Drug Ratings for VALTREXAverage Rating: 3.4 (468 Ratings)
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Results are sorted by Satisfaction from lowest to highest Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR VALTREX | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 1 | Genital herpes | I was ok for the first few years and had continual outbreaks however in the last six months developed severe fatigue.. Can't stop sleeping, migraines, rashes and depression The generic brands are not the same! Symptoms were worse on the original brand I'm going to stop taking this tomorrow | F | 33 | 6 years 500mg | 4/18/2013 | 1 | hsv type 2 on genitals | Since starting taking valtex ive had liver pain, kidney pain, headaches, dizzyness, elevated liver enzymes and currently waiting on kidney tests to come back. This stuff is a night mare. It works well at first with little to no side effects but now it seems I have all the side effects and then some. Dont even get me started on the massive hair loss from this stuff. | M | 26 | 5 years 1 gram dai | 4/12/2013 | 1 | Hsv-1 (I think) | I've been taking it since Sunday morning, I took 2 doses Sunday, Monday, one on Tuesday and by Tues evening had red spots all over, itching everywhere. In addition to the burning with urination and ongoing pain to my genital region. This entire thing started on Friday/Saturday -1 week after having unprotected oral/vaginal sex with my boyfriend for the first time. He's had cold sores in his lifetime but none recently. I've never had a single problem ever. I went to the walk-in, they took swabs of some of the lesions and a urine sample. It's now Wednesday morning and I still don't know for sure what I have. I was also put on Doxycycline as an antibiotic which caused me to vomit. So now I can't take anything to try and rid myself of this horrible pain. And I'm getting no answers. And my doctor's office wasn't able to get me an appointment until tomorrow. I am miserable and angry and upset. What's worse is he also has spots around the base of the shaft and is on the Valtrex too. Hoping he doesn't have any allergic reactions. Ready to throw in the towel on my life. I don't know anything, I can't take anything for what we think this is, I'm in pain.... Seriously. Any ideas or help. I'm about to go and pick up Lysine and garlic supplements | F | 36 | 5 days 1 G, 2xD | 4/10/2013 | 1 | possible herpes... precautionary??? | Nausea, dizziness, dry mouth, frequent urination, foggy brain, stomach cramps, shaking, noise and heat sensitive, depressed.... and this was the first few hours after taking it... | F | 38 | 1 days 1g | 12/26/2012 | 1 | Shingles | (Valacyclovir) Worst side effects I've ever had on any drug. Extreme fatique, slept 20 hours/day, stomach pains, sweating, nightmares, dizzy and disoriented. Stopped taking after 3 days and felt great, then side effects began immediately after starting again 24 hours later. | M | 57 | 4 days 1000mg 3/d | 9/2/2012 | 1 | Herpes 1/2 | Tingly sharp pain in legs/thighs, abdominal pain, gas, I've gained 4-5 pounds in 2 weeks, and insomnia. | I had posted on 4/12/12 and I'm updating about Valacyclovir. After my episode with taking it on April 2012 I stopped due to the side effects. I was on other meds as well at the time. Now at the beginning of August I thought I would give it a try again even though when I took it before it didn't stop the OB. Now I've stopped taking it again because it just doesn't work for me. It seems like I have more OB and symptoms on Valacyclovir than off of it. My stomach has been in severe pain, it has caused a change in my period and these pains in my legs and thighs are just unbearable. I haven't been able to get much sleep either since I've started taking this medicine again and I'm not taking anything else right now, so I know that Valacyclovir is the cause. There has to be something else besides this drug | F | 32 | 19 days 1000 2X D | 8/30/2012 | 1 | Shingles | Extreme fatigue,muscle weakness,decreased urination . I believe I was misdiagnosed (never had a rash or other symptoms of shingles)!and should never have taken this drug due to unknown to me mild renal insufficiency. Later diagnosed with a kidney infection and was then told an earlier urinalysis revealed mild renal insufficiency. I have had decreased urination since taking this drug in spite of