VALTREX - Have you tried it?

[Yoshi2me]

Valtrex Comments

Angela

[Yoshi2me]

I talk about this a lot in my Herpes Bio.

Anybody else have something to say about Valtrex?

Angela

[JHope144]

Valtrex is good stuff! I took it just when I thought i was having an OB and seems like the OB never got quite going.. I might have seen lesions but i dont know it well enough.. Either way it definately prevented me from having a bad outbreak like i did the first time.. I am happy with it and thankful that I have access to it.. Also if anyone needs a break on the money they can go to the www.valtrex.com and print out $10 off coupons, you can get up to one a month for prescriptions..

[Yoshi2me]

The other GREAT thing about Valtrex is that it's actually clinically proven to treat genital herpes, suppress genital herpes AND reduce transmission to an uninfected partner by 50%. Add condoms to THAT and you can't go wrong.

Angela

[JHope144]

Yes I agree.. Condoms are important especially since you dont know if a man has HPV or not also.. Everyone should just use them.. But they need to come up with a better female kind.. or they should give condoms skirts or something to better protect our whole area down there..

[libra76]

I have had herpes for over 11 years now and I almost always have at least one outbreak just before I start my period every month. I have used Valtrex periodically for years and it does seem to work fairly well for quicker healing/relief and suppression but I have found that it makes me very emotional and I seem to have an extremely low frustration tolerance when I am taking it. I have broken down and cried at work several times while on it and have almost quit my job because of how badly I felt emotionally. I thought it was stress from my job but I definitely handle the same amount of stress much better when I am not taking Valtrex. It is not worth it to me to take Valtex. I just handle the pain in stride - it is usually only a few days. If it is extremely uncomfortable I dab on some pain relieving antiseptic first aid balm (main ingredient: Camphor) from the drug store which helps a lot - and even seems to be safe to use near internal areas.

[Yoshi2me]

Have you thought about discussing this w/your doctor because what you are describing sounds like depression to me. I don't think Valtrex has any hand in depression.

I know about this because I struggle with depression day in and day out. The only time I am in trouble is if I forget to take my antidepressant. I'm hoping to eventually be able to stop those but then again, I may not be able to.

Talk to your doctor about all of this, it can't hurt.

[Dave]

Well I have had Hsv 1 for about 7 years now, unfortunately for me I seem to have a low tolerance for it, seeing as i get outbreaks quite often. Right now i am on valtrex, for about 10 months or so, taking one a day, i've actually started taking 2 a day (3 months now) Seeing as one a day did practically nothing for me, I've also been on aciclovir and Famvir and those also didn't help. So I know i'm in a pretty low percentage here but it doesn't work for me. Ohh and 'yes' i got tested for all the other STD's and i don't have any other.

[jojo55]

Dave,
How often is often?? Do you have then ever other week? How much dosage is your suppressive treatment?? 1 gram? 500mg?
I am so sorry to hear nothing it working for you! I also am on suppressive treatment and as far as I can tell its helping. But its only been a month... and i am a lttile gun shy, when I feel anything different "down there" I start taking more.
JoJo

[chazcat]

I have been using it now for about amonth and ahalf, I have been on suppressive therapy of 500mg/day for a couple of weeks and so far have managed to go 3 weeks without an OB (fingers crossed this continues). I was getting muscle and back pain which I thought was the Valtrex, but this has subsided. I am also having acupuncture and chinese herbal treatment, so maybe that helped a bit - but who knows. Other than that I don't get any side effects like nausea or headache on the suppressive dose even if I go out drinking (only once or twice when I was on 2g/day). So Far (touch wood) it has been a godsend for me and at least gives me hope that one day I may be able to have a normal relationship again and combined with condoms could reduce the risk of passing it on if the person is unaffected.

[Yoshi2me]

Well I have had Hsv 1 for about 7 years now, unfortunately for me I seem to have a low tolerance for it, seeing as i get outbreaks quite often. Right now i am on valtrex, for about 10 months or so, taking one a day, i've actually started taking 2 a day (3 months now) Seeing as one a day did practically nothing for me, I've also been on aciclovir and Famvir and those also didn't help. So I know i'm in a pretty low percentage here but it doesn't work for me. Ohh and 'yes' i got tested for all the other STD's and i don't have any other.

Maybe there is something else going on that has absolutely nothing to do with herpes. That's always a possibility you know... what did your doctor say about your experiences?

