Why Is This Medication Prescribed
Acyclovir is used to decrease pain and speed the healing of sores or blisters in people who have varicella , herpes zoster , and first-time or repeat outbreaks of genital herpes . Acyclovir is also sometimes used to prevent outbreaks of genital herpes in people who are infected with the virus. Acyclovir is in a class of antiviral medications called synthetic nucleoside analogues. It works by stopping the spread of the herpes virus in the body. Acyclovir will not cure genital herpes and may not stop the spread of genital herpes to other people.
Coping With Your Feelings
Finding out that you have genital herpes may cause you to have negative thoughts or feelings about yourself or about sex, such as:
- Feeling ashamed or embarrassed.
- Being afraid of the consequences of the infection.
- Being angry at the person who infected you.
- Feeling frustrated with treatment or recurrent outbreaks.
- Feeling scared to have sex.
A counselor or support groups for people with herpes may be helpful.
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To Use Buccal Acyclovir Follow These Steps:
If the delayed-release buccal tablet comes off within the first 6 hours of application, reapply the same tablet. If it still will not stick, then apply a new tablet. If you accidentally swallow the tablet within the first 6 hours of application, drink a glass of water and place a new tablet on your gum. If the tablet falls off or is swallowed 6 or more hours after application, do not apply a new tablet until your next regular time.
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What Other Drugs Could Interact With This Medication
There may be an interaction between valacyclovir and any of the following:
If you are taking any of these medications, speak with your doctor or pharmacist. Depending on your specific circumstances, your doctor may want you to:
- stop taking one of the medications,
- change one of the medications to another,
- change how you are taking one or both of the medications, or
- leave everything as is.
An interaction between two medications does not always mean that you must stop taking one of them. Speak to your doctor about how any drug interactions are being managed or should be managed.
Medications other than those listed above may interact with this medication. Tell your doctor or prescriber about all prescription, over-the-counter , and herbal medications that you are taking. Also tell them about any supplements you take. Since caffeine, alcohol, the nicotine from cigarettes, or street drugs can affect the action of many medications, you should let your prescriber know if you use them.
All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 2022. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/drug/getdrug/Valtrex
Valacyclovir For Recurrent Herpes Outbreaks
Herpes can remain dormant in the body for weeks, months or years in between outbreaks. On average, people with HSV-1 experience about one outbreak per year, while people with HSV-2 will usually experience four to five outbreaks per year.
When these outbreaks occur, valacyclovir can provide fast and effective relief, helping to control herpes outbreak symptoms.
The typical valacyclovir dosage for recurrent herpes outbreaks is 500 mg two times per day over a period of three days. Like with first-time herpes outbreaks, valacyclovir is most effective when its taken as soon as you notice a herpes outbreak developing.
When taken as soon as you notice a herpes outbreak, valacyclovir can provide relief in as little as two to three days, minimizing symptoms and reducing the risk of you passing genital herpes to sexual partners.
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Valtrex Lowers Herpes Transmission
Sept. 27, 2002 — The drug Valtrex — prescribed to prevent recurrences of genital herpes — may actually help prevent the spread of the virus from one sexual partner to another.
The lifelong infection affects 1 in 5 adults, and many infected people don’t have symptoms and don’t know they are infected.
In the study heterosexual, monogamous couples were instructed to use condoms during sex. Previous research has shown that even when told to use condoms, many monogamous couples don’t follow these instructions.
Once-daily Valtrex cut the chance of the partner getting herpes with no symptoms by 50%. The risk of developing genital herpes with symptoms in the partner dropped by 77%.
“This is the first time that a drug has been shown effective against the transmission of virally transmitted infections,” lead researcher Larry Corey, MD, tells WebMD.
Corey is professor of laboratory medicine and medicine at the University of Washington and head of infectious diseases at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. He presented his findings today at a meeting of infection disease specialists in San Diego.
“This is a breakthrough concept,” he says. “It could offer a means of managing other sexually transmitted diseases.
Because the couples were asked to use condoms every time the had sex, some of the reduction in transmission may be due to condom use, not Valtrex alone.
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Is There A Cure For Herpes Simplex
There is no cure for herpes simplex. Once you have the virus, its a lifelong infection.
What is the outlook for people with herpes simplex?
For many people, the first herpes outbreak is the most severe. Many outbreaks are less frequent and milder after the first year of infection. Some people may have only one outbreak and never have another again.
Herpes infection doesnt usually pose a serious health risk. The risk of a health complication due to herpes is higher in infants and if you have HIV/AIDS, cancer or an organ transplant.
