acyclovir

Thân thiện

A doctor prescribes acyclovir to a patient.

Definition

Noun: 1. An antiviral medication: Acyclovir is a synthetic nucleoside analogue drug used primarily to treat infections caused by herpes viruses, including herpes simplex and varicella-zoster. It works by inhibiting viral DNA replication. * Specific Medical Use: It is most commonly prescribed for the treatment of genital herpes, herpes labialis (cold sores), herpes zoster (shingles), and chickenpox. It alleviates symptoms, speeds healing, and can reduce the frequency of outbreaks but is not a cure for the underlying viral infection.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The doctor prescribed acyclovir to manage her recurrent genital herpes outbreaks.
  • Starting acyclovir at the first sign of a cold sore can shorten its duration.
  • Acyclovir is available in oral, topical, and intravenous formulations.

Advanced Usage

• Prophylactic Use: Acyclovir is often used as a suppressive therapy to prevent frequent recurrences of herpes simplex infections.
  • She takes a daily dose of acyclovir to prevent genital herpes outbreaks.
• Off-label Use: While primarily for herpes viruses, it may be used off-label in certain immunocompromised patients for other viral prophylaxis.
  • The transplant patient received acyclovir to prevent cytomegalovirus reactivation.

Variants and Related Words

• Valacyclovir (noun): A prodrug of acyclovir. It is converted into acyclovir in the body and often has better oral bioavailability.
  • Valacyclovir requires less frequent dosing than acyclovir.
• Antiviral (noun/adjective): A general term for a substance that acts against viruses. Acyclovir is a type of antiviral drug.
  • Acyclovir is a potent antiviral agent.

Synonyms

• Zovirax (noun): A common trade name for acyclovir.
  • The prescription was written for Zovirax, which contains acyclovir.
• Antiberpes agent (noun): A descriptive term for its specific function.

Notes on Meaning

• Symptom Relief vs. Cure: It is critical to understand that acyclovir controls and treats the symptoms of herpes virus infections but does not eradicate the latent virus from the body. The infection can recur after stopping medication.
• Mechanism of Action: Its specificity comes from being preferentially activated by viral thymidine kinase, making it more active in infected cells.

Học thuật

Noun

1. an oral antiviral drug (trade name Zovirax) used to treat genital herpes; does not cure the disease but relieves the symptoms

Từ đồng nghĩa

• zovirax