[Elizabeth]

Angela, I only recently had my very first outbreak. I started Valtrex about 2 days after I could no longer emotionally/physically tolerate my symptoms. I noticed IMMEDIATE relief, I'd say within 36 hours of taking the first 2 pills. I've been taking 2 pills a day for 6 days now and by day 4, I had no noticeable reminders that anything had even gone amiss with my body.

So I guess I'm a believer in the effectiveness of this drug.

[ticky_rms03]

So far, it's worked wonders for me. Hopefully it stays that way. I'm doing suppressive therapy right now...not sure if I will keep up with that forever. A bit apprehensive to change it now. One question....if I do stay on suppressive therapy, and an OB occurs...should I take an extra pill? Or stay on the regular dose? hhmm

[newly diagnosed]

It's great! When I first got it it was like a big anti-depressant because it changed my life. I do have some side-effects of dehydration/headaches but I hardly notice that now.

If I've thought I might be getting an OB, then I take a tablet in the evening as well as in the morning until I'm sure nothing is happening. My doctor said that was fine.

[Yoshi2me]

One question....if I do stay on suppressive therapy, and an OB occurs...should I take an extra pill? Or stay on the regular dose? hhmm

When I was on suppressive therapy I took 500mg daily. My doctor always prescribed them twice daily with lots of refills just in case I did get symptoms while I was on suppression.. that way if I needed to up it to 500mg twice daily I could do that without having to call it in.

I always just pop an extra one if I'm feeling slightly out-breakish.

[ticky_rms03]

That would be nice if they had given me extra..I just realized last night that I am out today....DAMN! lol

[Yoshi2me]

That would be nice if they had given me extra..I just realized last night that I am out today....DAMN! lol

If you are on suppressive therapy then they need to give you enough refills to last you for at least six months. I go to a doctor here in Omaha that gave me enough refills to last me for 1 year. All I had to do is tell him that's what I wanted and he was pretty cool with it.

If you're just taking the Valtrex to get you through outbreaks one at a time... you should still be able to get refills for that too. Just tell your doctor that you'd like to have a month's supply with refills for at least three months. Then you can get them and keep them and have them on hand without having to call the doctor every single time you have an outbreak.

[ticky_rms03]

Sounds good. Thanks!

[Yoshi2me]

So glad I could help!

[cadcubbie]

What about side effects?
Been taking Valtrex for a week now and I wake up with the most aweful sore thorat every morning. I read somewhere that sore throats were a side effect but I don't know if I can live with one for the rest of my life.
I combat them during the day with drinking plenty of fluids.

Any ideas?

[Yoshi2me]

What about side effects? There is a list of "possible" side effects that "might" be a problem for you that come with your antivirals when you pick those up from the pharmacy. Did you read through all of your paperwork?? Everybody is different so you can't really go on what everybody else says, ya know??

FYI, if you have a sore throat then you need to see your doctor. I don't think that Valtrex is causing your sore throat. You could actually have strep throat OR some sort of sinus mess going on. You won't know until you see your doctor.

[rhc]

hello.
during an ob you should take 2 pills at the time or one every 12 hrs? doctor was not specific just said 2 pills a day for 3 days... also do you know of any reputable online RX that may be cheaper (30pills $192 500mg at walmart).
Thank you..

[Yoshi2me]

RHC -- what do the instructions read on the pill bottle? Also, you can ask the pharmacist how that's going to work.

If you don't have any insurance you can always ask your doctor to switch your prescription to acyclovir which is just as good as Valtrex. It's much cheaper.

There are also patient assistance programs out there that will help you to qualify for free meds.

Has your doctor been able to help you with any of this? Try discussing it with the pharmacy as well AND please keep us posted, k?

Angela

[rhc]

hello, the bottle says 1 per day but the doc said 2 during outbrakes, but reading the posts it should be 1 @ 12 hrs.
Now for the news, I am positive for hsv2, the last test was positive.

[Yoshi2me]

hello, the bottle says 1 per day but the doc said 2 during outbrakes, but reading the posts it should be 1 @ 12 hrs.
Now for the news, I am positive for hsv2, the last test was positive.

It just depends on what the doctor prescribes to the pharmacy. If it's 500 mg pills and the doc is going with the GSK standards then it's probably 1 500 mg pill daily for suppressive therapy and 1 500 mg pill twice daily if there is an outbreak.

You just have to pick up the phone and ask questions.