drinking 80 to 100 ounces of water daily as I have done for a very long time. | If a drug has FDA approval, look out These guys will do anything for a buck. Their credibility is in question with me. | F | 71 | 10 days 1000 mg 2X D | 8/18/2012 | 1 | Shingles | Very itchy rash began on 3rd day on Valacyclovir--generic for Valtrex. Treatment began on 7/6/12. Rash located from my shoulders, all around my trunk, to tops of my thighs. At first, I didn't realize the rash was from the Valtrex, so I took the full 5-day course. Dermatologist prescribed Pramasone, a topical ointment, for itching, but it didn't help. Itching stopped after about a week, and rash is fading, but it's been 4 weeks since the rash erupted, and my skin is still blotchy. | F | 71 | 5 days 1GM 3X D | 8/4/2012 | 1 | Shingles | Itching, abdominal pain and stiff neck. | I called my Dr. when the itching and the abdominal pain started and of course he told me to start with the trusted Benadryl. He thought if I could make it through the first few days I'd get to feeling better. Day three I wake up with a headache and stiff neck. Being the rational, level headed mother of five that I am, I automatically assume I'm dieing of menigitis and my Dr. misdiagnosed me. Before dialing 911, I update my will, then read the side effects packet insert given to me by the pharmacist. Instead of 911 I called the Pharmacy which suggested I stop the medicine. I will not be taking it again. The side effects appear to be worse then the actual disease. | F | 48 | 5 days 500 mg 3X D | 7/16/2012 | 1 | Thought I had genital herpes | I started taking valtrex in October because I had blisters on vulva area. I had 3 culture swabs that were negative but tested positive for HSV 1. So the doctors put me on valtrex, well I never had it. I have a skin dermatitis, they finally did a biopsy. I hated being on the medicine. Felt depressed, agitated, bloated. The worst though has been since I stopped the medicine. I have been off the medicine for two weeks and I've had horrible anxiety. I am so glad I am off and hope to feel better soon. | F | 34 | 6 months 1000 | 4/14/2012 | 1 | Canker Sores | I am currently on my period and took a Valtrex in order to eliminate the canker sores in my mouth. I woke up in the middle of the night with a horrible stomach and and awful backaches and cramps. I felt nauseous, and tried to go back to sleep. I woke up, still felt terrible, and vomited. I will not be taking the pill again. | F | 17 | 1 days 2000 1X D | 4/13/2012 | 1 | Persistant Viral Infection | I felt horrible the entire time I was on this medication. I was on a generic version of the drug "Ranbaxy valacyclovir" 500mg. Seems to be the only generic stores stock around here. | Felt sick when I was on the drug. I have been off the drug for several months now and I still feel quite ill. Caused muscle pains, GI problems that got worse and worse (felt like I was trying to digest a rock), messed up my sleep very badly! Surprised no one else seems to be mentioning Insomnia from this drug as a common side effect. But the terrible stomach pain is the most pronouned side effect. FYI: There is an antiviral drug called Famvir, also generic, which you may want to inquire about if you can't take valtrex, it is also supposed to work for similar conditions. Sadly, Famvir made me sick also! Any new antivirals coming on the market that don't have such horrible side effects? When the "cure" is worse than the disease.......what to do? Also, even though they are both generic both valtrex and famvir are very very expensive! Hundreds or thousands a month! | F | 31 | 3 months 500 3X D | 4/12/2012 | 1 | GH 1/2 | Tingling feeling throughout my body, pain in arms and legs. | I'm confused about this medication. I am new to taking this and just found out about a month ago that I had gh 2 . I've been taking this for about 30 days and have missed probably 3-4 pills. I've noticed since taking this medicine this weird tingling feeling throughout my body, it doesn't hurt but it's really weird and it makes me feel like I'm going to have an outbreak but I don't. My arms are starting to ache and I really just don't feel like myself. I'm really scared because once again I am new to this and I'm not sure if I should be feeling this way. If anyone else is experiencing this, please contact me. | F | 32 | 30 days 500 1X D | 