Ingredients to look for:

Active ingredients to look for are acyclovir, valacyclovir and famciclovir.  Suppressive antiviral tablets are available by prescription only. 

BENEFITS of Prescription tablets:

• Can be helpful if the outbreaks are severe or happen often, such as 6 times or more a year
• May help to prevent another outbreak happening if taken daily
• If taken within a few hours after the first tingle they may help to prevent the sore developing
• Clinically proven to help reduce herpes viral shedding, so really helpful if you are in a relationship and concerned about passing the virus on
• Serious side effects are rare, most people don’t experience much of a problem on these medications

DISADVANTAGES of Prescription tablets:

• Usually only work when taken within the first 72 hours of feeling symptoms
• Generally not effective once a cold sore or herpes blisters has developed
• Can occasionally cause side effects, some not so serious like nausea, headache and diarrhea, others a bit more concerning like depression
• Available by prescription only – good in terms of safety and guidance but adds that extra inconvenience
• Can sometimes be ridiculously expensive, especially if not covered by insurance and taking it regularly