Valtrex not effective
Common Questions and Answers about Valtrex not effective
valtrex
Generic valacyclovir and brand name Valtrex are not the exact same formula. The generic is not nealry as effective. I took the brand name valtrex by GlaxoSmithKline for 9 yrs with ZERO outbreaks. My insurance changed last year and they will no longer pay for the brand name. In the 9 months I've been taking the same dose of the generic valacyclovir, I've had several outbreaks. I've tried 3 different generic manufacturers without success.
valtrex is 500mg once a day if you had less than 9 ob's a year prior to starting it. If you have 9 or more ob's a year then it's 1gm daily.
The medication doesn't get less effective the longer you are on it.
The rate of resistance to valtrex is about 1% in otherwise healthy folks. It really isn't going to be an issue for you.
did you ever follow up on your other issues?
OK. So its been nearly 2 months since I've been diagnosed with this inconvenience. Since I never had a "noticeable outbreak", every little itch or tingling that I get spooks me (The reason why I say that is because the time I had sex with my ex, I did have some tingling and 5 days later he had small blisters on his penis, so I know he contracted it from me).
Thanks Grace, that's what I was thinking but it's nice to have a confirmation. I'm actually taking 200mg Acyclovir 4x per day (simply because that's what my pharmacy had available). Very inconvenient, but much less expensive than Valtrex.
So, it sounds like if I take the Acyclovir as directed it will be as effective as Valtrex at reducing the risk of transmission.
My gynecologist just diagnosed me with gHSV1 after months of mystery symptoms. I have oral HSV-1, but she thinks my problems must be caused by the same virus since all my other tests are negative. I've tried antibiotics yeast cream, garlic, probiotic, but nothing helps. She just put me on Valtrex. I was looking forward to no more pain and having a sex life again but now I'm more frustrated because it's not helping. She gave me a ten day prescription.
Do not take Cipro with calcium, milk, yogurt, probiotics or with Nexium (which contains magnesium). Cipro is a quinalone, and is effective against mycobacteria, which don't have cell walls, but is not effective against other many strains of bacteria. The taking of an anti-viral is a mixed blessing. Go to the FDA site for information on Valtrex. A culture should have been taken, but this isn't done very often these days.
If I stop it for a week do I wait to see if symptoms persist? If not begin again, or ask my doctor for an alternative? If so what should I be asking for and are they as effective as Valtrex?
Thank you.
It is March 2014 and I am again taking 1000mg 3x per day generic Valacyclovir for 7 days and the redness and spots on my chin are only somewhat better than they have been but they are still there and never completely went away. It seems that the generic Valacyclovir is not doing its full job and am wondering if Valtrex name brand should be my next option or if there might be something else going on?
I was on valtrex but do to the cost switched to acyclovir. The period of time I was on 1000mg of valtrex I never had a breakout. I get them on my hip normally when I am about to menstruate. It has been about 2 months since the switch to 1xday 800mg acyclovir and I have experienced an outbreak. I don't understand why since they are the same drug?
Unfortunately, early in the diagnosis, the antivirals can seem ineffective, since the body has not yet generated enough antibodies to help fight the virus. However, this does not mean they're not working and possibly helping to mitigate the effects.
Do report back to your doctor that the prescription is not helping, and that you may need to (a) double your dose, (b) try the brand name itself (Valtrex, rather than the generic valacyclovir) or (c) try an entirely different antiviral.
Valtrex is not as effective on hsv1 as it is on hsv2. Does your boyfriend know whether or not he is positive for hsv1? There is a good chance he is already infected and doesn't know it If he is not infected, does he know that he can get an hsv1 infection by receiving oral sex from you? If so, he is an adult and making that decision with complete knowledge.
the valtrex dose is fine.
definitely let us know what testing you've had done so far.
also have you been back at all to be seen and get properly tested for things like yeast and bacterial vaginitis?
Acyclovir is always 2x/day for suppressive therapy. You can not take acyclovir just 800mg 1x/day. It's not effective that way. Call your provider up and question that dose. If they say that that dose works too -ask them to please cite the research that backs that. I guarantee you they can't provide any that shows that 800mg once a day is effective for acyclovir!!
do you have hsv1 or hsv2 genitally? How about orally - which one?
A herpes outbreak certainly could show up like this. And although valacyclovir (Valtrex) is quite effective in preventing outbreaks, it isn't perfect; outbreaks sometimes occur when on treatment. On the other hand, herpes outbreaks almost never last more than a few days, especially when on treatment -- so most likely the soreness is something else.
Most important, though, is that you show this to your obsetrician, and also discuss it with him or her if you go into labor.
ve been taking 500mg of Valtrex every night and plan to do so for the next year to year and a half as suggested by my doctor. I have had no other outbreaks since the first one. My doctor explained to me that taking Valtrex on a regimen would help the virus become dormant. I was wondering what that meant specifically in terms of my likelihood of transmitting the virus to sexual partners with or without condoms.
$375 a month is outrageously expensive!! Anyway, generally genital HSV-1 causes less severe and less frequent outbreaks than HSV-2. Most people with genital HSV-1 have relatively few outbreaks, and some do not have another one after their primary outbreak. Also, there is less viral shedding (when you can transmit the virus to others even when sores are not present). Even though it is possible to transmit genital HSV-1, it is a lot less probable than HSV-2.
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