4/10/2012 | 1 | Bells Palsy from recent HPV | Severe depression, lethargic, high blood pressure, bloating, vivid dreams, hopelessness | F | 42 | 4 days 500/2x | 4/10/2012 | 1 | Genital herpes | Nausea, depression, listlessness, lack of motivation. Reduced to tears on several occasions. It took me 31 days to realise that it was Valtrex that was causing this - at 65 I thought this was just old age doing its thing. Have had this condition for 25 years and spent the first 10 years taking Aciclovir - don't recall having any side effects. I had booked time with a therapist because of the depression - hopefully this will disappear now that I've stopped taking the medication. | F | 65 | 31 days 500 mg 1X D | 3/8/2012 | 1 | ? | Extreme headache, joint, & muscle pain. Exhausted beyond anything I've experienced before & I have chronic fatigue syndrome. SEVERE DEPRESSION. Bad stomach pain. Loud noises a killer. Just laid here w/o TV or radio for days. Sweats. Be sure to tell your doctor if you suffer from depression or are bi-polar! | Beware: This medicine or its generic may cause you severe pain and illness. New doctor never warned me of side effects. Thought it was a "you'll feel worse b4 you feel better" thing until I was so sick,and was in so much pain that I almost called ambulance. I found this b4 I did. Thanks to all who have reviewed this medicine. I will never see this doctor again, as generic costs over $1000 per month and this guy gave me a script for 5 months worth, again never telling me that this could worsen my chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia or bi-polar symptoms! He prescribed me 3-6 more daily dosage than most other people who have complained about same side-effects here. | M | 63 | 13 days 1000 3X D | 3/4/2012 | 1 | herpes zoster shingles | After only 2 days of taking the medication, I experienced tired muscles and major depression. I tried taking the medication for shingles on 2 different occasions with the same negative results. I have recently started taking lysine for suppression. | F | 35 | 3 days 100 2X D | 12/21/2011 | 1 | Shingles | From the very first day of treatment with the generic I had severe headaches and nausea | F | 51 | 3 days 1mg 3X D | 12/19/2011 | 1 | Supress shedding of genital herpes | I contracted genital herpes 15 yrs ago. I have never had an outbreak since. I began taking it a month ago because I wanted to suppress shedding so that I would not infect my partner. I don't know if it will or will not help with that, but I do know that it has given me symptoms that mimic both a yeast infection and also an outbreak. The last time I had a yeast infection was probably about five years ago, so I don't get them regularly. As previously stated, I have never had an outbreak since the first one 15years ago. I think for someone like me, it is not worth the hassle. I feel like I am having an outbreak now and know that before Valtrex, this was not a concern. Needless to say, I am discontinuing valtrex and my partner and I will just use condoms and take any other necessary precautions. | F | 42 | 14 days 500mg 1X D | 12/19/2011 | 1 | cold sores | Migrane, dizzy, nausea, vomitting, tired, confused, down. | F | 26 | 2 days 1 mg 2X D | 10/21/2011 | 1 | shingles | Extreme stomach pain | Never had a reaction to anything like this! The pain was so bad I could barely breathe. Only took one day of a 20 day prescription. Emergency room Dr. Wanted to inject antihistamine for breathing problem, but trouble breathing was from the pain. -- decided to tough it out rather than risk even worse side effects. Recommend you start with a low dosage to see if you get any side effects. Anyone have an immediate antidote? Did help the blisters even with just this one day dose, but the "cure" made the disease seem minor. | F | 54 | 1 days 1g 2X D | 10/12/2011 | 1 | Genital Herpes | SEVERE Depression | I experienced severe depression after taking this drug for a very short period of time. Please if you are prone to any sort of depression do NOT take Valtrex!! | M | 60 | 3 days 1 gr 1X D | 7/9/2011 | 1 | Gential Herpes | Caused SEVERE depression | I would not recommend Valtrex to anyone who is prone to depression and it can cause your depression to be come much worse quickly. | M | 60 | 304 days 30q 1X D | 4/26/2011 | 1 | Valacyclovir | fatigue, WEIGHT GAIN, dizziness, anger, sore