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Herpes in lactating mother

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Dear Doctor, I am having genital herpes and have been taking 400 mg Acyclovir B.I.D. to treat it. I want to know if Acyclovir would be fine for my wife who is under the lactating period and feeds my kid who is 4 months old before it gets too late and genital herpes reaches the advanced stage which is very dangerous as I could make out from the genital herpes pictures I have seen.

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Category: Internal Medicine Specialist
 21 Doctors Online

Thanks for your question and concern. I would like to inform you that the medication named Acyclovir passes through the breast milk and hence can be harmful and hence should not be provided to the lactating mother. But in case the lactating mother is symptomatic who has the lesions already developed then, it may be required for her to consume this medication.Another thing that could also help is taking a medication named Valtrex which is also known as valaciclovir because this medication is considered to be much safer than the Acyclovir during the period of lactating. The infections of the herpes are quite contagious and another person if coming in contact can be infected by the genital herpes even when the treatment is going on. So it becomes really important for you to make sure that you are not involved in any kind of sexual activity when undergoing the treatment. In fact any type of contact should be avoided. You can refer the genital herpes pictures for more information or even contact your personal doctor for the same.There are various other precautions as well that you need to take care of such as washing your hands frequently and avoid touching the infected parts as it may help in preventing the transmission of the genital herpes to a great extent. You could also ask your personal doctor to help you understand the genital herpes explaining it with the help of genital herpes pictures so that it becomes clear to you. Best wishes.


Dr. Steve Merris
Category: Internal Medicine Specialist
Experience: 
Medical School - New York University
Internship in Internal Medicine - Beth Israel Medical Center
Residency in Internal Medicine - Beth Israel Medical Center
Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine - Columbia University Medical Center
Dr. Steve Merris and 4 other Medical Specialists are ready to help you

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