Suppressive treatment
- Suppressive treatment (preventative) involves taking medication every day to reduce the frequency of outbreaks occurring.
- This continuous form of treatment is particularly useful for those who are experiencing frequent or troublesome outbreaks.
- Suppressive treatment substantially reduces the likelihood of symptomatic recurrences as well as the frequency of asymptomatic viral shedding (viral shedding when no symptoms are present).*
- Doctors may use this treatment for herpes in people living with HIV because outbreaks are common.
- If you are experiencing high levels of anxiety due to the severity of your outbreaks, suppressive treatment may prove useful by reducing your focus on the virus.
*Kimberlin D and Rouse D. Genital Herpes. N Engl J Med 2004; 350: 1970-1977.
