A 30-year-old immunocompetent patient with labial herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) infection takes oral valacyclovir 2g twice daily for 1 day for a recurrence. This regimen is known as:

• A Suppressive therapy — continuous antiviral to prevent recurrences
• B Induction therapy — same as for genital herpes initial episode
• C Prophylactic therapy — prevents viral shedding without affecting lesion duration
• D Episodic single-day (1-day) therapy — aborts the recurrence if started at prodrome ✓

Explanation

Valacyclovir 2g twice daily for 1 day (Abreva regimen) is FDA-approved single-day episodic therapy for recurrent orolabial herpes — when started at the prodrome (tingling/itching before lesion appearance), it can abort lesion development or significantly shorten healing time. This differs from suppressive therapy (low-dose daily antiviral to reduce recurrence frequency in patients with frequent episodes) and standard episodic therapy (5 days). Early initiation during prodrome is essential for single-day therapy to be effective; initiation after vesicle formation reduces benefit.

Reference: Neena Khanna Illustrated Synopsis of Dermatology & STD, 6th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.