Acyclovir for Herpes Simplex (HSV) User Reviews

• job...
• November 20, 2015

"I'm 52, married, and thought I had a UTI, so my doctor was treating me for that. A year later, I found out my husband gave me herpes. I had a small outbreak last year but thought it was from my new soap, and another outbreak this year. My husband never had an outbreak but tested positive and decided to share he had an affair. This medicine has been a true blessing to me because I don't have any more pain or side effects. Now I can concentrate on my divorce."

• Hea...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 10, 2020

"I had back-to-back outbreaks after 8 years of no outbreaks at all. I take two 400mg tablets of acyclovir a day and I have not had an outbreak since. It has honestly saved my life. I forget I even carry the virus (I told my partner when we got together) and we have unprotected sex and have not passed it on (I have never transmitted to a partner). TRY THE MEDS, THEY WORK... thank god"

• Anonymous
• November 16, 2011

"I had my first outbreak of vaginal herpes three days ago, and it was the worst thing to ever go through. First, I had a yeast infection, then started my period, then I contracted a UTI, and got treated for both. However, I went to the emergency room because I had extreme itching, my skin began to crack, and then ulcer-like open sores appeared. It was painful to urinate. The ER doctor treated me with Acyclovir 800 mg, 1 tablet 5 times a day. In two days, all my symptoms were cleared. The only side effect is that my joints ache, which is very unusual for me."

• Cha...
• January 21, 2015

"I used to get cold sores four or five times a year, sometimes more often (especially when I was dealing with the stress of college). They would appear at the most frustrating times! I tried a bunch of alternative remedies, per the recommendations of friends and family, including L-lysine and tea tree oil. I even found myself putting nail polish remover on my lips (word to the wise: don't do that). Finally, I explained to a doctor how often I was getting outbreaks and how bad they were, and they prescribed 200mg of acyclovir a day as a suppressant. It didn't seem to do anything; the cold sores kept coming. Then, another doctor upped my dose to 400mg twice a day. I didn't get a cold sore for almost five years!"

• Can...
• March 26, 2014

"I was prescribed this medication a few months ago and I absolutely love it. Whenever I feel a cold sore coming on, I take three 400mg tablets every 8 hours (the recommended dose by my doctor) and it stops the cold sore right in its tracks. If I'm lucky, I catch the cold sore in the tingling stage and immediately take the pills, and that usually stops the cold sore from breaking out. If I do end up getting a cold sore, I keep using the pills and it speeds up the process and stops the cold sore from growing any bigger. This medication is amazing and I am so glad to finally have found something that actually works, as I am almost 20 years old and have been suffering from cold sores since age 4."

• mlj...
• June 21, 2015

"I started getting cold sores about 2 years ago. I have tried everything...rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, nail polish remover, L-Lysine, bactine, abreva, ice, biotin...you name it and I've tried it. Nothing worked for me. Finally I sucked it up and went to a doctor about it and was prescribed acyclovir. I don't get any kind of tingle, so at the very first sign of a bump, I take 2 400mg pills, and then about 2 hours later I take 2 more. Within hours the bump is gone. This drug is a miracle!"

• Liz...
• January 21, 2014

"I've experienced cold sores ever since I was 13 years old, but being a college student now and constantly stressed out I've been getting them more frequently. I tried everything from Abreva, all the house remedies, and ointments, but none of them worked. So I got prescribed the 400mg dose, and these pills do wonders! I felt the bump yesterday and the first stage of the blister had started, and I took the dosage I was prescribed. Woke up today with the bump the same size, so I took another one, and within two hours, it was completely gone. I am so happy to have found something that finally works."

• Una...
• January 9, 2014

"I have been plagued by cold sores since I was 14 years old and have struggled to find any effective medication, including Abreva. A year ago, I could feel an outbreak coming and did some research online and found acyclovir. I read the reviews and figured I'd try it. Within 24 hours, my forming cold sore stopped and began to heal and shrink, within 3 days, it was almost non-existent. Yesterday, I woke up and realized overnight, with no notice, a huge sore had formed, and the virus was on full unrestricted attack. I went out, got acyclovir, and again, within 24 hours, what was bound to be a huge, long-drawn-out cold sore had stopped, shrunk, and began healing. Acyclovir with Abreva has proved to be a miracle. TRY IT! P.S. No side effects for me."

