Your doctor will adjust your dose depending on how well your kidneys are working. For pregnant women: Acyclovir is a category B pregnancy drug. That means two things:. This drug should be used only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.
For women who are breastfeeding: Acyclovir may pass into breast milk and may cause side effects in a child who is breastfed. Talk to your doctor if you breastfeed your baby. You may need to decide whether to stop breastfeeding or stop taking this medication.
For seniors: The kidneys of older adults may not work as well as they used to. This can cause your body to process drugs more slowly. As a result, more of a drug stays in your body for a longer time. This raises your risk of side effects.
This dosage information is for acyclovir oral tablet. All possible dosages and drug forms may not be included here. Your dosage, drug form, and how often you take the drug will depend on:. Start this drug as soon as the first symptom of chickenpox appears. The kidneys of older adults may not work as well as they used to. This increases your risk of side effects. Your doctor may start you on a lowered dose or a different medication schedule. This can help keep levels of this drug from building up too much in your body.
Always to speak with your doctor or pharmacist about dosages that are right for you. Acyclovir oral tablet is used for short-term treatment of genital herpes, shingles, and chicken pox. What to do if you miss a dose: Take your dose as soon as you remember. But if you remember just a few hours before your next scheduled dose, take only one dose. Never try to catch up by taking two doses at once. This could result in dangerous side effects. If you take too much: You could have dangerous levels of the drug in your body and experience more severe side effects.
If your symptoms are severe, call or go to the nearest emergency room right away. How to tell if the drug is working: The symptoms of your infection will get better. A prescription for this medication is refillable.
You should not need a new prescription for this medication to be refilled. Your doctor will write the number of refills authorized on your prescription. You and your doctor should monitor certain health issues.
This can help make sure you stay safe while you take this drug. These issues include:. You should drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Acyclovir can make your skin more sensitive to the sun. This increases your risk of sunburn. Avoid the sun if you can. You'll usually take aciclovir 2 to 5 times a day. Try to space the doses evenly throughout the day. You can take aciclovir with or without food. Drink plenty of water while taking this medicine to help keep your kidneys working well.
Keep taking the medicine until it's all finished or until your doctor or pharmacist tells you to stop taking it. For treating a viral infection, you'll usually take aciclovir for 5 to 10 days. For prevention, you may need to take it for a long time. Tablets: swallow the tablets whole with some water. If you find tablets difficult to swallow, you can dissolve them in water.
Add a tablet to a small glass of water and stir. Drink all the liquid to make sure you get the full dose. Liquid: use the measuring spoon or plastic syringe that came with your medicine. If you do not have a measuring spoon or syringe, ask your pharmacist for one. Do not use a kitchen teaspoon as you will not get the right amount of medicine. Put a thin layer of cream on the cold sore 5 times a day.
Do this every 4 hours — for example, at 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm and 11pm. Use the cream for at least 4 days. If the cold sore has not healed by then, you can carry on using the cream for another 6 days. If the sore still has not healed after a total of 10 days, stop using the cream and tell your doctor.
Put a thin layer of cream on the affected area 5 times a day. Use the cream for at least 5 days. If the genital herpes sore has not healed by then, you can carry on using the cream for another 5 days. If the affected area has still not healed after a total of 10 days, stop using the cream and tell your doctor. If you forget a dose of aciclovir, take it or use the cream as soon as you remember, unless it's nearly time for your next dose.
In this case, just skip the missed dose and continue with your next one as normal. Taking too much aciclovir by accident is unlikely to harm you, unless you take too much over several days. Like all medicines, aciclovir can cause side effects in some people, although not everyone gets them. These common side effects happen in more than 1 in 10 people who take aciclovir tablets or liquid.
Keep taking the medicine, but talk to your doctor or pharmacist, if these side effects bother you or do not go away:. The cold sore cream is generally very safe and less than 1 in people experience any side effects. Keep using the medicine, but talk to your doctor or pharmacist, if these uncommon side effects bother you or do not go away:. In rare cases, aciclovir can cause a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis. Speak to your doctor, who'll be able to explain the benefits and the risks of taking aciclovir when pregnant.
For more information about how aciclovir can affect you and your baby during pregnancy, read this leaflet on the best use of medicines in pregnancy bumps website. Talk to your doctor if you want to breastfeed while taking aciclovir. They can advise you on what's best for you and your baby. Some medicines can affect the way aciclovir tablets or liquid work. They can also make you more likely to get side effects.
If you're using aciclovir cream on your skin, this is less likely to react with other medicines. It's important to tell your doctor if you take any of the following medicines before taking aciclovir:. There's very little information about taking herbal remedies and supplements while taking or using aciclovir. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements.
If you're not feeling better after you finish your prescribed course of aciclovir, tell your doctor. If your genital herpes sore is not better after 5 days, you can use the cream for another 5 days.
If the infection gets worse at any time or the sore still has not healed after 10 days, speak to your doctor. If your cold sore has not healed after 4 days, you can carry on using the cold sore cream for another 5 days. If your cold sore still has not healed after this or it gets worse at any time, stop using the cream and speak to your doctor.
Some people feel dizzy when taking aciclovir tablets or liquid. This may make it more difficult to concentrate and react. What should I do if I forget a dose?
What side effects can this medication cause? What should I know about storage and disposal of this medication? Brand names Other names. To use buccal acyclovir, follow these steps: Find the area on the upper gum above your left and right incisor teeth the teeth just to the left and right of your two front teeth. With dry hands, remove one delayed-release tablet from the container. Gently apply the tablet to the upper gum area as high as it will go on your gum above one of your incisor teeth on the side of your mouth with the cold sore.
Do not apply it to the inside of the lip or cheek. Hold the tablet in place for 30 seconds. If the tablet does not stick to your gum or if it sticks to your cheek or the inside of your lip, reposition it to stick to your gum. Leave the tablet in place until it dissolves.
Do not interfere with the placement of the tablet. Check to see if the tablet is still in place after eating, drinking, or rinsing your mouth. Avoid the following while you are using acyclovir buccal delayed-release tablet: Do not chew gum, touch, or press the buccal tablet after it has been applied. Do not wear upper dentures. Do not brush your teeth until it dissolves. If your teeth need to be cleaned while the tablet is in place, rinse the mouth gently. Shake the suspension well before each use to mix the medication evenly.
Other uses for this medicine. What special precautions should I follow? Before taking acyclovir, tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to acyclovir, valacyclovir Valtrex , any other medications, milk proteins, or any of the ingredients in acyclovir products. Ask your pharmacist for a list of the ingredients. Be sure to mention any of the following: amphotericin B Fungizone ; aminoglycoside antibiotics such as amikacin Amikin , gentamicin Garamycin , kanamycin Kantrex , neomycin Nes-RX, Neo-Fradin , paramomycin Humatin , streptomycin, and tobramycin Tobi, Nebcin ; aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen Advil, Motrin , and naproxen Aleve, Naprosyn ; cyclosporine Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune ; medications to treat HIV or AIDS such as zidovudine Retrovir, AZT ; pentamidine NebuPent ; probenecid Benemid ; sulfonamides such as sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim Bactrim ; tacrolimus Prograf ; and vancomycin.
Many other medications may also interact with acyclovir, so be sure to tell your doctor about all the medications you are taking, even those that do not appear on this list.
Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects. If you become pregnant while taking acyclovir, call your doctor. Talk to your doctor about ways to stop the spread of genital herpes and about whether your partner s should receive treatment.
Drink plenty of fluids while you are taking or using acyclovir. Acyclovir may cause side effects.
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