How to Help Your Patients Find HSV-1 Antivirals in Stock: A Provider's Guide

When patients can't find their HSV-1 antiviral medications, the burden often falls on your practice. Pharmacy calls, prior authorization requests, and prescription rewrites consume staff time that could be spent on clinical care. This guide offers practical workflows, patient communication scripts, and technology tools to help your patients locate their medications efficiently — without overwhelming your team.

Why Patients Call Your Office When They Can't Fill Their Prescription

When a pharmacy is out of stock of acyclovir or valacyclovir, patients are often confused about what to do next. Most don't know they can call other pharmacies or explore alternatives. They call your office because they trust you — but handling these calls reactively can create bottlenecks. Proactive patient education and clear practice protocols are the most efficient solution.

Tool 1: Refer Patients to medfinder

medfinder is a paid service that calls pharmacies near the patient's location to check which ones have their medication in stock. The patient enters their medication, dosage, and ZIP code — medfinder does the calling and texts results back. This works particularly well for patients on daily suppressive therapy who may not have the time or ability to call multiple pharmacies themselves. Learn more at medfinder.com/providers.

Workflow 1: Equip Staff with a Shortage Protocol

Create a simple written protocol for your front desk or medical assistants to follow when a patient calls about an out-of-stock medication. The protocol should include:

1. Confirm which medication is out of stock and whether the patient has tried calling other pharmacies
2. Direct the patient to medfinder or instruct them to try different pharmacy chains
3. If stock cannot be found, escalate to the prescribing provider for a therapeutic substitution prescription
4. If the substitution requires authorization, have a standing order template ready for the most common substitutions (acyclovir → valacyclovir, acyclovir → famciclovir)

Workflow 2: Proactive Patient Education at Point of Prescribing

The most efficient approach is to educate patients about shortage risks before they encounter one. When prescribing HSV-1 antivirals — especially acyclovir — consider:

• Mentioning at the time of prescribing: "Occasionally, individual pharmacies run out of acyclovir. If that happens, call us before running out and we can quickly send a prescription for valacyclovir instead."
• Consider prescribing a 90-day supply for stable patients on suppressive therapy, reducing refill frequency and shortage exposure
• If a patient is on acyclovir primarily for cost reasons and insurance covers valacyclovir, consider switching them proactively to reduce shortage vulnerability

Ready-to-Use Substitution Prescriptions

Having pre-drafted substitution prescription templates in your EHR for common HSV regimens can dramatically reduce staff time when patients encounter shortages. Suggested templates:

• Suppressive therapy: Valacyclovir 500 mg PO QD #90 tablets, 3 refills (equivalent to acyclovir 400 mg BID)
• Episodic therapy (recurrent herpes): Valacyclovir 500 mg PO BID x3 days #6 tablets (equivalent to acyclovir 400 mg TID x5 days)
• Herpes labialis: Valacyclovir 2g PO Q12h x1 day #4 tablets (equivalent to topical penciclovir for cold sores)

Special Considerations for High-Risk Patients

For patients with HSV keratitis or immunocompromised patients relying on oral antivirals for prophylaxis, ensure that:

• These patients are flagged in your EHR as high-priority for rapid substitution prescriptions
• Mail-order pharmacy options are discussed at every visit — a 90-day supply from a mail-order pharmacy dramatically reduces shortage risk for stable patients
• Renal function is reviewed before increasing doses or switching medications, particularly for elderly patients

Patient-Facing Script for After-Hours or Voicemail Instructions

Consider adding the following to your after-hours voicemail or patient portal messaging:

"If your pharmacy is out of stock of your herpes antiviral medication, try the following steps first: (1) Call or check medfinder.com to find a nearby pharmacy with your medication in stock. (2) Try a different pharmacy chain — CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and independent pharmacies often have different stock. (3) If you still can't find it, leave us a message and we'll send a prescription for an equivalent alternative medication."

The Bottom Line for Providers

Proactive planning — patient education at prescribing, EHR substitution templates, and staff shortage protocols — is the key to reducing the administrative burden of HSV-1 antiviral shortages on your practice. Directing patients to medfinder empowers them to find their own medication with minimal friction. For clinical guidance on managing the shortage itself, see our article on what providers need to know about the HSV-1 antiviral shortage in 2026.