• Dee...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 26, 2015

"I got diagnosed with genital herpes last year around September, and I got prescribed acyclovir. The initial outbreak was HELL! I was in so much pain with teeny, tiny, barely visible blisters around my private area. But anyways, I started taking the pills, 3 a day, and after a couple of days, the outbreak cleared up completely. I feel tingling around my bits like every month when my period comes on, and I take the pills, and the tingling goes away with a small blister, barely noticeable. The pills don't cure the outbreaks, but they do make them bearable and waaaaaaay less annoying. Sometimes you'll forget completely about it."

• ano...
• March 4, 2016

"I was diagnosed with HSV-2 five years ago. I had hardly any symptoms until now. I was not in a sexual relationship, but this week I had sex after my menstrual cycle. I had my first outbreak, it was horrible. I felt so depressed. I had all kinds of blisters in private places. Very, very painful, it was hard to walk, sit, sleep, and go to the bathroom. I searched the web for treatment. First, I tried tea tree oil, that was too harsh down there. Then I took 6,000 mg of Lysine, that did not help at all. Took 3,000 mg of vitamin C, nothing. I felt that white vinegar helped a bit, and cornstarch was soothing. I took 2 Epsom salt baths a day, and that was soothing also. The only thing that helped was Acyclovir, all symptoms went away right away."

• Mis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 16, 2018

"I had HSV-2 in my 20s. My doctor gave me a strong prescription of acyclovir and I think it was for 30 days. I never had an outbreak again. The outbreak that I was seen for was my first and only one, and it was really quite bad. Now I am 49 without a herpes outbreak following the treatment."

• 2xd...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 6, 2015

"This drug has helped keep outbreaks to a minimum. I rarely, if ever, suffer from this horrible disease anymore. I'm 68 and had my first outbreak at age 28. At first, I only took the medicine when I noticed the first signs of an outbreak. For me, that was a pain in my upper leg, like I had pulled a muscle. It worked okay but didn't completely keep the outbreak from happening. For more than 20 years now, I've been taking 400 mg two times a day. Good effective medicine? Perhaps. It could also mean that when I was younger, there was more sexual activity and more stress = more outbreaks."

• Occ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 13, 2013

"I woke up early in the morning and felt the tingle of a new cold sore. I went to the doc and got a prescription within the hour and took my first 400 mg pill of acyclovir. I used Abreva right when I felt it and a few times that night. I took 3 pills over the course of the first day. When I woke up the next morning, the bump had not gotten bigger but had not gotten smaller either. It was hardly noticeable, I should add. I took 3 more pills over the course of the second day, and the bump has not grown any bigger. I woke up the 3rd morning, and it has shrunk in size. I encourage everyone to get a large stock of acyclovir and take it IMMEDIATELY when the tingle is felt. Even if it is just maybe a cold sore. It is totally worth it."

• Dad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 3, 2015

"It is an effective remedy, but the side effects in my case were worse than the problem. There was a point after about a week on the drug that I thought I was going to die. Daily it got worse, and I felt very tired all the time. It caused severe dizziness, trouble breathing, and while I was lying in bed, I woke up with a terrible feeling that I was passing out and could not go back to sleep and just lay there with the feeling of my head swirling."

• Den...
• June 27, 2019

"I am a 30-year-old woman, and I recently became diagnosed with genital herpes a few days ago. I started seeing a guy who didn't know he was infected with it. We had sex one of the times without a condom, and BOOM, here I am. I started having a burning sensation while peeing a few days later, vaginal irritation, stomach cramping, etc. I was given a prescription for a UTI. Three days later, I broke out in a few painful little bumps, and the burning in my urination got worse. Then I got a fever. I went to the ER, and the doctor diagnosed me with genital herpes. Luckily, it's a small localized area, she said, and gave me Acyclovir 400 MG to take three times a day. I'm on the third day, and it's a huge difference. The site is healing, it's not burning when I urinate, no more fever, and a lot less discharge. I've gotten some side effects of being very drowsy and tired, and tingling in random places. The only thing I hate is the drowsiness. I've been fighting to stay awake at work the past two days of it really kicking in."

• Jar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 10, 2014

"I took acyclovir 400 mg 5 times a day 4 hours after tingling. Completely gone in 2 days. But what is weird is it worked only one time, it never worked again. I have had ten more since the first time it worked. I did try it again on a few separate outbreaks, it never even slowed it down."

