Valacyclovir to acyclovir conversion
Common Questions and Answers about Valacyclovir to acyclovir conversion
valtrex
About 6 months ago I was tested positive for HSV-2. I have had several outbreaks since then, but they were all pretty minor (1-2 sores). I was taking Valtrex daily for about a month and a half, but I developed what appeared to be cystic acne the whole time I was on it. As soon as I stopped, my skin cleared up, but I had another outbreak, so I went back on it and my skin started to break out again. I've never read anything about that being a side effect, but it was the only explanation.
postmarketing experience with valacyclovir provides evidence of favorable safety and efficacy in herpes simplex virus (HSV) management. Valacyclovir enhances acyclovir bioavailability compared with orally administered acyclovir. Long-term use of acyclovir for up to 10 years for HSV suppression is effective and well tolerated.
Hi All, this is my first post. I had been taking acyclovir successfully for the past six years, for outbreaks about two to three times per year. With all the stress in my life these days, my outbreaks have become much more frequent and for whatever reason, I am now having some unpleasant side effects from acyclovir, like headache (tolerable), weird taste in my mouth and excess salivation, and a heavy feeling in my legs and arms.
Definitely talk to your doctor about your medication allergies. There are three types of anti virals that you could take - Acyclovir, Valacyclovir, and Famiciclovir. I'm not sure of how you would react to these - only a doctor would be able to tell you.
I have taking both Valtrex & Acyclovir in the past and for me, Valtrex seems to work a lot better for clearing up an ob quicker. Since moving back to the U.S. from Europe, I cannot believe how expensive Valtrex is here in the U.S.! I just want to get confirmation that there is a Generic Valtrex that is NOT Acyclovir - it that correct? My online pharmacy is offering me Valcyclovir which is a lot cheaper than Valtrex but I just want to make sure it isn't Acyclovir before I purchase it.
1) Take suppressive therapy, preferably with valacyclovir (acyclovir would be OK, but is less convenient because of more frequent dosing); 2) Inform each and every parnter of your HSV2 infection; and 3) always use condoms, unless your partner is willing to take the chance of not doing so.
Although your apparently doesn't know herpes or its management very well, this doesn't necessarily mean she otherwise "sucks" as a caring and effective doctor.
Acyclovir and valacyclovir are harmless to pregnant women and to a fetus at 20+ weeks, so there is no reason to not administer as much acyclovir (or valacyclovir) as it takes to be effective.
It has significantly helped lessen the amount of outbreaks as well as the duration if I do get one. I had to recently switch doctors and this new doctor is not willing to prescribe it to me anymore stating that the FDA has linked Acyclovir to causing cancer after 1 year of use. I can't find anything on FDA website or Google linking long term effects causing cancer. I don't know why a doctor would say this to a patient if there weren't any solid facts??
Hello Everyone,
Does anyone have any recent data or know of any new studies that attempt to answer the question of whether acyclovir or valacyclovir therapy delay seroconversion? In past posts, Dr. HHH stated that it is unlikely that antivirals delay seroconversion while a more recent post by Dr. EWH states that more recent data suggests antiviral therapy can delay seroconversion. Can some shed some light on this?
Below is my timeline of events.
PHN is very tricky to deal with. We can't advise you on stopping your amyltriptline treatment - you should work with a neurologist on this if you aren't already.
PHN from hsv2 is rare, and not a lot of research has been done on this (I'm sorry - that's not good news, is it?). I would suggest you keep taking the valtrex so you (hopefully) don't get any more outbreaks, or maybe switch to acyclovir to see if that makes a difference?
Was this your first outbreak?
***might be ulcers or canker sores, I can't really tell but painless nonetheless
You must tell your physician if you are allergic to valacyclovir or acyclovir. any kidney disease, blood disorders, immune deficiencies, dizziness etc. side effects associated are nausea, vomiting, fatigue, sore throat, hemolytic uremic syndrome etc.
You need to be concerned about the cumulative side effects of the two drugs. Otherwise, there are no serious interactions documented in the medical literature. Hope this helps. Take care.
If both the infected and uninfected members of a couple consistently take any of the anti-HSV drugs (acyclovir, valacyclovir, famciclovir), I cannot imagine transmission taking place.
You are wrong about suppressive therapy and blood test results. If someone catches HSV-2, the blood test becomes positive. If it remains negative, no infection occurred.
For suppressive therapy to prevent transmission, I normally rely on valacylcovir 1.0 g once daily.
s doctor, but I would not hesitate to recommend acyclovir or valacyclovir to a patient like your partner, assuming his renal function is reasonably nomal (e.g. serum creatinine under 2.0).
Thus, if this is a valacyclovir reaction, you might not react to famciclovir (you would however be likely to react to acyclovir since VCV turns into acyclovir within the body).
Finally, you state you cannot live without VCV. Why is this? Was it your first outbreak that was severe (your post is not clear) and if so, I would point out that recurrences typically are far milder than initial outbreaks.
I know this has been covered before, but I don't like taking any medication daily (obviously in this case it's not really an option) so I'd like to try at least cutting back. I don't want to be on 500mg daily for the rest of my life (i'm only 26) so I was hoping that if I can cut back to 250mg daily then if that works out then one day I may be able to go onto just episodic treatment if the outbreaks are few and far between.
But anti-viral medications like acyclovir, valacyclovir and famciclovir are known to shorten out breaks and improve symptoms. It depends on one’s immunity also. If it is good the person may have less number of reactivations. If the immunity is relative less than he is likely to have more symptoms.
Hope this helped and do keep us posted.
Correct. Valacyclovir becomes acyclovir in the body. I tend to use them interchangeably. Sorry if I confused you.
Congratulations on a responsible approach to herpes -- to you for your desire to protect your partner, and to her for her apparent understanding and willingness to continue the relationship.
However, you don't provide enough information. I could give you the best advice if you would like to provide more detail about your infection. Is the diagnosis firm? What testing was done? Do you have HSV-1 or HSV-2? Do you have recurrent herpes outbreaks? Are you taking anti-herpes therapy?
My dr changed my 2x daily 400mg acyclovir to 1 500mg of valacyclovir a month ago and it hasn’t made a difference. The worst part of all this is that I haven’t told my husband (we married last year). We have children and I’m so scared this is going to end my marriage. I never had outbreaks on the meds and never knew how to bring it up and now I’m suicidal over it. I’m a horrible person and just don’t know what to do.
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