eyes & joints, lack of motivation, high blood pressure, headaches, acne,loss of memory..and probably a few more side effects i cant remember! | I had minimal outbreaks (once a year) but wanted to add extra protection to my partner. This drug i thought was a breakthrough. However i started increasing my workouts to 6x week and changed my eating habits( stopped drinking too)... and couldnt figure out why i was not loosing weight! I gained 10lbs in 3 months. I was also very foggy and light headed. Then I started getting night sweats and headaches and finally had my high blood pressure checked. It was thru the roof!It didnt correlate to my lifestyle. So i came on this sight and did some research and found a bunch of side effects that MANY other people were having that were not listed. SO i am stopping this drug immediately and will deal with my OB in a natural way with, lysine, oil of oregano,etc. I welcome any comments or feedback on this. Has anyone else gained weight or gotten High BP and stopped the drug and noticed a difference?good luck and trust how you feel! | F | 39 | 3 months 500mg 1X D | 3/10/2011 | 1 | Herpes of mouth | Mood swings hallucinations metallic taste memory loss concentration low | Are side effects permament | F | 32 | 1 days 2grams 2X D | 3/6/2011 | 1 | Herpes Keratitis | It made me nearly non-functional. Foggy headed, extreme fatigue, heart palpitations, mood-swings, despondent, tingling in legs, facial edema, mild nausea, pain in jaw, eye and ear, complete lack of motivation to do anything more than I absolutely had to do. | I get very sick from my outbreaks and when it jumped to my eye I got two dendrites, one of which left a scar that has effected my vision, I kept taking it. I thought I continued to be sick because of the underlying virus or that it might be my house as it does have mold. I had to quit taking it when my insurance lapsed and when I got it reinstated a couple of weeks later I got my prescription refilled. I had been feeling great in the weeks in between, but thought it was because I was eating better, meditating, etc. After taking the first pill, within two hours I was sleeping like the dead, my face swelled up, I had the tingling in my legs, etc. I am sure it is okay for some, but it was horrible for me. I am just grateful I have figured out that it was the Valtrex. Thank god my insurance lapsed or I might have not ever figured it out. I am sure a few more months of this would have made me suicidal. My doctor even allowed me to think it was all in my head, never once did he suggest it might be the medication. | F | 52 | 13 months 800 2X D | 2/28/2011 | 1 | herpes - genital | anxiety, restlessness, irritability, angry, HEADACHES, can't focus, can't remember things, and the list goes on..... | Went through 2 years of cancer treatment with a compramised immune system shich they think brought out this herpes....never had an outbreak before now so knew nothing of this.... So happy I found this site...now I now that I am not crazy! It's the drug. I was fortunate not to lose my hair during chemo and I sure am not going to lose it from this drug! I am going to stop taking ASAP and go to the lysine, b and c vitamins. I have no hereditary disposition for cancer and truly believe it is all the crap we put in our mouths! Therefore going to vitamins! Thanks to everyone who posted out here though -- I know the reason for all these weird feelings!! | F | 42 | 7 days 1 2X D | 12/16/2010 | 1 | shingles | I had a small shingles rash running from the top of my butt crack. Only about 4 blisters in a row. This is the 3rd time I've had them in this exact spot in the past 5 months. I took generic Valacyclovir for Valtrex before and everytime ended up having such joint pain I walked like a cripple when I first woke up and then it would go away and always come back at night. This time after just one pill, which I started late at night, I woke about 4 hrs later with heartburn that was off the charts, terrible joint pain in arms, chest, legs and pins and needles tingling in fingers. I have acid reflux but it wasn't bothering me when I went to bed. Also, terrible smelliing bowel movements, close to diarrhea. I had such bad pains through my chest and out the back I thought it might be a heart attack. The shingles were almost dried up anyway on their own with very slight pain and