User Reviews for Valtrex oral

This is my third bout with shingles. I took Valtrex once before and tolerated it well, but this time I have the most brutal headache. Like I can barely walk, the pain is so bad I want to cry, headache. It has also made me very dizzy at times but not bad. It's the headache, it's awful. I have only taken 2 1/2 pills (each 1000mg) -- I took the 1/2 pill thinking it might cause less side effects, but the headache is just as bad. I took 2 Excedrin for the pain but that only helped for a few hours, then it came back strong. I was well hydrated, so dehydration wasn't the cause. I'll be stopping my treatment even though it was doing a lot for my Shingles pain. Too bad.Read More Read Less

I have been prescribed Valtrex since early 2018. My dosage is 1000mg three times a day. No adverse side effects have occured. In 1977, a small piece of shrapnel struck my right eye. Prompt medical care saved my Right eye. A few months later I had my first conjunctivitis (pink eye) outbreak. It occured in my "damaged" Right eye. Bacterial Conjunctivitis was diagnosed with treatment. Infections became routine events. Initially, mild outbreaks occured twice a year. By 2018, I was suffering 10 outbreaks a year in my Right eye. Right Eye infections became more severe and lasted longer. In 2018, my new Opthalmologist diagnosed Herpes Keratitis (HSV type 1), not Bacterial Conjunctivitis. The HSV infection likely occured (accidently) in 1997, from a medical First Responder. While saving my Right eye (a very good thing), I was infected. Forty years of Viral Conjunctivitis severely damaged my Right eye's Cornea, leaving a large Dendritic Corneal Ulcer. Laser PTK, in 2018, removed the Ulcer. Valtrex was prescribed (in addition to a strong antiviral salve). My infection cleared after three weeks. This outbreak had lasted four weeks. Initial Valtrex dosage was 1000mg three times times a day for three months. This Valtrex therapy has continued to this day. I have had ONE Conjunctivitis outbreak since starting Valtrex. It occured during a major respiratory infection. Valtrex is an AMAZING medicine.Read More Read Less

Rarely, post reviews but had to share in case this encourages someone else in a similar situation. I’ve had 4 cold sores in my lifetime and didn’t get my first until i was in my 30s. I’ve always managed them at home with remedies such as abreva, tee tree oil, calamine lotion, but when i felt the tingling sensation my heart sank and I knew it was gonna be a miserable 7-10days. I will say that using the Moderna patches with tee tree oil helped my symptoms the last time i got a cold sore but this time i opted for a prescription and I’m so glad i did. Literally woke to tingling yesterday. Got a Rx by 10am. Took 2 grams every twelve hrs. Only applied tee tree oil (straight concentration) and calamine lotion and today my swelling is gone. The bumps are absorbed into my skin. No oozing, no crusting, no scabbing or bleeding. Nothing! Two days and my cold sores are almost fully gone, bypassing most of the lifecycle. Highly recommend. Wish i had done this sooner Read More Read Less

Shingles rash started Thursday morning. Prescribed Valtrex Thursday evening and started 1000mg at 3x a day. Very little pain but itching was horrible. Now Saturday night and still no pain and rash/blisters haven't spread but now covered in what appears to be a heat rash all over. Took benedryl and waiting to go to a clinic in the morning. Apparently a rash isn't a common side effect so it's either the Valtrex or the tylenol. With the exception of this "heat rash" I'm thrilled I have no pain and blisters aren't spreadingRead More Read Less

Instead of limiting and killing the Herpes Virus it accelerated it. I went from one cold sore on my lower lip to my entire face being covered in 45 cold sores with #s increasing daily until discontinuance of the Valtrex. Very strange reaction but it is not unique in the literature although my physician had not heard of it prior to that research and experience with my symptoms.

Symptoms are slowly but surely getting better. wish it could be faster. Almost on day 4 I have to sit in tub to stop the pain and burning from urination. I also have an ice pack and Tylenol which helps with pin and needles pain. I'm still very much sore in guessing that will go away once the blisters heal but today is just day 4 so I guess I have a few more days. This is my initial outbreak and I have read it was the worse. Side effects (Nightmares Headaches, Dry Skin) Those are just the really noticeable symptoms. But the good it will do is worth it. I also drink plenty of water cause it will dilute my urine. Haven't been able to go to work cause I can't walk and I am not comfortable peeing outside of the tub. Major downside is that I live in that damn tub and bedroom. Hoping by the end of the week I can pee without going inside the water in the tub Read More Read Less

This is my 3rd day on valtrex for hSV2 and I started experiencing symptoms Friday such as soreness itchiness and what felt like razor burns. I went to the ER that Sunday because I felt I may have been exposed to an STD because I experienced Chlamydia before and similar symptoms. So after visual examination I was prescribed valtrex 1g 2x a day and I have been on it since Sunday. It is now Tuesday and I still have soreness and can barely walk. The meds are working slowly but surely. Urinating have been painful and I have been sitting in room temp water and peeing to soothe pain. The pain from peeing is going away slowly as long as I sit in tub. If anything changes I will be giving another review. But I'm still sore in my genital area and still have blisters and it's uncomfortable to walk. Pin and needle feeling in my vaginal lips when I walk also. This disease came from a guy I trusted who claims he doesn't have it and I only been with him sexually. Honestly I have been having crying episodes and have to plan out my future to see where my life is headed from this disease but I will be okay. Take care everyone and be safe even if you have the virus. Read More Read Less

