Medication	Dosage	Average cost (generic)*
Acyclovir (Zovirax)†	800 mg orally five times daily for 7 to 10 days 10 mg per kg IV every 8 hours for 7 to 10 days‡	$174 to 248 (129 to 200)
Famciclovir (Famvir)†	500 mg orally three times daily for 7 days	140
Valacyclovir (Valtrex)†	1,000 mg orally three times daily for 7 days	84
Prednisone (Deltasone)	30 mg orally twice daily on days 1 through 7; then 15 mg twice daily on days 8 through 14; then 7.5 mg twice daily on days 15 through 21	2 (2 to 4) for days 1 through 7 2 (1 to 3) for days 8 through 14 1 (1 to 2) for days 15 to 21