itching. | I'm not taking this pill again. | F | 57 | 7 days 500 mg 2X D | 12/11/2010 | 1 | shingles | extreme diarrea,stomach bloating and gas, tiredness. | M | 34 | 3 days 3X D | 11/28/2010 | 1 | shingles | needles and pins, weird pain in the face and eye, foggy head, exhausted and heart bit | I think my problem was not that big for such a medication- after I read your opinions and having experienced these side effects I think I m going to stop it immediately !!!! I only had 3 pills, imagine to take the 21 my dr told me too | F | 48 | 1 days 1g 3X D | 11/12/2010 | 1 | Mouth, nose, ear cold sores | I'm a "health nut" and don't usually take medication of any kind.After getting a bad sunburn lesions appeared on my lips,inside nose,and ears. Dr. prescribed a five day program of 1g pills three times a day for 5 days. I cut the dossage down to one 1g pill a day.Almost immediately I began to experience headaches,loss of appetite,GI gas,sore throat,stiff aching neck muscles,loss of vigor and endurance, hazy mind,cranky attitude, tiredness.During that time I went out in the sun and even though I had on sunscreen and a big hat,new erruptions surfaced on my lips,nose,and inside my ears the next day; I think Valtrex makes one hyper-sensitive to the sun in some way. | I stopped taking Valtrex after the fourth day of 1g per day. Instead, I've been putting tea tree oil directly on the lesions, making sure I don't spread the lesions to other areas and reinfect myself, and taking lysine and Vit.C. Also I make a paste out of turmeric,goldenseal powder,echinachea powder, eucalyptus oil, and tea tree oil and spread this on the lesions. It has seemed to really help the healing process without side effects. Aloe vera is very good, too.I have a plant and just clip off a leaf and squeeze out the gel;it helps take away some of the pain and discomfort. It is also an antiviral, as is the tea tree oil and the other ingredients in the mixture I make. I won't take this product again!...too many negative side effects, and the long term damage to the liver is very real I believe. | F | 68 | 4 days 1 g 3X D | 8/30/2010 | 1 | shingles | caused extreme migraine headaches | F | 48 | 3 days 2X D | 4/16/2010 | 1 | virus in ear | caused me to vomit and get very very nauseaed. was the worst drug I have ever taken. | F | 69 | 1 days 400 3X D | 3/30/2010 | 1 | Shingles | I was taking Valtrex 3 times per day (1 GM Tabs). On the fourth day I awoke feeling very disoriented and fatiqued. The fifth day was worse. I made the decision to stop taking the medication and even though several days have passed I still feel out of it. My shingles were not very painful and I feel my own body would have handled them without this medication. I am so sorry I took it and worry that this disorientation will not end. | If you have a mild case of shingles, let your body take care of itself without taking this medication. Valtrex should not be taken lightly. Do your research. | F | 57 | 5 days | 9/4/2009 | 1 | Genital Herpes | headache, mood changes, deppression, appetite changes, joint pain, racing heart beat, loss of concentration, hallucinations. | I have had herpes a year and have been taking vatrex for just as long. i still have had outbreaks and it has only caused me more problems. My headaches are very severe. Valtrex affects my concentration so much its hard for me to work. i hate it. | F | 17 | 1 years | 5/4/2009 | 1 | herpes 1/2 | I took Valtrex for only 2 days, and I was extremely sick. I didn't feel anything until the 2nd day. After I went to sleep, I woke up vomiting. I haven't thrown up in years. I also had diarhea (probably spelled that wrong), and, yes, and had them both (literally) at the same time, and it was terrible. I have been lucky to not have had bad outbreaks, and I will not take this drug again. I obviously am extremely sensitive to it. | F | 30 | 2 days | 3/18/2009 | 1 | HSV-2 | None | I don't see the point in taking Valtrex but maybe I'm a special case. I was diagnosed with genital herpes right before my 21st bithday and I had 3 terrible outbreaks... all while taking Valtrex. They lasted about 3 weeks each. After the last one I stopped taking Valtrex and since then I've had extremely minor outbreaks lasting a day or 2. So what's the point of taking it? It doesn't keep me from passing the virus to someone else, and it doesn't treat