Oral agents |
Acyclovir (Zovirax) | Initial genital herpes infection | 200 mg five times daily for 10 days | Nausea, vomiting, headache, diarrhea, vertigo, myalgia, rash, renal failure, CNS changes | 100 capsules at 200 mg: $140 ($98 to $112) |
| Episodic genital herpes | 200 mg five times daily for five days | | |
| Genital herpes suppression | 400 mg twice daily for up to 12 months | | |
| Episodic orolabial herpes | 15 mg per kg five times daily for seven days† | | |
| Herpes zoster | 800 mg five times daily for seven to 10 days | | 100 tablets at 800 mg: $528 ($367 to $422) |
Famciclovir (Famvir) | Initial genital herpes infection | 250 mg twice daily for seven to 10 days‡ | Headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, paresthesias, pruritus | 30 tablets at 250 mg: $110 |
| Episodic genital herpes | 125 mg twice daily for five days | | 30 tablets at 125 mg: $101 |
| Genital herpes suppression | 250 mg twice daily for up to 12 months | | |
| Herpes zoster | 500 mg every eight hours for seven days | | 30 tablets at 500 mg: $221 |
Valacyclovir (Valtrex) | Initial genital herpes infection | 1 g twice daily for 10 days | Nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness | 21 tablets at 1 g: $130 |
| Episodic genital herpes | 500 mg twice daily for three days | | 42 tablets at 500 mg: $162 |
| Genital herpes suppression | 500 mg or 1 g daily for up to one year § | | |
| Episodic orolabial herpes | 2 g twice daily for one day | | |
| Herpes zoster | 1 g three times daily for seven days | | |
Topical agents |
Acyclovir (Zovirax) | Initial genital herpes infection | Apply six times daily for seven days | Pain, pruritus | 15-g tube: $75 |
| | | | 3-g tube: $20 |
Penciclovir (Denavir) | Episodic orolabial herpes | Apply every two hours while awake for four days | Headache, skin irritation | 1.5-g tube: $24 |
Docosanol (Abreva) | Episodic orolabial herpes | Apply five times daily until healed | Headache, reaction at site | 2-g tube: $14 |