Acyclovir during pregnancy: is it allowed and how to take it correctly?

During pregnancy, every expectant mother should be especially careful when using any medications - even those that seem completely safe. After all, medications that cause virtually no harm to a woman’s body can negatively affect the development of her child. Acyclovir during pregnancy is in some cases prescribed by doctors. It should be remembered that only a specialist can realistically assess the risks and benefits of prescribing a particular drug during pregnancy.

General characteristics of the drug

Acyclovir is an antiviral medicine that is primarily used to treat infections caused by the herpes simplex and chickenpox viruses. The herpes simplex virus (HSV) can cause labial (labial) and genital herpes, herpetic keratitis, blepharitis and encephalitis, and neonatal herpes. The virus causes chickenpox and shingles.

In addition, Acyclovir has activity against cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus. The drug prevents the multiplication of viruses, thereby reducing the severity of the infection and stopping its spread.

Although Acyclovir is an antiviral drug, it cannot completely cure infections. These viruses continue to live in the body between exacerbations of the disease. Acyclovir reduces the severity and duration of these exacerbations. It helps rashes heal faster, prevents the formation of new blisters, and reduces pain and itching.

This drug may also reduce the long-term pain that remains after shingles. Additionally, in people with weakened immune systems, Acyclovir may reduce the risk of the virus spreading to other parts of the body, preventing more severe illness.

There are several forms of release of the drug:

1. Injection.
2. Tablets, capsules and oral solution.
3. Ointment and cream for external local use.
4. Eye ointment.

The intravenous route of administration is most effective, which is why it is used for severe infections caused by herpes simplex and chickenpox viruses. When taken orally, only 15-30% of the drug is absorbed in the intestines. After entering the body through a series of chemical reactions, the drug is converted into acyclovir triphosphate, which suppresses the formation of viral DNA without affecting normal cellular processes.

Ointment or cream is used in the mildest cases of herpetic infection - for mild labial and genital herpes. Eye ointment is used to treat eye diseases caused by HSV.

Acyclovir ointment

During pregnancy, women are often exposed to various diseases due to the fact that in the first months the body itself suppresses the immune system. In addition, diseases that were previously in a latent state often become aggravated.

Of course, suppression of the immune system inevitably leads to the fact that one of the ailments still manifests itself. I have to undergo treatment. And it’s also good if we are talking about a cold or other minor illness that can be dealt with with folk remedies. What if it’s something more serious – for example, herpes? In this case, it is necessary to resort to special honey. drugs, for example, Acyclovir.

Taking Acyclovir during pregnancy

Herpes is a fairly common infectious disease in women during pregnancy. Most of them give birth to completely healthy children. In rare cases, a newborn may develop neonatal herpes, a very serious disease that can cause the death of the child. It is the danger of developing this pathology that explains the use of Acyclovir during pregnancy.

Scientific studies have failed to find an association between use of this drug during pregnancy and the development of birth defects in the baby, premature birth, or stillbirth. These data are valid for taking Acyclovir during pregnancy, both in the early and late stages. However, it is strongly recommended that pregnant women use this drug only as prescribed by a doctor and strictly adhere to the dosage.

Indications and contraindications for taking Acyclovir during pregnancy

A woman is recommended to use Acyclovir during pregnancy for:

• prevention of neonatal herpes in a child;
• treatment of primary genital herpes in pregnant women;
• treatment of relapses of genital herpes in pregnant women;
• treatment of other diseases caused by HSV - for example, herpetic keratitis or encephalitis;
• treatment of severe pneumonia caused by the varicella zoster virus.

The risk of transmitting HSV from mother to child depends on when the woman was infected:

• If a herpes infection enters a woman’s body before pregnancy, antibodies develop in it, which are transmitted through the placenta to the child. These antibodies protect the baby from infection during childbirth and for several months after it. However, some women with recurrent genital herpes during pregnancy may need to take Acyclovir tablets starting at 36 weeks of gestation to reduce the risk of transmitting the disease to the baby during childbirth.
• If HSV infects a woman in the 1st and 2nd trimester, the risk of miscarriage and the risk of transmitting the virus to the child increases. In this case, the expectant mother may need to take Acyclovir throughout the entire pregnancy.
• The highest risk of transmission of the herpes virus from mother to child is observed when a woman is infected in the 3rd trimester. This is due to the fact that her body does not have time to produce antibodies to the virus and pass them on to the baby. In this case, the expectant mother needs to take Acyclovir during the last 4 weeks of pregnancy. A caesarean section may be necessary to reduce the risk of infection for the baby.

Acyclovir is contraindicated during pregnancy if a woman has a hypersensitivity or allergy to it or other auxiliary components of the drug. It is also prescribed with caution to patients with kidney disease and impaired immunity (HIV, bone marrow transplant, kidney transplant), since in these cases the risk of side effects increases.