Very good and effective with no side effect

The medicine is very effective and has no side effect

I've had the cold sores all my life. Then it spread to my sinus, and then genitals. Got to where it would last 2 months, hopscotching. And while there are things to apply on the outside, a sinus sore can stop you in your tracks for a week, at the least. I was overjoyed to take this. Changed my life. And then they came back, just enough to be noticed, though. Increased dosage... Great for does, but side effects were enough for me to drop back to original 100mg. Now I don't know what to do. Will be seeing my Dr again soon. Hope I find answers! Read More Read Less

First use started on hospital thru IV for viral (HSV 6) encephalitis six months ago, w/tablet form at home following 10 day stay. Had Lyme-related infections after tick bite ~8 yrs ago. Dx with CFS/ME and fibro ~30 yrs ago. My immune system is constantly stressed. Just now on 2nd day of Valtrex generic (500mg/day for 7 days) due to severe relapse of norovirus I've dealt with for about ~16 yrs. After sev days unable to keep even ice chips dow, severe nausea, chills, Valtrex gave me a quick improvement. As in hospital, it gives me a H/A with first dose then subsides. But the nasty diarrhea also dev with first dose and based on prior experience, it will not subside until a day or two when finished with course. Feeling human again though is worth it. Pill form is easy to swallow, it's staying close to toilet that got it less than 5 stars. Also not crazy about the navy blue color! Certainly has been effective for me. Read More Read Less

double vision

I had to take this 10 days before my last Chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. I was getting Cytoxin and Taxotere for treatment. The Valtrex worked quickly for the shingles but 4 days after starting it I started having horrible leg pains that felt like over used muscles and circulation combined. I had some edema in my legs also that wasn't severe and would subside and come back. It eventually went into my arms also and torso within a month. It was horribly painful to move. Stretching was out of the question, that was agonizing! It is now 2 months later and it has finally started to subside although not completely gone. Doctors were baffled at the cause but I think it was a combination with the chemotherapy drugs???Read More Read Less

Diagnosed with shingles for first time yesterday and took first dose of valtrex as well. Treatment is 3 pills/day x 7 days. So far so good. I highly suggest drinking two medium size cups of water and have a meal BEFORE taking valtrex. This may reduce headaches and nausea. Got a little dizzy with first dose, but it only lasted a few minutes. I noticed reduction of vesicles the next day. Pain level reduced significantly. Ease of use low because my gag reflex is sensitive as pill is huge, but you can cut in half. I also took 600mg ibuprofen along with 650mg Tylenol to help pain. Good luck!Read More Read Less

I've gotten cold sores a couple times a year ever since I was a child. Until now, my plan of attack has always been Abreva and lysine, but even then, they'd last at least a week and often as long as 10 days to two weeks before completely resolving. I woke up yesterday morning with that familiar tingle on my lower lip and took two Valacyclovir tablets with breakfast, then two more 12 hours later, and two more again the following morning. I still broke out with two small fever blisters and they are still sensitive, but they are much smaller in size than usual, and seem well on their way to healing MUCH more quickly than they would be otherwise. No side effects that I've noticed. I anticipate maybe a three-day episode, as opposed to the much longer ones I'm used to! For that reason --- I would definitely take this drug again! Anything that shortens these horrible fever blisters in duration and severity is awesome in my book! Read More Read Less

HSV2 for over 41 yrs. Get this: when discovered my Primary Care doc said the only treatment is painting the affected area with yellow dye and exposing it to lightbulb... boy have things gotten better. He did correctly state I have it for life. I began using acyclovir less than 2 yrs ago (3 pills every day for 7 days from initial outbreak symptoms) and I continued to get monthly outbreaks.. which moved from genitals to anal area (not a anal play guy so go figure). Told current PCP and he put me on 500mg Valtrex/Valacyclovir daily, and no breakouts since (except for one time I was out of town and missed three daily doses and got one little itchy, blistery area). So this has really worked for me. Read More Read Less

I was diagnosed with shingles. Doctor prescribed Valtrex and it took away the pain . I didn't have much itching but it seemed to help overall.

I'm an adult who just got the chickenpox. I was dreading the news as I've heard horror stories from other adults who got the pox and became very sick. But after being prescribed this medication, new spots stopped appearing, and I didn't feel like I was going to die as other adults who get the chicken pox do. My outbreak of chickenpox has been mild and I shudder to think how worse it could have been if I didn't have this drug. It was expensive here (Japan) but totally worth it, even though I still had to take a week off work due to being contagious, and still felt generally unwell, but it definitely protected me from the worst of the disease.Read More Read Less

I found out I had herpes about 5 days after the episode started. But trust me, there was no end in sight. It was terrible. I had 102F fever and felt rundown the whole time. I was tested and found out that I have HSV1 (down there) This is somewhat better news as there are not as many reoccurrences with HSV1 in the genital area. I was given 1000mg Valtrex to take and within the first 2 days my sores started drying and closing. It has now been one week and I can barely tell they were there. I wouldn't choose a different route for viral suppression. Read More Read Less

I have delt with Shingles for 5 years and last year I was told Valtrax would assist in the duration of my Shingles outbreaks. (I also take 75mg Lyrica) I take 1 pill every 8 hours for 4 days. I would say without medication my symptoms last 1-10 days. With the medication it lasts from 1-5 days which makes a big difference when you are in pain. **It does not remove pain but reduce the duration of the Shingles**