[Chocolate]

HI I found out 4 days ago. The doctor did not give me any other option besides Valtrex....so I had it and I got ALL the side effects ( shaking, headache, nausea etc etc)..so my body rejected the medicine. What is the point of taking it if it does not kill the virus? I really appreciate the forum but I don't see much about homeopathic medicine, or alternative options. I have decided not to take Valtrex and try other alternatives first. If that does not work I will try Valtrex again.

What I am doing is: A homeopath is creating a drug for me (based on my personality,what I like and don;t like, my own symptoms etc) the drug will fortify my immune system and help me sleep and control my depression. I guess it will have very low dosis of the virus itself.. that is the concept of homeopathic medicine right?

Other things that I recommend for people that believe in self healing and natural medicine. This is what my homeopath recommended, Echinacea Supreme (for the immune system), St. John's Wort (Depression).Back flowers, you can buy this at Whole Foods. Acupuncturist stimulates your immune system. My acupuncturist gave me these pills ( Wild American Reishi) for the innmune system as well.

If after having all this treatment, eating healthy, going to yoga, controlling stress, etc I keep getting OB I guess I will try Valtrex again. Like I said my first OB was very weak, the side effects of Valtrex were worse than having the OB so what is the point of taking Valtrex?

I hope this helps if there is someone out there that would like to try alternative medicine.

Have a great day!!!!

[Yoshi2me]

HI I found out 4 days ago. The doctor did not give me any other option besides Valtrex....

Oh really? Were you aware that there are other clinically proven herpes antivirals OR did you even ask your doctor about it?

so I had it and I got ALL the side effects ( shaking, headache, nausea etc etc)..so my body rejected the medicine.

Is that what your doctor told you ... that your body was rejecting the antiviral OR was there something else going on in addition to having contracted herpes? Did you even ask your doctor OR have a follow-up or is this just what you've decided?

What is the point of taking it if it does not kill the virus?

If you don't want to take it that's up to you. You aren't going to shrivel up and die if you don't take a herpes antiviral. It's not as if your outbreak can't go away on it's own. Your outbreaks will go away all by themselves. It will just take longer and you'll have to sit through the pain and discomfort that sometimes outbreaks can cause. Go for it if that's what you want to do. Nobody said you HAVE to take Valtrex or any other clinically proven herpes antiviral.

I really appreciate the forum but I don't see much about homeopathic medicine, or alternative options. I have decided not to take Valtrex and try other alternatives first. If that does not work I will try Valtrex again.

Have you read through the entire section? It's why we put this forum together so that people can talk about alternatives as well as clinically proven herpes antivirals. If you don't see much about homeopathic stuff ... isn't that kind of your issue?

What I am doing is: A homeopath is creating a drug for me (based on my personality,what I like and don;t like, my own symptoms etc) the drug will fortify my immune system and help me sleep and control my depression. I guess it will have very low dosis of the virus itself.. that is the concept of homeopathic medicine right?

Oh so basically your saying that some guy (or gal) is going to mix something up for you and it will contain the herpes virus too? Seriously?

Other things that I recommend for people that believe in self healing and natural medicine. This is what my homeopath recommended, Echinacea Supreme (for the immune system), St. John's Wort (Depression).Back flowers, you can buy this at Whole Foods. Acupuncturist stimulates your immune system. My acupuncturist gave me these pills ( Wild American Reishi) for the innmune system as well.

It sounds to me like you just want to try all sorts of different things ... and that's fine. But don't discredit Valtrex because you don't believe in clinically proven antivirals. At least admit that you are more open to over the counter remedies than you are to stuff that doctors prescribe that have been clinically proven to treat what you went to the doctor for in the first place.

If after having all this treatment, eating healthy, going to yoga, controlling stress, etc I keep getting OB I guess I will try Valtrex again. Like I said my first OB was very weak, the side effects of Valtrex were worse than having the OB so what is the point of taking Valtrex?

How do you even know that the side effects that you were experiencing were from Valtrex in the first place? I love how you just assume that is the cause of your symptoms OR that everything is due in part to having herpes. It's not always about the herpes.

[Chocolate]

HI I found out 4 days ago. The doctor did not give me any other option besides Valtrex....

Oh really? Were you aware that there are other clinically proven herpes antivirals OR did you even ask your doctor about it?

HI I did not know about any other options. The doctor told me like if he was telling me that I have a cold!

so I had it and I got ALL the side effects ( shaking, headache, nausea etc etc)..so my body rejected the medicine.