outbreaks so really to me its useless. I might just be a conspiracy theorist but I feel like with all the technology and research, there has to be a no BS CURE that can treat the virus. It really upsets me that drug manufacturers and doctors push this drug on ppl affected by this virus, and it only makes ppl sick and makes the ppl who make it rich. I bet if everyone stopped taking valtrex, and made these ppl lose all their money, they would find a cure real fast. | M | 21 | 3 months | 3/14/2009 | 1 | Epstein-Barr | Severe muscle aches & all over stiffness. I seriously feel like I've been hit by a truck!! Occasional sharp pains shoot thru my legs & I feel anxious and restless. Going to stop taking this as I cannot function like this!! | I noticed a few other comments on muscle fatigue, but nothing as severe as it has affected me. This is the only medication that I am taking, so has to be the Valtrex causing the syptoms. | F | 47 | 4 months | 2/24/2009 | 1 | Herpes | I developed hives 8 months ago. They would come and go and it was very uncomfortable, sometimes even miserable. Over the months it got more severe. Then in December I developed blistering and rashes all over my body in addition to the hives. I have so much itching and discomfort at this point, it's interfering with my life. I've been to the dermatologist multiple times and had biopsies. Results are nonspecific, inflammation possibly due to contact dermatitis or a reaction to a medication. I've done so much detective work and experimenting trying to find out what's causing this. I think I have pinpointed it to Valtrex. I took Valtrex occasionally when I'd have an ob. Each time I would take it I believe my skin condition got worse. I have not taken it for a month now and am still suffering with severe dermatitis. | Have taken Valtrex off and on for about two years | F | 48 | 2 years | 1/29/2009 | 1 | herpes | dizziness, vomiting sometimes | To have herpes virus to be suppressed.> Try Pau D'Arco - fluid xtract1:1 (anti inflammatory) Aloe vera xtract(anti inflammatory)-but,hard to get this. Magnesium(calm your nerves down) | M | 2 weeks | 12/4/2008 | 1 | HSV 1 &2 | taken 1 gm for several years as supp therapy - still get frequent ob's and docs tell me highly "unlikely" due to supp therapy. Now, I get weird creepy/crawly tingly sensations in my body - mostly hips/thighs. Heat feeling under my skin- weird rashes throughout my body. comes and goes Doesn't prevent ob's in my opinion. I wonder why it works for some people and others not? It's very debilitating and hard for me, I am in constant either itch or pain...my boyfriend doesn't have it so I feel as though I need to keep taking it to avoid transmission. | If someone else is out there and experiencing this, please respond to my email - mimi20121@ hotmail.com I am having trouble finding a good doctor - any help greatly appreciated. thank you :( | F | 34 | 7 years | 10/28/2008 | 1 | Genital Herpes | Extreme, unbelievable, never-ending exhaustion. Also bloating, diarrhoeia,dizziness, anxiety and depression, memory loss, no motivation to do even the things that gave me pleasure and lack of concentration. Generally feeling horrible. Constantly sick with gastric type illnesses - but don't get colds. Feeling spaced out. | 1000 mg a day did stop outbreaks but as soon as I stopped taking it they were back instantly. I think that feeling happy and normal again and having to cope with the outbreaks of lesions, is preferable to the horror of living a substandard life brought about by the side-effects of Valtrex. | F | 43 | 5 years | 9/6/2008 | 1 | hsv I | Taking to prevent break out during pregnancy-only had 2 outbreaks over 15 year period---nausea intensifed already had hyperemesis,dizziness,headache,cold symptoms, unbearable itching, disorientation | Absolutley hate this drug and don't feel it is useful for me or even necessary | M | 37 | 3 days | 5/25/2008 | 1 | Cold Sores | Severe migraine headaches, nausea, vomiting | If you have issues with migraine headaches, beware about take this medication. It gave me major migraines after just the second dose. | F | 41 | 1 days | 2/3/2008 | 1 | Herpes HSV1 in eye | major nausea, dizzyness, bad headaches, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, dehydrated, thirsty all the time, tingling in hands, feel like puking all the time. I'm pretty sure my