Aciclovir 200mg (25 Tablets)

Herpes Doctor Service

Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets contain a medicine called aciclovir. This belongs to a group of medicines called antivirals. It works by killing or stopping the growth of viruses.

Aciclovir Can Be Used To Treat:

• Cold sores, genital herpes and other herpes simplex infections
• Chickenpox and shingles
• Stop these problems in people whose immune system works less well, which means their bodies are less able to fight infections
• Stop these problems returning after you have had them

You can order Aciclovir online from our UK registered online pharmacy and doctor service. To see if you are suitable for this treatment, complete the online assessment and checkout. Our UK registered doctors will review the order and after approval pass the prescription to the Pharmacy team. We will then dispense and dispatch your order to your chosen address.

Cold sores are a common problem and some people find that certain things trigger a cold sore, such as another illness, sunshine or menstrual periods. 

Cold Sores Symptoms 

• A cold sore usually starts with a tingling, itching or burning feeling.
• Small fluid-filled blisters appear.
• The blisters can appear anywhere on the face.
• The blisters burst and crust over into a scab.

Cold sores are contagious from the moment you first feel tingling or other signs of a cold sore coming on to when the cold sore has completely healed.

Treatment

Cold sores usually clear up on their own within 10 days. But there are things you can do to help ease the pain.

• Creams to ease pain and irritation.
• Antiviral creams to speed up healing time.
• Liquid that you drink.
• Cold sore patches to protect the skin while it heals.
• It's sometimes given by injection, but this is usually only done in hospitals.
• Antiviral tablets.

Treatment Of Cold Sores & Genital Herpes With Aciclovir Tablets 

If your immune systems work less well and your body is less able to fight infections or your immune system is weakened (for example, if you have HIV or AIDS, or you have had a bone marrow transplant), talk to your doctor about the best type of Aciclovir for you. They may recommend tablets rather than cream.

The usual dose is one 200mg tablet taken 2 to 5 times a day.

• You should take Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets for five days, or longer if your doctor tells you to.
• You should space your dose by at least four hours. Suggested times are: 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm and 11pm.
• You can take aciclovir with or without food.

How To Help To Heal Cold Sores 

• Eat cool, soft foods.
• Wash your hands with soap and water before and after applying cream.
• Avoid anything that triggers your cold sores.
• Use sunblock lip balm (SPF 15 or above) if you're outside in the sun.
• Take paracetamol or ibuprofen to ease pain and swelling (liquid paracetamol is available for children) – do not give aspirin to children under 16.
• Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.

A good self care guide and information for cold sores is available on the NHS website.

NHS - Cold sores

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects although not everybody gets them.

Possible side effects

Serious side effects:
If any of the following happen, stop taking Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets and tell your doctor immediately or go to the casualty department at your nearest hospital.

• Allergic reactions (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people) - If you have an allergic reaction, stop taking Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets and see a doctor straight away.
• The signs may include: rash, itching or hives on your skin, swelling of your face, lips, tongue or other parts of your body, shortness of breath, wheezing or trouble breathing, collapse.

Other side effects include:
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)

• headache
• feeling dizzy
• feeling or being sick
• diarrhoea
• stomach pains
• rash
• skin reaction after exposure to light (photosensitivity)
• itching
• feeling tired
• unexplained fever (high temperature) and feeling faint, especially when standing up.

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)

• itchy, hive-like rash
• hair loss.

Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)

• effects on some blood and urine tests
• increases in the enzymes that work in the liver.

For a full list of side effects, please read the Patient Information Leaflet.

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, our Rightdose pharmacists or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet.

You can help to make medicines safer by reporting any side-effects to the Yellow Card Scheme at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.

Before taking any medication, it is important to read the Patient Information Leaflet. You can find information leaflets for your medicines by typing them into the search bar at medicines.org, or by contacting us.

Patient Information Leaflet Aciclovir 200mg Tablets

Children
Aciclovir tablets can be used mainly for the treatment of non-severe skin and mucous membrane herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections. Your child’s doctor will recommend Aciclovir for the treatment of neonatal HSV and severe HSV infection, if your child’s immune system is not working properly.

Other medicines and Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines. This includes medicines obtained without a prescription, including herbal medicines.

In particular, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any of the following medicines.

• probenecid, used to treat gout
• cimetidine, used to treat stomach ulcers
• mycophenolate mofetil, used to stop your body rejecting transplanted organs.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.

Driving and using machines
Some side effects such as feeling drowsy or sleepy may impair your ability to concentrate and react. Make sure you are not affected before you drive or operate machinery.

How to store Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets

• Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the blister and the carton. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
• Do not store above 25°C. Store in the original container.
• Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist
  how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.

Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.

How to take Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets

Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. The correct dose will be shown on the label which your pharmacist has placed on the container. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.

Taking this medicine

• You can take aciclovir with or without food.
• Take this medicine by mouth.
• Dissolve the tablet in a glass of water and stir before drinking.
• If you prefer, the tablet can also be swallowed whole with a little water.
• Start to take Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets as soon as possible.

The dose that you should take will depend on what you have been given Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets for. Your doctor will discuss this with you.

Treatment of cold sores and genital herpes

The usual dose is one 200 mg tablet taken five times a day.

• You should space your dose by at least four hours. Suggested times are: 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm and 11pm.
• You should take Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets for five days, or longer if your doctor tells you to.

Your doctor may adjust the dose of Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets if:

• it is for a child.
• you are over 65 years of age.
• you have kidney problems. If you have kidney problems, it is important to drink plenty of water while you are being treated with Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets.

Talk to your doctor before taking Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets if any of the above apply.

If you take more Aciclovir Tablets than you should
Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets are not usually harmful, unless you take too much over several days. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you take too much Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets. Take the medicine pack with you.

If you forget to take Aciclovir Tablets

• If you forget to take Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets, take it as soon as you remember. However, if it is nearly time for your next dose, skip the missed dose.
• Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.

For a full list of directions for shingles, chickenpox, please read the Patient Information Leaflet.

Do not take Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets:

• if you are allergic to aciclovir or valaciclovir or any of the other ingredients of this medicine.

Do not take Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets if the above applies to you. If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets.

Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before taking Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets

• if you have kidney problems
• if you are over 65 years of age.

It is important that you drink plenty of water while taking Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets.

Cold sores are very contagious. Don’t:

• do not kiss anyone while you have a cold sore
• do not share anything that comes into contact with a cold sore (such as cold sore creams, towels, cutlery or lipstick)
• do not have oral sex until your cold sore completely heals as you could give your partner genital herpes
• do not touch your cold sore (apart from applying cream) – if you do wash your hands
• do not rub cream into the cold sore – dab it on instead
• do not eat acidic or salty food if it makes your cold sore feel worse.

What Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets contain

The active substance is Aciclovir. Each tablet contains 200 mg of Aciclovir.

The other ingredients are: Magnesium stearate, Microcrystalline cellulose, Sodium starch glycolate, Pregelatinised starch and colloidal anhydrous silica.

What Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets look like and contents of the pack
Aciclovir 200 mg tablets are capsule shaped biconvex uncoated white to off-white tablets with "200” debossed on one side and “ACV” on the other side.

• Aciclovir Tablets are available in packs of 25, 60 and 100 tablets.
• Not all pack sizes may be marketed.