What is acyclovir and when is it used?
Acyclovir is an antiviral medicine that is used to treat a variety of infections. A drug appoint including newborns.
Acyclovir is most often used to fight with herpes viruses:
- genitals (genital organs),
- skin,
- brain,
- mucous membranes,
- eye.
The medicine helps in the treatment of initial and recurrent episodes of genital herpes. But acyclovir will not completely rid the body of the virus.
In addition to herpes, the drug helps in the treatment of chickenpox and herpes zoster.
If prescribed by a doctor, acyclovir can be use and for other viral infections. However, it is not effective in treating some of them, such as the common cold.
How and when was acyclovir invented?
Acyclovir was synthesized in 1974 by scientists from Burroughs Wellcome in the USA. The drug underwent clinical trials for several years, and in 1982 it became available to doctors.
How does acyclovir work?
When a virus enters a cell, it uses its genetic material to create new virus particles. One of the key stages of this process is the emergence of new DNA chains.
Acyclovir interferes with this, acting like this: it imitates the DNA of viral particles. And when a real virus tries to use acyclovir to create its DNA, the drug is integrated into the new strand and prevents its further growth. As a result, the virus stops reproducing.
To reduce symptoms you may required up to three days. However, the drug should be taken until the prescribed course is completed. Acyclovir works best if you start taking it within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.
The effectiveness of acyclovir was proven in numerous clinical trials. It is one of the most commonly used antiviral drugs in the world.
How is acyclovir used?
Acyclovir may be appointed in the form of tablets, capsules, oral suspension, ointment, cream, ophthalmic ointment or injection.
Dosages of the drug start from 50 mg in tablets, capsules and suspensions and from 25 mg/ml in other forms.
Typically, the amount of the drug that will be needed for treatment depends on many factors: age and weight, the health status of the sick person, as well as the specific disease for which acyclovir was prescribed.
What you need to know about the medicine before you start taking it
It is important to tell your doctor about the following:
- allergies to any medications and dairy squirrels;
- pregnancy or planning it;
- breastfeeding;
- presence of other diseases, for example diseases kidney or nervous system;
- taking other medications.
Who should not take acyclovir?
Most adults and children can take this drug. But there are cases when it is better to refuse acyclovir and ask your doctor to find another medicine.
Acyclovir unsafe for people:
- who have ever had an allergic reaction to acyclovir or any other medicine;
- who have kidney problems;
- over 65 years old.
You should also take the drug with caution for those whose immune systems are weakened – for example, people with HIV or AIDS, as well as after a bone marrow transplant. In this case, the doctor must choose a specific form of medication, for example tablets, not cream.
What drugs should you not mix acyclovir with?
If the substance is used as a cream that is applied to the skin, it is unlikely to react with other medications.
In other forms, acyclovir may interact with other drugsamong which:
- cimetidine for stomach ulcers;
- mycophenolate mofetil – a medicine prescribed after organ transplantation;
- probenecid for gout;
- aminophylline and theophylline are asthma medications.
Acyclovir may apply harm the kidneys if taken with other medicines for infections, cancer, osteoporosis, bowel disorders, high blood pressure, pain or arthritis.
How is acyclovir used during pregnancy and lactation?
Cream, eye ointment, tablets, or injections acyclovir not harmful for pregnant women. The drug reduces the severity of the symptoms of herpes and chickenpox – but the dosage and dosage plan must be selected by the doctor to take into account all the nuances of the health of the expectant mother.
During lactation and breastfeeding, the drug also Can use if the child is healthy:
- Acyclovir from tablets, suspensions and injections passes into breast milk in small concentrations and does not cause side effects in the child.
- The substance from the cream or eye ointment also passes into breast milk, but the amount is small. It is important to ensure that during feeding the child does not come into contact with the areas where the medicine is applied.
If, while the mother is taking acyclovir, the child’s appetite decreases, he develops diarrhea or nausea, or other suspicious symptoms appear, you should discuss this with your doctor as soon as possible. Perhaps in this case it will be necessary to choose another remedy for the treatment of herpes and chickenpox.
What are the side effects?
The most common side effects effects acyclovir are:
- diarrhea,
- headache and dizziness,
- pain in the throat, stomach, muscles and legs,
- itching,
- rash,
- slight pain in the skin,
- pain in the mouth when swallowing the tablet,
- nausea and vomiting.
You may also experience difficulty sleeping, general malaise, high fever and hot flashes, increased sweating and thirst, impaired taste, mouth ulcers, loss of appetite, and menstrual irregularities.
Less commonly, serious side effects occur, such as blood in the urine, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, a decrease in the number of red and white blood cells in the blood, blood clotting disorders, hair loss, kidney and liver problems, and others.
But in most cases, the side effects of acyclovir are temporary and disappear as soon as the drug is stopped.
What happens if you miss a dose of acyclovir
Acyclovir is usually taken five times a day, every 4 hours. If you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible. But if there is little time left before the next dose of the drug, do not take the missed dose.
You should also not take a double dose to make up for a missed dose.
What happens if I take more than the dose?
Disposable An overdose of acyclovir is unlikely to cause harm. But in some cases, side effects may occur, the most frequent of which:
- diarrhea,
- headache,
- itching,
- skin pain,
- pain in the mouth when using lozenges,
- nausea and vomiting,
- rash.
Usually, side effects go away without the attention of a specialist, but a severe allergic reaction may occur. Need to call doctor if symptoms such as difficulty breathing, tachycardia, rash and redness, swelling under the skin, around the face, eyes or throat appear.
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