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How Long Does It Take For Valtrex To Work For Genital Herpes
As with any medicine, how long it takes for Valtrex to start working for genital herpes depends on the type of outbreak you have and the frequency of your outbreaks. The first year of treatment with Valtrex is 7-10 days of oral antiviral medication. For the second year of treatment, you may choose to take antiviral medications only when you experience an outbreak. While this does not decrease the number of outbreaks, it can reduce the duration and severity of the illness.
How Effective Is Valtrex For Cold Sores
In the same study that identified the 1 day overall shortened cold sore duration, they also found that about 8% of participants had completely blocked or prevented cold sores from Acyclovir treatment.
In this study the average time between initial symptoms and starting the first dose was about 6 hours, so timing is key!
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How Should This Medicine Be Used
Acyclovir comes as a tablet, a capsule, and a suspension to take by mouth. It also comes as a delayed-release buccal tablet to apply to the upper gum of the mouth. The tablets, capsules, and suspension are usually taken with or without food two to five times a day for 5 to 10 days, starting as soon as possible after your symptoms begin. When acyclovir is used to prevent outbreaks of genital herpes, it is usually taken two to five times a day for up to 12 months. The delayed-release buccal tablet is usually applied with a dry finger as a one-time dose within 1 hour after itching, redness, burning or tingling cold sore symptoms begin but before the cold sore appears. Take or use acyclovir at around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take or use acyclovir exactly as directed. Do not take or use more or less of it or take it more often or for a longer time than prescribed by your doctor.
Do not chew, crush, suck, or swallow the delayed-release buccal tablets. Drink plenty of liquids, if you have a dry mouth while using the delayed-release buccal tablets.
Treatment For Genital Herpes
There are three antiviral medications that are FDA-approved for the treatment of genital herpes:
- Acyclovir: The oldest antiviral medication for herpes is acyclovir. It has been available since 1982 in a topical form and sold since 1985 in pill form. Acyclovir has been shown to be safe in persons who have used it continuously for as long as 10 years.
- Valacyclovir: A newer drug, valacyclovir, actually uses acyclovir as its active ingredient. This medication delivers acyclovir more efficiently so that the body absorbs much of the drug, which has the advantage of taking the medication fewer times during the day.
- Famciclovir: Famciclovir uses penciclovir as its active ingredient to stop HSV from replicating. Like valacyclovir, it is well absorbed, persists for a longer time in the body, and can be taken less frequently than acyclovir.
Antiviral medication is commonly prescribed for patients having a first episode of genital herpes, but they can be used for recurrent episodes as well. There are two kinds of treatment regimens: episodic therapy and suppressive therapy.
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How Long Before Valacyclovir Takes Effect
Valacycovir is an antiviral medication. It is used to treat infections caused by certain types of herpes viruses. It helps to lessen the number of outbreaks, and to shorten the time of an outbreak. It also helps to lessen the severity of the symptoms of an outbreak.
Millions of people have herpes, and a majority of those people don’t even know that they’ve contracted the virus. The infection is highly contagious, and it can be spread from person to person by skin-to-skin contact during outbreaks. In fact, the herpes virus can live for a long period of time on objects and surfaces, so you can contract the disease simply by touching something that has been infected.
There are two main types of herpes simplex viruses that can cause disease in humans: herpes simplex virus type 1 and herpes simplex virus type 2 . Cold sores are caused by HSV-1. Genital herpes is caused by HSV-2. The most common site of infection is the mouth or genitals.
Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus. This virus is one of the most common viruses in the world. In fact, most of the population has been exposed to it at some point. It’s spread through skin-to-skin contact, usually by kissing. Cold sores are highly contagious, but they can be controlled with medication.
This article will help you better understand Valtrex, and help inform you regarding how long before valacyclovir takes effect.
How Long Does it Take for Valacyclovir to Take Effect?
Valtrex and Your First Outbreak
How Should I Use This Medication
The recommended adult dose of valacyclovir to treat shingles is 1,000 mg 3 times daily for 7 days. The treatment should be started within 72 hours of the onset of the rash.
To treat the first episode of genital herpes, the dose of valacyclovir is 1,000 mg twice daily for 10 days. Treatment should be started within 72 hours of the onset of symptoms, and ideally within 48 hours for best effectiveness.
To treat recurrent genital herpes, the dose of valacyclovir is 500 mg twice daily for 3 days. The treatment should be started at the first sign or symptom of recurrence.
To prevent recurrences of genital herpes, the recommended dose is 1,000 mg once daily. For people with a history of 9 or fewer recurrences per year, the recommended dosage of valacyclovir is 500 mg orally once daily. This dose helps to reduce the risk of transmitting genital herpes to others.