Is it possible to use

Any medications should be used with great caution during pregnancy, as the negative effects they may have on the fetus may significantly outweigh their benefits to the mother's health.

As a matter of fact, it is this formula that is used in such cases: if the risk for the baby from the penetration of the active ingredients of the drug is less than the threat of the corresponding disease, the doctor observing the woman prescribes the appropriate drug.

Based on this, to answer the question about the possibility of using acyclovir during pregnancy, one must understand how the drug and the virus it is intended to combat can affect the fetus and compare the corresponding risks.

Let's start with the virus . Typically, the manifestation of herpes is associated with fever-like rashes on the lips or other parts of the face, which are accompanied by very painful sensations.

During pregnancy, toxicosis, lower back pain, constipation, acne, and hemorrhoids also often cause inconvenience.

In fact, everything is much worse. To date, at least eight types of this virus are known, each more unpleasant than the other. Fever on the face is caused by the first type; genital herpes (the second type), which affects the genitals, is no less common. More exotic, but no less dangerous are chickenpox (varicella zoster virus is also a herpes virus), a virus that affects the oral cavity and lymph nodes, etc.

It is especially worth noting that all these varieties of the virus have one extremely unpleasant feature: they cannot be completely destroyed in the body, since, having penetrated there, they “inscribe” themselves into the genetic structure of the cell and, so to speak, become one with it.

In a patient with herpes (when the pathogen is in active form), literally everything is infected - saliva, urine, blood, semen, tears and other secretions, including, unfortunately, even mother's milk.

Did you know? According to official data, nine out of ten people on Earth today are infected with herpes, and, most likely, this statistics can already be considered an underestimate. It is interesting that out of ten such patients, six do not even suspect this, since the causative agent of the disease, having embedded itself in the cell, remains in a latent state and is simply waiting for the right hour to wake up and begin to actively reproduce. At the same time, being in the dark and not feeling the presence of the virus in any way, a person is a carrier of the infection and can infect others with it, and so on in geometric progression!

While very unpleasant for an adult, the herpes virus is truly dangerous for the fetus.

Moreover, the level of risk depends on the stage of pregnancy at which the future mother developed the disease, as well as on whether it appeared for the first time or not for the first time in her life.

Important! When faced with herpes for the first time in her life, a woman can almost certainly be sure that the infection will spread to the fetus, while for those who have long suffered from periodic manifestations of viral fever, the likelihood of harming the child is reduced to a minimum and is no more than five percent ! This is explained by the fact that the mother’s body has already formed antibodies that fight infection, and their protective effect will be transferred to the unborn baby.

The second factor, as mentioned, is the duration of pregnancy. It has been established that primary infection with herpes in late pregnancy is especially dangerous because:

• can lead to the development of various pathologies in the child , in particular, the brain, and even fetal death;
• the transmission of infection to the baby directly during childbirth increases (this is especially true for type 2 herpes, which, as was said, affects the mother’s genitals);
• Herpes in newborns is much more severe than in adults; it can affect not only the skin and mucous membranes, but also the internal organs of the baby - the lungs, liver, and brain. Moreover, even if the infection does not appear externally in a newborn, the likelihood of severe herpes in the future in such babies is 40%.

Important! The herpes virus is in second place in terms of danger to the embryo. Rubella takes “honorable” first place.

Infection of an expectant mother with herpes can lead to premature termination of pregnancy (miscarriage), and if in the early stages this probability is about thirty percent, then in the second and third trimester, in the absence of treatment, this probability can increase to seventy percent!

And one more disappointing figure: herpes, which is in the body of the expectant mother, reduces the likelihood of having a completely healthy baby to only fifteen percent!

Thus, herpes during pregnancy is not just dangerous, but extremely dangerous at any stage, but especially at a late stage. In this situation, it becomes completely obvious that it is necessary to treat such a disease, and there can be no doubt about it.

As mentioned, one of the drugs with proven effectiveness against all types of herpes is acyclovir; it, along with other drugs of similar action, is usually prescribed to expectant mothers.

Important! Acyclovir is not a brand name, but the name of the active substance. Some drugs are sold under this name, but the following drugs are, for example, the same acyclovir:

"
Citivir
"
,
"
Cicloviral
"
,
"
Ciclovir
"
,
"
Civlovax
"
,
"
Supraviran
"
,
"
Provirsan
"
,
"
Lizavir
"
,
"
Zovirax
"
,
"
Medovir
"
,
"
Gerpesin
"
,
"
Gerpevir
"
,
"
Gerperax
"
,
"
Geviran
"
,
"
Acyclostad
"
,
"
Atsik
"
,
"
Acivir
"
,
"
Vivorax
"
,
"
Virolex
"
,
"
Valtrex
"
,
"
Valavir
"
and others.
Some of these drugs are contraindicated during pregnancy! When choosing between tablets and ointment, in such cases preference is given to the latter option. Despite the fact that internal administration of an antiviral drug is a more effective way to quickly stop the infection, it should be avoided during pregnancy.

