VALTREX Reviews (VALACYCLOVIR HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 3.2 (635 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare VALTREX with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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More on VALTREX: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR VALTREX | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 4 | Herpes Simplex Virus II | A headache that is more annoying than painful, some shortness of breath. | I started taking Valtrex three days ago. I have had HSV for 29 years and recently experienced my 2nd (as as far as I can recall) outbreak (the 1st and only was the initial of which the details are foggy except there was pain). I went to the local dept of health at 17 and a doctor with a very thick accent said "I think you have the herpes". That was it, no treatment no follow up. 29 years later I get a weird pain and go see my GYN who says "you have herpes" and gives me a one year RX for Valtrex. And so life goes on. She could have said "you have cancer" or "you have HIV". It's only herpes. Physically it's a pain in the ass, emotionally oh well. I've been clueless for 29 years, it's obviously not life threatening. I've been married for 23 years and thank God for my husband who is amazing. For those suffering emotionally, find someone to talk to. You are not a disease. It's a virus. Hippocrates wrote about herpes, it was here long before us. It's unfortunate yes, but not the end of the world. | F | 47 | 3 days 1GM 1X day | 11/6/2010 | 4 | HSV2 -genital | nothing yet... 1 week on the medication and I usually take on empty stomach with a couple chugs of water. | **attn: if anyone women couldnt shave previous to taking this medication and now can please share ur story! that is one of the worst things I cant do. **Taking daily. So far it has been one week and I already am having to worry less about outbreaks. It was taking over my life before...couldnt shave, couldn't have sex, couldn't sit for a long time, couldn't wear lace underwear, couldn't work out... to many couldn'ts... along with depression about all the things I could'nt do. I am still afraid to shave because I dont want to get an outbreak. Got on this medication because my partner wanted to have sex so I was trying to be as responsible and thoughtful as possible. I try to take the medication around the same time daily, and there have been a couple times where I will get the tingling itching sensation and by the next dosage it goes away. I am very concerned with the long term affects partly because if this doesnt work out I dont have any other options and i get outbreaks alot. Even had an outbreak on my inner thigh once the size of a silver dollar. it was absolutely horrible and when I first got diagnosed I seriously considered suicide... thats how emotionally and physically painful this has been for me. but I am better now thanks to this medication and years of experience. | F | 25 | 1G 1X day | 11/3/2010 | 4 | shingles | very weird metallic taste in mouth, extremely dry/cracking skin, constipation, vivid dreams, low appetite, chronic headaches | 1gm pilsl hard to swallow as they are extremely large. recommended takign with food and chasing with liquids to make sure pill actually goes down esophagus. it defintiely works, but it made me feel even more sick than I was before i started takign it for large shingles outbreak on ribcage & back. | F | 36 | 7 days 1 gm 3X day | 10/21/2010 | 3 | Gential herpes | Yes, Im tired Im depressed I can't stay awake my stomach hurts I just don't feel like myself! | I have had herpes since I was 15 and only had 1 OB ! Then 20 yrs later I started having them about once a yr. Then I was put on Acyclovir for Ob it worked for along time then I got diagnoised with Multiple Scleoris and i started having OBs more often just like I sore took the med it went away in about 4 days then a week to 3 weeks it was back so I went back to the dr abd they put me on valtrex 500mg 3 times aday for 10 days and then 1 everyday well I have been on it now about 15 days no OBs but I feel lifeless no energy ,depressed just not myself! My stomach hurts I don't want to eat I just want to sleep and with having another ammune dieses I feel like it's making everything worse does anyone else feel this way? I don't if I should keep taking it or cut back on it! Ihate feeling so down and out! I guess I will call my dr back and see what she saids ! I don't think the side effects are worth it! maybe I should take it only during an OB! I guess everyones body reacts different to this med! Good luck everyone I feel for you all they need to find a cure!!! | F | 47 | 20 days 500 1X day | 9/23/2010 | 4 | Genital Herpes | None | Valtrex is working pretty good. I don't have outbreaks but 3 times a year though but chose to take it everyday anyways. So far so good. | F | 26 | 2 months 500 1X day | 9/14/2010 | 5 | HSV-2 (Genital Herpes) | No Side Effects (I do not do dosing as prescribed) - If I have any side effect, the only one I experience is a bit of a dehydrated skin appearance and maybe a little tired feeling at the end of the day - it actually seems to help me sleep. | Prior to having an outbreak, at least 9 out of 10 