• Doe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 3, 2016

"A year and a half ago, my BF went to New Mexico. While he was there, he contracted HSV-2. When he came back, he was honest about having the virus. I never saw an outbreak on him, so I thought he was paranoid. Last weekend, I noticed that I had burning after intercourse. By Monday, I was sure I had an outbreak. It burned when I urinated and felt like the bottom of my vagina was on fire. Tuesday, I went to the doctor, and she said it looked like herpes. I'm 39 years old. She prescribed acyclovir 400 mg 3x. This is my first day. So far, the burning is persistent, and the itchiness is driving me insane. Any ideas???"

• nik...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 22, 2020

"I am 43. I just recently got diagnosed with HSV-2 with two previous false negative tests. It sucks not to know when and where you got the infection from. I've never seen any breakouts on anyone I've been with, but I'm seeing you can contract this even with a condom. I have breakouts in more than one place: inner labial, outer labial, which I thought was an ingrown hair infection. I also have a breakout in the anal area, but mostly the upper part of the crack, which is weird. I hate this. I've been with my boyfriend for 7 years. He said he had a cold sore before, but I don't think he gave it to me, by me having two false tests. I'm so ashamed as I'd rather have had gonorrhea or chlamydia if I had to suffer from an STD as you can get rid of those. I haven't been able to share this news with my boyfriend as I'm afraid of how he may react, he has really been tripping about this COVID virus. But I may have had this for awhile, and luckily I've never transmitted it, and this is my first time with actual blisters."

• kat...
• January 13, 2016

"I have been on Acyclovir for 3 days following a first outbreak of genital herpes - having never suffered with anxiety or depression, I've been crying about an hour after taking each pill. Feeling anxious, depressed, sweating, abdominal pain, short-tempered, and very nauseous. Mood swings aren't in the side effects but they should be, as countless other people on similar forums have experienced the same."

• Sti...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 23, 2016

"Since early childhood, I've gotten painful and gross cold sores. Just awful. In my nose sometimes, down my chin... yuck. I hate this virus. I tried all the wacky home remedies... yeah, that battery-powered silvery piece of rubbish. I figured I'd just be Quasimodo every 3 or 4 months and just deal with it. :( Until Acyclovir 800. What IS this stuff?!?! It's magic, that's what it is. YMMV, I personally have to take 4 at the first tingle to stop it 'cold.' It never gets red, never gets to blister. Certainly not that fun cracked, bleeding horror show round about day 6 without this stuff. So to make a long story longer, get Acyclovir 800. An interesting side effect is that I also have fewer, and less severe outbreaks. Thanks for reading."

• Sad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 10, 2019

"I became very irritated down there to the point it hurt to go to the bathroom. I scheduled an appointment for the doctor, and they told me I had a yeast infection. I then noticed bumps down there, and they tested for HSV2 (herpes simplex 2) that came back positive. Currently, day 3 of acyclovir, and I am so happy to almost be back to myself. The pain I went through was unbearable... had to call out of work several times because I could barely walk. We will see how this medicine works for me over time."

• ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 8, 2014

"I started taking acyclovir 2 days ago, and I already feel better. My outbreak is 90% clear, and so far, no side effects. I take 800 mg 5 times a day for 7 days... Oh, and I take it for having shingles, which is like herpes."

• Jac...
• August 28, 2019

"Prescribed for cold sore outbreaks, three 400 mg tabs per day, took for 2 days; my heart is racing, cannot concentrate, blood pressure 157/91. My blood pressure was 120/74 two days prior to using this medication, a general feeling of unwellness."

• HSV...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 5, 2017

"I found out I contracted genital herpes from an ex-boyfriend about 5 years ago. It initially felt like a cut on my vagina that itched and burned. Went to the doctor the next day and sure enough-herpes (ugh). I take the medicine as needed and it works like a charm. If I do feel one coming, I take 400 mg three days for about 4-5 days. Clears right up. I also used to get cold sores a few times a year-haven't since taking this medicine. It's AMAZING. Just wish I never had to find out about it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 27, 2012

"If you get a cold sore outbreak in your mouth, don't walk, run to the nearest medical practitioner that can give you a prescription of Acyclovir. Usually, an outbreak would last me 3 weeks with just using over-the-counter creams. With the medication, my mouth was back to normal after 4 days."