To treat cold sores, the usual dose of valacyclovir is 2,000 mg at the first sign of symptoms, followed by another 2,000 mg 12 hours later. The treatment should be started at the first sign of a cold sore for best effectiveness.
People with poor kidney function may need lower doses.
Many things can affect the dose of medication that a person needs, such as body weight, other medical conditions, and other medications. If your doctor has recommended a dose different from the ones listed here, do not change the way you are using the medication without talking to your doctor.
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What Are The Risk Factors For Herpes
Some risk factors for herpes may include:
-Having unprotected sex
-Having sex with multiple partners
-Kissing someone with a herpes virus that is active
-Abuse of cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs
-Spreading the virus by touching a cold sore and then touching something else
-Having an autoimmune disorder or illness, such as hepatitis or HIV/AIDS
-Poor eating habits that cause nutritional deficiencies
What Should I Do If I Have Genital Herpes
If you have genital herpes:
- See a doctor or nurse as soon as possible for testing and treatment.
- Take all of the medicine. Even if symptoms go away, you need to finish all of the antiviral medicine.
- Tell your sex partner so they can be tested and treated if necessary.
- Avoid any sexual contact while you are being treated for genital herpes or while you have an outbreak.
- Remember that genital herpes is a lifelong disease. Even though you may not have a genital herpes outbreak for long periods of time, you can still pass the virus to another person at any time. Talk with your doctor or nurse about how to prevent passing the virus to another person.
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Dealing With Herpes Outbreaks
For many people, cold sores and genital herpes may be painful and bothersome, however they are not life-threatening. Nevertheless, genital herpes may increase your risk of contracting HIV, because the blisters provide the virus much easier entry into the body.
Handling an outbreak of cold sores or genital herpes is a matter of taking prescription antivirals like Valtrex as directed, keeping the impacted areas clean and dry, and avoiding direct contact with others. Dont share towels, clothes, or consuming utensils, and handle pain with over the counter medications like Advil or Tylenol if your doctor accepts it. If you get duplicated outbreaks, consult with your doctor about how to acknowledge symptoms of an approaching outbreak so you can treat it as immediately as possible.
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If a person uses Valacyclovir HCL 500 mgs daily for over 20 years and hasnt had an outbreak since, what are the risks of passing Herpes performing oral and vaginal sex to your partner who has not been diagnosed with Herpes 1 or 2 symplex?
What Is Valaciclovir
Valaciclovir is a medicine used to treat infections caused by viruses, such as herpes simplex virus and herpes zoster . It is also used to prevent viral infections in people with a weakened immune system, eg, if you are receiving cancer medication or have had an organ transplant.Valaciclovir works by stopping viruses reproducing. It does not kill the virus. By taking valaciclovir, your infection will heal more quickly and it will be less severe.In Aotearoa New Zealand, valaciclovir is available as tablets in two different strengths .
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Can It Lie Dormant
The herpes virus can lie dormant in the body for years before people experience any symptoms.
After people have the first outbreak of herpes, the virus then lies dormant in the nervous system. Any further outbreaks are due to the virus reactivating, which causes symptoms to appear.
Symptoms are usually less severe during repeat outbreaks. Sores also clear up more quickly, often within 37 days. This is due to the antibodies the body produces to fight the first outbreak of herpes. The body can then use these antibodies to respond more quickly to future outbreaks.
There is currently no cure for herpes. Even if a person stops experiencing symptoms, the virus will remain inside their body.
It is also important to point out that herpes is transmissible even when no sores or other symptoms are present. For this reason, early prevention is advisable.
To help reduce the chance of this happening, people can use condoms or dental dams during sex.
Condoms and dental dams do not offer complete protection against the herpes virus, as herpes can live on areas around the genitals. However, these methods do reduce the likelihood of contracting the infection or passing it on.
A person who has herpes can also take other steps to reduce the chance of passing it on to a sexual partner. Such steps include telling their sexual partner that they have herpes before having sex.
Both people can then take additional steps to reduce the likelihood of transmission. These steps may include:
What Are Cold Sores
Cold sores are small, clustered lumps that appear around the mouth.
Theyre caused by the herpes simplex virus .
There are two strains of HSV: type 1 and type 2 .
Generally, type 1 HSV causes oral herpes, or cold sores, while type 2 causes genital herpes, though each type can cause both.
Herpes is spread through close physical contact like kissing, sexual contact, or sharing an infected persons spoons or towels.
Its possible to be infected with HSV-1 and not show any symptoms, but most people develop cold sores around their lips or inside their mouths at least once.
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