famvir and shingles

Patients with HIV�FAMVIR is the only antiviral therapy indicated for treating genital or orolabial herpes in people infected with HIV. In patients with herpes simplex and HIV, the dose of FAMVIR is 500 mg, twice a day, for 7 days.


FAMVIR is not for everyone. Please discuss with your doctor if FAMVIR is right for you. In clinical trials, the most common side effects reported in people taking FAMVIR are headache, diarrhea, and nausea. The efficacy of FAMVIR has not been established for the treatment of an initial outbreak of genital herpes infection.

Famvir cold sores

When you take FAMVIR, it is absorbed into your bloodstream, and then converted into another drug called penciclovir. A virus infects the cells and begins to multiply over and over again, making new viruses. Penciclovir stops the herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 from multiplying, which may reduce the symptoms of the outbreak and helps sores to heal faster.


When discussing treatment options with your doctor, be sure to discuss your lifestyle, how you feel about outbreaks, and the burden of an outbreak on you. Remember, you have a choice of treatments (episodic or suppressive). Talk to your doctor about the type of treatment that would be most appropriate for you.