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Herpes suppression guide

Herpes suppression and episodic treatment online in Virginia and West Virginia

This guide is for adults whose herpes (HSV) was previously diagnosed by a clinician and who want daily suppressive therapy or a short course for a typical genital recurrence. First-ever outbreaks, eye symptoms, pregnancy, and weakened immune systems need in-person care instead.

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Start a $59 online review for Herpes suppression.

Recurrent herpes is one of the most protocol-driven conditions in medicine, which makes follow-up treatment a good fit for online care — once the diagnosis is already established. After confirming a prior clinician diagnosis and running a safety screen (eye symptoms, immune status, kidney function, pregnancy), the physician can prescribe daily suppression — which reduces outbreaks and roughly halves the risk of transmission to a partner — or a short course to treat a typical genital recurrence early. Valacyclovir is the default; acyclovir is the lower-cost alternative. Suppression fills cover 90 days with a short check-in before every refill, and a full re-evaluation at least every 12 months includes discussing a trial off suppression.

If treatment is appropriate, your physician can send a non-controlled prescription to your pharmacy and provide portal instructions for the next step.

Start this visitSee response windows

Quick facts

  • You must be physically in Virginia and West Virginia at the time of request
  • Starts at $59
  • No insurance needed
  • No app download
  • Physician review around the clock
  • Non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy when appropriate
  • A work or school note can be included when medically appropriate
  • Response windows: 24/7, every day

Common symptoms

  • Recurrent outbreaks in the same area that feel like your prior episodes
  • Tingling or burning before sores appear (prodrome)
  • Wanting fewer outbreaks or lower transmission risk with a new partner
  • Restarting a suppression medication that worked before

May fit online care

  • Adults 18 and older
  • Herpes previously diagnosed by a clinician (swab, blood test, or exam)
  • Outbreaks that follow your usual, recognizable pattern
  • No eye symptoms, fever with severe headache, or widespread blisters
  • Healthy immune system, healthy kidneys, and not pregnant or trying to conceive

Look for another care setting

  • A first-ever outbreak, or herpes that was never formally diagnosed — that always needs an in-person exam with swab (PCR) testing and STI/HIV screening
  • Any eye pain, redness, light sensitivity, vision change, or sores near the eye — emergency eye care today
  • Weakened immune system, known kidney disease or dialysis, pregnancy, or trying to conceive
  • A single active cold sore flare on the lip — use the Cold sores guide (/conditions/cold-sore-treatment-online-virginia) and lane for that instead

What to have ready

  • Who diagnosed your herpes, roughly when, and how it was confirmed
  • How many outbreaks you have had in the last 12 months
  • Which antiviral you have taken before and how it went
  • If you are 65 or older: a creatinine or eGFR result from the last 12 months

What happens next

Standard

$59

Within 6 hours

Priority

$99

Within 3 hours

Rush

$149

Within 1 hour

Start the request on the website, answer the fit questions, and choose the response window you want. If the concern still fits this service, a physician reviews it and sends a secure update after sign-in. When appropriate, non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy, and a basic work or school note can be included at physician discretion.

Why does a first-ever outbreak have to be seen in person?

A first episode needs swab (PCR) testing to confirm the diagnosis, usually along with STI and HIV screening — several conditions, including syphilis, can look like herpes and are treated completely differently. First episodes also carry the highest counseling stakes, so this lane always refers them to in-person or STI-clinic care rather than guessing.

How is this different from the cold-sores option?

The Cold sores lane treats a single active orolabial flare — a typical cold sore on the lip. This lane owns ongoing care: daily suppression (for oral or genital herpes) and short courses for genital recurrences in someone already diagnosed. If you just have a cold sore starting on your lip today, start from the Cold sores guide at /conditions/cold-sore-treatment-online-virginia instead.

Does daily suppression stop me from spreading herpes?

It helps a lot but is not absolute: daily valacyclovir roughly halves the risk of transmitting genital herpes to a partner. Disclosure to partners, condoms, and avoiding sex during outbreaks or warning symptoms (tingling, burning) remain part of the plan, and the physician includes a written STI/HIV screening recommendation with every approval.

Which medications are prescribed, and for how long?

Valacyclovir is the default — 500 mg daily for suppression, moving to 1 g daily only when outbreaks number ten or more per year — and acyclovir 400 mg twice daily is the lower-cost alternative. Episodic genital courses are valacyclovir 500 mg twice daily for 3 days or acyclovir 800 mg twice daily for 5 days. Suppression fills cover 90 days with no automatic refills: a short secure-message check-in gates every refill, and a full re-evaluation at least every 12 months includes discussing a trial off suppression.

Why do the questions ask about my kidneys?

Valacyclovir and acyclovir are cleared by the kidneys, and wrong dosing can injure them or cause confusion. Known kidney disease or dialysis means in-person dosing instead, and patients 65 and older need a creatinine or eGFR blood-test result from the last 12 months before this lane can prescribe. Every fill also comes with hydration counseling.

Can I get a standby course to keep on hand?

Yes — one episodic course per approved request, with no automatic refills. Starting treatment within 24 hours of the first tingling or sore is what makes episodic therapy work, so having one course ready is reasonable. The next request re-asks about your outbreak frequency and how the last course was used, and frequent outbreaks usually mean suppression is the better plan.