Is that what your doctor told you ... that your body was rejecting the antiviral OR was there something else going on in addition to having contracted herpes? Did you even ask your doctor OR have a follow-up or is this just what you've decided? No the doctor told me that he could change the medicine to another one. In MY case the side effects of Valtrex are worse than what I feel with the OB itself so I decided not to take them.

What is the point of taking it if it does not kill the virus?

If you don't want to take it that's up to you. You aren't going to shrivel up and die if you don't take a herpes antiviral. It's not as if your outbreak can't go away on it's own. Your outbreaks will go away all by themselves. It will just take longer and you'll have to sit through the pain and discomfort that sometimes outbreaks can cause. Go for it if that's what you want to do. Nobody said you HAVE to take Valtrex or any other clinically proven herpes antiviral. Again in my case the first OB was not painful at all.. if in the future it hurts or if the OB are recurrent I might consider taking Valtrex again.

I really appreciate the forum but I don't see much about homeopathic medicine, or alternative options. I have decided not to take Valtrex and try other alternatives first. If that does not work I will try Valtrex again.

Have you read through the entire section? It's why we put this forum together so that people can talk about alternatives as well as clinically proven herpes antivirals. If you don't see much about homeopathic stuff ... isn't that kind of your issue?

What I am doing is: A homeopath is creating a drug for me (based on my personality,what I like and don;t like, my own symptoms etc) the drug will fortify my immune system and help me sleep and control my depression. I guess it will have very low dosis of the virus itself.. that is the concept of homeopathic medicine right?

Oh so basically your saying that some guy (or gal) is going to mix something up for you and it will contain the herpes virus too? Seriously? . Well my Homeopath studied traditional medicine and then alternative medicine or Homeopathy...The principle of Homeopathy is: similar (or "like cures like"). More information here: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/homeopathy/. From what I was reading, the herpes virus lives protected by the Nervous system cells. This is why they have not found the cure yet. The cure is on us, controlled by our emotions and ways to handle things to prevent recurrent OB. Is there a cure for anger, depression, fear? No just medicine to stabilize your emotions so I think that by keeping my stress levels controlled, healthy life, yoga, acupuncture etc I will be able to control the OB without taking Valtrex ( the side effects were SO bad that you can't imagine) although I understand that it is not the same for everybody.

Other things that I recommend for people that believe in self healing and natural medicine. This is what my homeopath recommended, Echinacea Supreme (for the immune system), St. John's Wort (Depression).Back flowers, you can buy this at Whole Foods. Acupuncturist stimulates your immune system. My acupuncturist gave me these pills ( Wild American Reishi) for the innmune system as well.

It sounds to me like you just want to try all sorts of different things ... and that's fine. But don't discredit Valtrex because you don't believe in clinically proven antivirals. At least admit that you are more open to over the counter remedies than you are to stuff that doctors prescribe that have been clinically proven to treat what you went to the doctor for in the first place. Yes this is true I admit that I am against prescriptions! I prefer natural medicine with no chemicals.

If after having all this treatment, eating healthy, going to yoga, controlling stress, etc I keep getting OB I guess I will try Valtrex again. Like I said my first OB was very weak, the side effects of Valtrex were worse than having the OB so what is the point of taking Valtrex?

How do you even know that the side effects that you were experiencing were from Valtrex in the first place? I love how you just assume that is the cause of your symptoms OR that everything is due in part to having herpes. It's not always about the herpes.

. My side effects were headache, abdominal pain, fever, I started shaking and my mouth was very very dry. My sympthoms from depression are totally different ( crying, difficulty to sleep, confusion etc etc, although this is fine with me now... I am mourning and I think we should allow our selves to feel the pain and consciously think about what happened to be able to process it. This for a couple weeks only! And then move on and keep going.

Byeee :)

[Yoshi2me]

Yes, you are definitely in the mourning stage. I hope you feel better soon.

[cynfull]

I had some serious side effect problems with Valtrex and have therefore stopped taking it. I would like to hear from others who have had similar problems.

Regarding my HSV2, Valtrex worked wonderfully -- no outbreaks while taking 500/mg per day, everyday, for 3 months.

Side effects: weight gain (20 pounds in 3 months despite eating less and exercising more), headaches, depression, constipation

After speaking with my doctor and going through numerous tests, specialists, doctors visits, thyroid screening, etc., my doctor and I decided that I would stop taking VALTREX to see if my symptoms improve. I just stopped 2 days ago.

Has anyone else had problems tolerating Valtrex or with any of the side effects I mentioned?

Thanks.