eye is healing fine. | Hopefully I will only have to take this for a week to cure the Herpes infection in my eye. I somehow transferred herpes from my lip to my eye about 7 years ago. This is my 4th outbreak in my eye - brought on by stress but other triggers have been : sunburn on my eye from skiing, taking out contact too fast (tearing cornea), etc. I've found that taking vicodin for the eye nerve pain and headaches helps. I am working from home as the virus is contagious. Am set to take Valtrex another 2 days for a grand total of a week only I hope! | F | 32 | 5 days | 8/15/2007 | 1 | Cold Sores on Lips & Face | Took my 1st dose (1000mg) at 8pm tonite. 90 minutes later, began to feel slightly dizzy, nauseous, & very sleepy. Went to bed & woke up at 3am, after having the worst nitemare of my life. Extremely vivid & detailed nitemare. My husband told me that I had been mumbling & crying in my sleep off & on for last few hours. After waking completely, was very disoriented, dizzy & upset over awful dreams. So upset, I immediately got online to check out other peoples reactions. | Have had genital herpes since 1983 & ourbreaks have been under control for years. 8 months ago, began to have severe cold sores on lips & around mouth, lasting approx 2 wks duration. Sun exposure and/or stress seem to trigger. Went to the doctor today & told to take 1000mg 3 times/day. Have only taken 1 dose so far & after this strong negative reaction-will NOT take another pill again. By the way-my life is very happy & content-do not normally have nitemares & had no reason tonite other than the drug reaction. I am actually afraid to go back to sleep now, at 4:30am. After reading other peoples reactions-I am terrified of this drug. | F | 46 | 1 days | 6/14/2007 | 1 | genital herpes | fatigue;nausea.. often. | No more Valtrex...ur lever & kidney could be damaged after years taking it. My last outbreak was 2 years ago since I started taking Triple Berry Complex from herbalife company,and another 2 different herpes supplement for gental herpes. | M | 40 | 2 months | 4/8/2007 | 1 | genital herpes | horrible out of body feeling, chalky drug taste in mouth, dizzy, disoriented, felt like out of reality, horrible naseau, vomiting with continued use, symptoms of medicine were worse than the horrible outbreaks I experience. Discontinued use because it was soooo horrible. | No one knows the long term affects and even the literature on it says it has not been tested for what it does to the body after one years time.....scary! | F | 22 | 2 days | 3/15/2007 | 1 | genital herpes | I had no side effects | It simply does not work for me, and I am in no way immune compromised. I took it with what seemed like success for about two years, then in the last year I have had more outbreaks than ever. They could be related to an extremely stressful job, but my doctor said Valtrex should suppress gh anyway. I got myself all freaked out that I could have HIV because that's pretty much the only information available on the net as to why Valtrex wouldn't work. I tested negative for HIV. It just simply does not work for everyone. Not the wonder drug everyone says it is, and I'm annoyed by that. | F | 29 | 3 years | 1/6/2007 | 1 | HSV2 | Felt like someone punched me in the back. Pain in back when urinating. Black stool and foggy memory. Still had OB on Valtrex. | This is by far the worst antiviral pill. I highly advise everyone to go to earthclinic.com I found many natural rememdies, one called Neem (neem leaf from India) that is toxic to herpes and I have not had an OB or any signs of one thus far. Will go for blood test in a few months to re-check status. I suspect more class actions will be brought against the makers of this drug and the entire ignorant AMA/practitioners who don't know squat about this virus and how to rid the body of it completely. | F | 35 | 3 months | 12/30/2006 | 1 | Cold Sores and Shingles | I take high does of the Amino Acid L-Lysine instead (8 Grams a day, 4/morning, 4/evening) which completely stops and reverses symptoms. There is no need to use this expensive medicince. L-Lysine helps your body repair itself. | M | 42 | 0 days | 10/6/2006 | 1 | herpes 1 | Facial swelling, facial burning, cold sweats, bloating of face and neck, throat hurt severely, everything from the neck up felt swollen, hot, itchy, and sore! | i don't