times, I start to feel a dull pain in the very lower part of my spine; almost in the pelvis and usually to the left (in my case). Like the lowest part of my back needs to be cracked. This is when I take the Acyclovir (generic). I do not keep taking it. I only take it as much as to keep the outbreak at bay. (I absolutely wear a condom or I just don't have sex when this is happening.) I have trained my body to fight this virus and now usually have only a couple of potential outbreaks a year (if that). One thing I have come to realize it that HSV-2 causes constipation (or actually, I do not have daily movements). When the outbreak starts to happen I have excess gas, bloating and general intestinal discomfort like irritable bowel syndrome. The Acyclovir has greatly improved/retained my quality of life. Just remember that I do not take this daily like everyone else. I just take it to knock down the symptoms... I should note that I eat Activia daily and it has proved to be essential in this formula. I am not exactly Mr. Macrobiotic but I try to eat low glycemic, low saturates, ample raw veg's, fruits, nuts & grains, with 30% of my diet coming from healthy fats (with fish oil supplements), and 30% from proteins. I suggest to everyone with HSV-2 to try this. | M | 50 | 10 years Varies 1X AN | 8/30/2010 | 4 | HSV2 | Headaches, weight gain, constipation, increased depression | Took VALTREX for 3 months and did not have a single outbreak, so clearly this drug works for what it is intended. However, the side effects I have experienced have been great, and therefore, I am stopping the medication to see if I get some relief. SERIOUS headaches and constipation. Weight gain (20 pounds in 3 months, despite diet and exercise) and an increase in depression. | F | 41 | 3 months 500mg/day 1X day | 8/30/2010 | 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 day | 8/30/2010 | 3 | Genital Herpes | not too sure if its the cause..... | I started taking it 2 days ago over paranoia of a cold sore. I do have genital herpes so the feeling alarmed me being on my face even more considering its not something i can hide having to work and go to school and such. Now, 2 days in i feel tinges of pain throught my body which i didnt have before and have developed a rash on my left shoulder. Burning pain, and deep tinges of pain. I looked over and saw some redness and within half an hour noticed small little bumps, maybe 5 and did some research right away and its most likely shingles. I have never had this before and if im already on Valtrex why would i accumulate something new that is usually cured with valtrex? | F | 22 | 2 days 500MG 2X day | 8/17/2010 | 4 | hsv 2 | The most bothersome side effects for me has been extreme exhaustion, irritability and chills. I have only had one slight headache and have been having weird dreams but that's pretty normal for me and can't be attributed to Valtrex. | I've only been taking this for just over a week... I am hopeful that the longer I am on it the more the symptoms will subside. | M | 35 | 9 days 500 1X day | 8/1/2010 | 2 | HSV 1 and 2 | No side effects from Medication. Others who report depression are probably so, just from the stress of having herpes, and the fear of rejection from telling someone you like (or love) about it. | I acquire genital herpes when I was 17. I am now 47. I suffered the outbreack, 6-8 per year until around 2003. That is when I began to take generic acyclovir. In 7 years I had only 2 or 3 outbreacks. But this year (2010) I began to have outbreaks again. About once a month. I stopped taking acyc. When I was ready to start new medication, because I could now afford the name brnad, I asked my DR for a Rx for Valtrex. I have been on it for 4 months. I thought that Valrex would work better than asyc. I WAS WRONG. It seems like I have nothing but constant outbreaks every WEEK. The sores apear on Sunday, and are gone by Wednesday. But then the very next Sunday, new sores appear. It almost seems like Valtrex has INCREASED my outbreaks. I have decided to stop taking Valtrex for a month. I will return to the generic acyc, as it is more effective, and less expensive. | M | 47 | 120 days 1g 1X day | 7/27/2010 | 3 | HSV-2 | Fatigue, irritable, neck pain | I started taking Valtrex when I was diagnosed with HSV-2. Before I began supressive therapy, I had about 10 outbreaks a year(for 1 year), right before I would start my period. I could always feel when I was about to have an outbreak, my thigh, buttocks, or pubic area would become very sensitive and even painful. My outbreaks would typically last 5-8 days and were usually quite painful. Since starting treatment 1 year ago, although I have not remained outbreak free, I have had only 5 outbreaks which last no more than 3 days and usually are not too painful or bothersome. I also do not have the sensitivity and pain that I used to feel before an outbreak would occur.I am thinking of asking my HCP to increase my intake to 1 gram daily to see if it may eliminate outbreaks all together. For me, the side effects I experience from Valtrex do not outweigh the symptoms I experience from HSV-2 and will continue to take this medication. | M | 28 | 1 years 500mg 1X day | 7/19/2010 | 5 | Cold Sores/Fever Blisters | I had a side effect that nobody is listing. I felt great while taking Valtrex. After stopping I started having the brain fog. | I took Valtrex 2g stat dose in March 2010 for cold sores. The pain went away immediately. I felt great. I had a lot of sun exposure in May (daughter's softball season) and started getting fever blisters. Tried Valtrex for suppression therapy. Noticed again how good I felt. Like a fog was lifted from my brain. I do not have depression or anything like that, but Valtrex made me feel good (not high). As soon as I stopped Valtrex (end of June) fog came over me again. Odd. | F | 38 | 30 days 600mg 1X day | 7/13/2010 | 4 | shingles | I was on Valtrex for shingles and it did dry up the blisters but it did cause joint pain. I didn't know it was from that till I found this website and other people experienced it also. I stopped taking it at 9 days and the next day the pains in knees was 90% better. I took it about 3 yrs. ago for 7 days for shingles and did not experience any joint pain and the medicine helped the blisters then also. Just wanted to let people know when you stop the medicine the joint pain will go away. | The medicine does it's job in drying up the blisters. It does not help with the pain from shingles. I would use it again for shingles but not past 7 days. I also used aloe vera gel on my skin where it hurt and for some reason it helped. Try it! Also I noticed after stopping the medicine my skin started to peel. | F | 60 | 10 days 1 g 3X day | 6/17/2010 | 3 | hsv2 | tiredness, nausea, stomach aches, and loss of appitite | ive had 5 outbreaks in the entire six months ive been on this drug and I take it daily i dont understand why this is happening. My physician bumped my 500mg to twice a day while having an outbreak and i see improvement but still get outbreak frequently. | F | 18 | 6 months 500mg 2X day | 6/6/2010 | 4 | HSV-1 in the genitals | Dizziness, lack of interest, depression symptoms and terrible brain fog to the point where I can't think clearly or straight. | I hate this drug, I don't feel like myself anymore from taking it! I'm even more out of it than normal and I feel like I had a lobotomy, seriously. I was on acyclovir for almost 2 weeks before getting on this drug after having the initial outbreak, and had several days in between the medicines. The Zovirax (acyclovir) made the nasty little bumps go away..and I haven't had any problems since. | F | 21 | 25 days 1G 1X day | 6/5/2010 | 4 | shingles (herpes zoster) | DEPRESSION after treatment ended. Almost zero side effects during treatment, except for sleeping later in the a.m. plus very slight stomach discomfort, no gas. | Was a bit apprehensive about taking Valtrex after reading the comments on this site, but took it anyway and was very pleased to have *almost* zero side effects. However, the day after my last dose, I began feeling really lousy -- bummed out, worthless, overwhelmed and too tired to deal with anything. This has been going on for 4 days. It didn't occur to me until just this morning, while I asking myself, "What in the heck is going on here?" that I remembered reading that depression is one of the rare side effects of Valtrex. Because these feelings are not at all the norm for me, and there's nothing new in my life circumstances to explain the sudden arrival of these feelings, I am strongly inclined to attribute this to Valtrex. Hope it's short-lived, because it's fairly incapacitating. On the bright side, the Valtrex stopped the newer of my 2 shingles rashes dead in its tracks, and is probably responsible for the dramatic improvement in my symptoms (awful pain & sensitivity) after just 2 days on the Valtrex. | F | 52 | 7 days 1000 mg 3X day | 6/1/2010 | 4 | HSV2 | No side effects at all which is very unusual for me. I usually have side effects from everything I take but I have not have any from Valtrex. | F | 51 | 5 days 500 2X day | 5/31/2010 | 3 | HSV 2 Meningitis | Extreme fatigue, extreme lack of appetite and nausea....food does not taste the same. No diarrhea (thanks God), mild dizziness. | I've had HSV2 for many years with almost no OB in the last 5 yrs. Now all of a sudden I've had 5 episodes of hsv meningitis in one year...the last 4 episodes have been only two months apart. Initially I am treated with IV acyclovir x 14 days then started on oral valtrex. I am now up to 3000mg/day to see if this will keep me from having another episode. I truly feel horrible. | M | 50 | 3 weeks 1000 3X day | 5/31/2010 | 4 | HSV2 | VERY VERY TIRED. BLOATED. GASSY. BAD HEADACHES. | WHILE TAKING IT I NEVER HAVE AN OUTBREAK. IT HAS LESSENED MY OUTBREAKS IF I DO HAVE ONE BECAUSE I FORGOT TO TAKE MY MEDICINE. I'VE BEEN SEXUALLY ACTIVE WITH MY PARTNER FOR 6 MONTHS AND HE HAS NOT CONTRACTED IT, SO I'M THANKFUL THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE ISN'T A CURE THERE IS AT LEAST A PILL I CAN SWALLOW DAILY THAT MAKES IT STAY DORMANT. ONE DAY WE CAN ONLY HOPE THEY FIND A CURE. IT IS ALWAYS ON MY MIND THOUGH. I CONTRACTED IT THROUGH A DISHONEST BOYFRIEND. IT DEFINITELY CAN MESS WITH YOUR MIND AND MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE LESS OF A PERSON....BUT I KNOW I'M NOT ALONE IN THIS WORLD. | F | 28 | 2 years 1GM 1X day | 5/29/2010 |