Acyclovir is able to break through the placental barrier and affect the fetus, however, when applied topically, its active substance enters the blood in minimal doses and is very quickly excreted from the body in the urine.

Thus, the amount of acyclovir in the affected area of ​​the skin after applying the ointment is no more than half (and sometimes even less) of the concentration that occurs when taking tablets or as a result of injection.

Instructions for use during pregnancy

Women should strictly follow their doctor's recommendations for the use of Acyclovir tablets or ointment during pregnancy. The injection form is used only for severe illnesses; treatment in such cases is carried out in a hospital setting.

Acyclovir capsules and tablets during pregnancy should be taken with meals or on an empty stomach. It is best to take the drug with a glass of water. When taking the suspension, you should use special measuring spoons to accurately measure each dose. During treatment, you should drink enough water to avoid dehydration.

Oral dosage:

• For the treatment of primary genital herpes - 200 mg 5 times a day for 7-10 days.
• For the treatment of recurrent genital herpes - 400 mg three times a day for 3-5 days.
• For suppressive treatment of genital herpes - 400 mg twice daily.
• For the treatment of chickenpox - 800 mg 4 times a day for 5 days.
• For the treatment of herpes zoster - 800 mg 5 times a day for 7-10 days.

Instructions for using Acyclovir ointment during pregnancy indicate that it should be applied to areas affected by herpes 5 times a day. It is better to do this every 4 hours during the day - for example, at 7 am, and then at 11.00, 15.00, 19.00 and 23.00.

Acyclovir ointment should not be rubbed in during pregnancy as this may damage the blisters and spread the virus to neighboring areas. Before applying the ointment and afterward, wash your hands thoroughly and wipe them dry. Do not apply the drug to the oral or vaginal mucosa, or near the eyes, as it may irritate them.

Use during breastfeeding

In addition to the ability to freely penetrate the placenta, the active component of Acyclovir can also pass into breast milk. That is why the use of medication during the period of natural feeding of the baby should be agreed with the doctor.

Some doctors insist on stopping lactation during treatment of herpes. The best option is to use an individually selected dosage or completely eliminate the drug and continue breastfeeding.

Side effects

Like any medicine, Acyclovir can cause side effects.

Side effects from using the drug:

Acyclovir analogues that can be used during pregnancy

There are two analogues of Acyclovir that are used to treat herpes infections:

1. Valaciclovir.
2. Famciclovir.

Both of these drugs are allowed to be used by pregnant women.

According to scientific research, Acyclovir can be taken during pregnancy in both tablet and ointment form. In any case, you should strictly follow the doctor’s recommendations and under no circumstances prescribe treatment yourself.

The purpose of using Acyclovir during pregnancy is to prevent the development of neonatal herpes in the child. In this case, the potential benefits outweigh the risks of taking the drug.

Author: Taras Nevelichuk, doctor, especially for Mama66.ru

What is Acyclovir and when is it needed?

Acyclovir is an antiviral agent active against viruses: Herpes simplex (types 1 and 2), Varicella zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus. As for herpes simplex, it is effective in treating both mucous membrane and genital herpes.

Pharmacies sell many drugs, the active substance of which is the same. For example, the names Atsik, Atsik-oftal, Acyclovir-Acri, Acyclovir-BMS, Acyclovir-NS, Acyclovir Hexal, Acyclovir Stada International, Atsigerpin, Acycloguanosine, Acyclostad International, Vivorax, Virolex (Virolex), Gerpevir, Herpex, Herperax , Herpesin, Zovirax, Xorovir, Lisavir, Lovir, Milavir, Medovir, Supraviran, Cevirin, Cyclovax, Cycloviral Sedico, Cycloviran, Cyclovir and Citivir are synonyms.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely cure herpes. You can only suppress the infection by using Acyclovir, as well as increasing human immunity. However, the infection will remain in the body forever, periodically exacerbating as soon as the immune system weakens even a little. Pregnancy is a particularly common provoking factor for exacerbation of the dormant virus. However, the herpes virus is dangerous to the fetus only if it appears for the first time. In this case, there is a very high risk of intrauterine fetal death, miscarriage, congenital deformities, damage to the brain, liver, and other organs of the fetus. Those women who periodically encounter its manifestations on their bodies have already developed antibodies that can protect the baby.

Still, there are situations when a pregnant woman has to take Acyclovir drugs orally or treat the affected areas of the body with it (in the form of an ointment).