Valtrex for suppressive therapy
Common Questions and Answers about Valtrex for suppressive therapy
valtrex
I just am very new to this and started suppressive therapy today. What if i have an outbreak while im on it? Do i start taking Valtrex, 3 times a day and then continue my 1 a day after 7 days of the 3 a day? Im just a wreck about all this, it makes you so paranoid!
there are no long term side effects to taking the medication. Her smoking will do far more harm to her than valtrex ever could in the long run.
Your risk of contracting hsv2 from her is overall very low to begin with. Suppressive therapy just puts the odds more and more in her favor.
Acyclovir is not effective when only taken once a day. You need to take it 400mg 2x/day if you want it to work. I do not recommend taking it any other way for suppressive therapy. If you can't commit to taking the medication properly then don't take it at all.
If you only want to take medication once a day then you'll need to switch to valtrex which is effective when only taken once a day.
I think i may have acquired hsv in may, and i went on 1000mg suppressive therapy for a couple weeks and got off wednesday and i had sex for the past week leading up to that, and i stopped taking the valtrex on wednesday and now i have some redness under my penis but i think it could be from rough sex, there is no pain just some small red dots and dryness.
If one partner is infected with hsv2 how does suppressive therapy work for the uninfected partner if they are taking suppressive medication as well? Upon ending the relationship how long before a test can be considered accurate in diagnosing HSV2? My understanding is that suppressive therapy itself can cause a test to read negative by ELISA levels by suppressing viral levels. What levels of Acyclovir do you generally reccommend daily for effective suppressive therapy?
Dear gracefromHHP,
Why is it that some people show conversion with Valtrex usage and others do not? Do you have patients who have converted while on Valtrex suppressive therapy. What is the sensitivity and reliability of the Western Blot. Why is it that suppressive therapy delays detectable seroconversion? Thank you!
I have been on daily suppressive therapy of 1 gram Valtrex for approximately 9 months now. I had my first child just over a year ago, and actually we had a scare that he might have contracted HSV-1 from me, so at 3 weeks old (given the seriousness of a neonatal herpes infection) he was subjected to a spinal tap, blood work, and acyclovir administered via IV for 2.5 days while we waited for test results to come back. Thankfully, he tested negative for the virus.
Recurrent outbreaks: 500 mg twice a day for three days.
Suppression: 1000 mg once a day for people who have 10 or more outbreaks per year. 500 mg once a day for people who have 9 or fewer outbreaks per year. It is taken every day.
There are no long term risks from taking Valtrex/herpes anti-virals.
) Really, be more surprised when you have recurrences on suppressive therapy, not be worrying about what might cause one :)
I have been taking Valtrex regularly for 2 months and I have been taking 1 gram of Valtrex steadily for 2 weeks, and it is not going away. Valtrex has always worked quickly when I have had outbreaks in the past. The symptoms of this lesion (itchiness or soreness) come and go. What could be causing this? Could it be something other than herpes? Could the Valtrex be harmful to my baby? I go to the doctor again, soon, but want to be armed with all the inform. I can.
If I understand correctly there is an 8-10% chance of transmission if avoid sex during outbreak, 4-5% if use condoms or suppressive therapy, and 2-3% if use condoms and suppressive therapy. We have already agreed that condoms would be a part of a sexual relationship (should the relationship reach that point). He currently is not on any suppressive therapy and I read that Valtrex can reduce transmission chances by 75%, is that true?
yes you can go on daily suppressive therapy with valtrex to help reduce transmission to your wife. Just avoiding sex when you have obvious genital symptoms and taking daily suppressive therapy makes it on average 95-96% likely each year that you won't transmit hsv2 to her.
when she becomes pregnant, she should get a type specific herpes igg blood test done to see what her status is.
the best thing to do is for her to go on daily suppressive therapy with valtrex or acyclovir to keep the hsv2 under control. that will help counteract the effects of the prednisone that she needs for treating the behcet's flare ups.
I was on Valtrex 500mg 1x/day for almost 2 years and never had an outbreak. I wanted to stop taking it all together to see what would happen. I had about 6 outbreaks in 1.5 years. I went to a new doc and today she said I need to go on suppressive therapy with acyclovir 800mg 1x/day. She said this is the new standard protocol (or something to that effect). I'm seeing where it says acyclovir 400mg 2x/day.
My questions are:
1. has anyone heard of 800mg 1x/day is the standard?
2.
From 2010 onwards I was getting outbreaks almost every month, I had 6 outbreaks in the first 8 months of 2010 and so decided to go on suppressive therapy (500mg/day). This has stopped the outbreaks but I occassionally (every 6 months) stop taking the suppressive therapy to see if I can start going without it.... I can't. I get an o/b within a week or two of stopping the valtrex.
//us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_zovirax.pdf is the official prescribing info or it's also listed here in the herpes handbook - http://www.westoverheights.com/genital_herpes/handbook/view_the_chapters/treatment.
I always use condoms and the biggest concern and the main reason for wanting to go on suppressive therapy is for peace of mind that I will not give it to her.
We don't have any info to know if suppressive therapy reduces transmission of hsv1 to a partner. Hsv1 genitally doesn't shed very often so suppressive therapy doesn't give you a lot of bang for your buck to boot. It's ok to take it if you feelt he peace of mind is worth it but it's a lot of money and effort for hsv1 genitally.
Has your bf had his warts removed? How long ago did he have them?
At that time, I asked my doctor about suppressive therapy because I wanted to feel in control of the problem. She prescribed valacyclovir 500mg per day and suggested that I take it for a year so that I would not have to worry about getting outbreaks. She claimed that because I have a long history of only 1 or 2 outbreaks a year, that it would be highly unlikely for me to have an outbreak while taking the medication. Although I was skeptical of this, I began taking it faithfully everyday.
1.) Is valtrex worth my while or not? I keep reading that people do not prescribe daily valtrex to people with genital hsv1, but would it help at all?
2.) If I have no symptoms I assume I am also shedding asymtomatically Does taking valtrex daily reduce asymtomatic shedding in men with genital hsv1?
3.) If I use daily valtrex and condoms, what are the chances of me giving herpes to a girl who doesn't have HSV 1 in either place?
you can get daily suppressive therapy with acyclovir for under $20/month even without insurance. All he needs is a prescription for it ( 400mg 2x/day ). Another option is to look into the GSK bridges to access program and see if he qualifies for it for free valtrex.
They work the same. Acyclovir is 400 mg b.i.d. for suppressive effect, Valtrex is one b.i.d.
Can you keep your questions in the same thread? Then we can all remember your story without looking for the older threads.
2) what is the rate of transmission (female to male) when condoms are used sometimes but you are on suppressive therapy? 3) how long does it take for your suppressive therapy to actually kick in? do you have to take the meds for a certain amount of time before your transmission rates are lowered (on valtrex or acyclovir) ?
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