It is true that taking some medications can help lower the risk of passing herpes to your partner, but there is still a chance you could infect your partner. Using condoms and other latex barriers during oral, anal, or penile-vaginal sex will help lower the chances even more.

Certain medications used for treating herpes outbreaks can also help to reduce viral shedding (when the virus is present on the surface of the skin and could be passed through skin-to-skin contact, usually through oral, anal, or penile-vaginal sex).

Sometimes a person has symptoms—such as blisters, itching, or a tingling sensation—when they are shedding but there are a few days each year when the virus is shed with no signs or symptoms. Certain medications can reduce this shedding significantly. While there are no guarantees, taking these medications and also using condoms and other latex barriers every time you have oral, anal, or penile-vaginal sex is a good way to help prevent passing the virus to your partner.