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Chickenpox - Management
What advice should I give to someone prescribed aciclovir?
- Advise people receiving high doses of aciclovir to maintain adequate hydration. This is particularly important if the person is elderly or has renal impairment.
- Aciclovir is excreted via the kidneys. Adequate hydration minimizes the risk of renal damage with high dose aciclovir treatment.
- Remind the person to take the aciclovir regularly at 4-hourly intervals during the day (with an 8 hour gap overnight):
- Suggested times are 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m., and 11 p.m.
- If these times are not suitable, aciclovir can be taken at different times, as long as the doses are spaced at least 4 hours apart.
- Reassure the person that oral aciclovir is generally well tolerated:
- Gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g. nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain) and skin rashes (including photosensitivity and urticaria) are the most common adverse effects.
[Ogilvie, 1998; Heininger and Seward, 2006; ABPI Medicines Compendium, 2007; BNF 54, 2007]
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