know what i am going to do. i have herpes 1 in the form of cold sores, which has showed up genitally in the form of a single sore. my doctor says that my husband and i must have tranmitted it orally, as he has gotten cold sores since we were married. i need to take it but this pill makes me SOOOOO sick and CRANKY | F | 27 | 6 days | 9/5/2006 | 1 | genital herpes / shingles | stomach irritation, joint pain, fatigue, disorientation, loss of coordination walking, irritability, kidney stress | This eventually increased the frequency of my outbreaks and the side effects are terrible. I am now trying to detoxify my body from the drug and am only taking a prescription pain med for the worst of the shingles nerve pain. Am beginning to feel better and will try to minimize outbreaks by stress reduction, relaxation techniques and good nutrition & gentle exersize. | F | 54 | 6 years | 9/4/2006 | 1 | genital herpes | diarrhea, extreme hair loss (around half of my hair has fallen out), extreme fatigue | It did not stop my outbreaks - I still get them every week. I had to stop the medicine to try and stop the hair loss. | F | 46 | 4 months | 6/15/2006 | 1 | shingles | severe headaches, nightmares, slight fever, diahrrea, dizziness and nausea i even got a cold and sore throat to top it all off! the medicine is much, much worse than the shingles. also suffered extreme exhaustion, don't know if this is related to the shingles or medicine though my breastfed baby doubled the length of naps while i was on valtrex. | what good did it do? | F | 31 | 1 weeks | 5/10/2006 | 1 | genital herpes while pregnant | Too hard to tell because I was 30 weeks pregnant when I began taking the medicine. I did experience hand and feet falling asleep frequently. | I started Valtrex to suppress outbreaks and since starting it I got them more frequently. I would get them every 2 weeks and I was very scared for my unborn child that the drug could be harming him and also I could have an outbreak during delivery. Well I did have an outbreak when I went into labor and had a C-section anyway. Now (7 weeks after stopping the drug I can't even cross my feet without my feet falling asleep. My hans experience the same. Also lately my left foot gets this sensation of warmness like its wet?? Extremely weird. These new things that I am feeling may be coincidence but they did not happen before starting Valtrex. I will never take it again. | F | 30 | 56 days | 5/6/2006 | 1 | Cold sores on lip | Day 1: Dosage: 500 mg/4 in a.m., 4 12 hrs later Tiredness - physical & mental Day 2: As above - plus nausea,headache,loss of appetite Day 3: As above Day 4: As above plus bowel upset (not diahrrea)& not food factor Day 5 (today): As above | Question: Is this an ongoing administration of the initial intake? If so, for how long? I'm losing work at this point in time. | F | 70 | 1 days | 4/4/2006 | 1 | hsv2 | dizziness, spaced out, unable to concentrate/focus, feeling of being 'detached', sensitve to light and motion, acne, edema in face and eyelids. | I felt so sick taking this that I had no choice but to stop, side effects built up and became unbearable by the end of first week. was taking 500x2, was barely starting to get chronic ob under control, had new ob after taking 5 days. | F | 35 | 11 days | 1/8/2006 | 1 | Shingles | Continuous confusion, loss memory | I dont think it took care of my shingles as expected. Honestly I feel my immune system was doing a better job because I missed some doses. However, I am really upset because ever since I took Valtrex I always feel fatigue. I also can't remember things as well as I used to. If you felt the same after taking this drug email me at jymk83@gmail.com | M | 22 | 7 days | 11/16/2005 | 1 | genital herpes | i switched from acyclovir to valtrex because i was experiencing frequent outbreaks of genital herpes while on the acyclovir. i have been taking acyclovir for 15 years and rarely (maybe once per year) would have an outbreak. on 400 mg. valtrex, i still continued to have the outbreaks. i started out with half a pill per day to suppress the herpes, then my doctor upped the dose to 1 pill per day -- still i kept having outbreaks. i developed a rash from head to toe last week and can not figure out why. i'm trying to find out if others on acyclovir or valtrex are experiencing rashes. | F | 38 | 4 months | 9/30/2005 |