence of herpes by a viral test taken from the affected area. A blood test for syphilis, HIV and possibly hepatitis B should also be performed.

If you are in severe pain you may wish to take a prescription pain reliever. Take warm showers and run warm water over the infected area three or four times a day. When you get out of the shower or bath dry the genital area with a hair dryer set on a low or cool temperature.

Make sure you are passing urine without difficulty. Keep trying if you are having problems and maybe try in the shower to decrease the sting. Drinking lots of water may help dilute the urine enough so that it hurts less. If you cannot pass urine after several hours you should seek medical attention.

Avoid tight underwear or, if possible do without underwear altogether. Loose clothes or pure cotton are best.

Get treatment from your doctor or clinic with acyclovir (Zovirax) or a similar antiviral agent. It is important to start this treatment as soon as possible. Less effective is an ointment preparation of acyclovir although this may also help relieve any stinging.

Avoid other types of cream such as cortisone or antibiotic creams and Vaseline as these are of no benefit and may be worse than doing nothing.

Each person is different and each treatment should be tried and used to suit. You ability to cope with genital herpes outbreaks is very much a learning process, one that will evolve over time. There is no truth in the rumour that stress heightens herpes outbreaks but if you follow the suggestions above you should be able to make things easier for yourself.

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