If you experience the symptoms of genital herpes, see the doctor to be tested. If you are diagnosed with genital herpes you can start taking medication that may reduce the impact of the disease on your life and help keep you from spreading it to others. Talk to the doctor if you recently had unprotected sex with a person who was experiencing an active outbreak of genital herpes. Acyclovir is approved to treat the symptoms of an initial herpes outbreak, while the effectiveness of famciclovir during an initial outbreak has not been established.