About Acyclovir

If you’ve used Acyclovir, please help others by sharing your experience with side effects. What would you tell your best friend about this product? Please remember that we do not give medical advice. That is for your local health care provider, who is familiar with your medical history.

Acyclovir review
Date: 5/11/2016
Did have a shingles outbreak with no rash but the neuropathy pain. After using Acyclovir for 7 days I landed in the ER due to dehydration, fatigue increased BP and heart rate. It’s been 4 days and I still can’t get myself back to normal and now left with anxiety from this medication. I hope to never use it again. Would rather suffer through pain from shingles than the aftermath of what this “gentle” medication does to your body.

Karen

Drug test
Date: 5/24/2016
My son was taking acyclovir 400 mg and his urine test said he had codeine in his system. At work he may have had some acetaminophen from the first aid kit. Could the combination of those 2 drugs cause his test to show codeine?

Kathleen

AskDocWeb: Questions about false positive test results on drug tests for drugs of abuse are answered here.

Taking Acyclovir for Shingles
Date: 6/5/2016
I just started taking ACYCLOVR for Shingles. I am taking 800mg 4 times daily. The question is water. Should I drink 8 glasses of 8oz per day? I have a concern? Does the 4 times a day seem reasonable?

Ron

AskDocWeb: Yes, Acyclovir is usually taken two to five times a day for 5 to 10 days, starting as soon as possible after symptoms begin. Patients being treated with Acyclovir are advised to stay adequately hydrated and take each dose with a full glass of water to protect the kidneys.

Gained 17 pounds
Date: 6/18/2016
I have been taking acyclovir for the past year twice a day because I was treated for Lymphoma I have gained 17 pounds is that typical I noticed you said to diet and exercise have done al that and nothing can this pill be causing this weight gain? Second question, this year when I get bit by a mosquito I swell up like I have been bitten by a gnat. This is awful they itch
crazy then hurt I’ve tried the after bite products and nothing is working can this be caused by alcyclovir. Third can this drug also keep you from getting a sun tan? I’m whiter then I’ve ever been even when I get into the sun.

Pam

AskDocWeb: Weight gain is now listed as one of the possible side effects of this drug that should be reported to your doctor. As to your second and third questions, we have read nothing to indicate that Acyclovir might cause such symptoms.

Is this normal?
Date: 7/10/2016
Hai i have been using acyclovir for a werk now now my period are delayed is it normal?

Rouleta

AskDocWeb: Irregular menstrual cycles are not listed as a side effect of Acyclovir however, others have reported menstrual problems and changes in their period while taking Acyclovir. Please note that there are also other causes of irregular menstrual cycles; emotional stress, physical stress, changes in the amount of exercise, and changing birth control pills. Any of these can affect your menstrual periods.

Acyclovir while breastfeeding?
Date: 7/22/2016
Hi i have a 2 weeks newborn i was wondering if I could take acyclovir while breastfeeding or should I just stop breastfeeding while taking acyclovir and if i did for how long should I stop breastfeeding?

Melissa

AskDocWeb: According to US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health Acyclovir does pass through to the baby while breastfeeding but not enough to cause harm. See Acyclovir excretion in human breast milk.

Old Acyclovir?
Date: 7/25/2016
I just searched for my Acyclovir prescription in my kitchen cabinet and, boy, does time fly! I didn’t realize it had been two years since it was prescribed. That’s how long I have gone without it. Now I have a nasty canker sore on my lip. I took a pill just now. However, the bottle reads: Discard after 08/2015. I hope I didn’t just poison myself. 🙁

Dori

AskDocWeb: That is highly unlikely. Acyclovir is not one of the drugs that gets dangerous or toxic, after its expiration date, however, it will probably not be as effective as it was when it was new.

Acyclovir usage and kissing
Date: 7/29/2016
I have been using Acyclovir 800mg 5xday for about 8 yrs. and Valcyclovir 1000mg 5xday before that for about 2 yrs. I only take it 2x a day because I can only stand it ‘just so much’. I’m not sure what the herpes level is that I was diagnosed with but it was an outbreak of ‘cold sores & rash’ inside my mouth. I had not been sexually active for about 8 years prior to this outbreak. But I was in the middle of a horrid divorce, so could’ve been all the stress.

The acyclovir keeps the blisters – cold sores, rash – away and only when things get overwhelming do I feel ‘them coming back’ and sometimes will take an extra dose that day. It works and I’m cleared up the next day. I’m 62 and this started when I was in my 50’s, I haven’t had any side effects except that the 1000 mg was a bit over the top at 2x a day. The 800mg is much better since I’m a small person.

I was reading this article because my mom has an ear vertigo/BPPV/menieres and there was a reference to using Acyclovir to treat the ear imbalance, and possibly cure the dizziness for good. Is that something that would work? Hope that this works for everyone else as much as for me. Oh, since my ‘outbreaks’ are in my mouth and not genital… and I gather I will have this for ‘life’ does that mean I can’t ‘kiss’ anyone ever again? Thanks for any help on my mom’s Ear issues, and my oral virus.

Linda

AskDocWeb: Your concern about transmitting herpes by kissing is appropriate. Herpes is extremely contagious when a sore is present. When you have an open lesion you should avoid direct contact with others, including kissing. So what do you do when you have an active sore and someone wants to kiss you on the mouth? How about offering your cheek instead? It’s important to note that the virus can be transmitted through your fingertips so be careful not to touch an active sore. If you do, wash your hands as soon as possible. Transmission is also possible, even if no sore is present, through the “shedding” of the virus particles from the skin. That doesn’t completely rule out kissing someone. Altough it may be uncomfortable talking about herpes with a new person in your life, it’s worth doing. One way to help with this is for you to be as informed as possible about herpes. This will allow you to better answer any questions a partner may have when you tell them. Let them know that you only get the blisters occasionally, that many people already have the antibodies to herpes simplex 1 from childhood and will be able to counteract the virus. You might consider a visit to a health care provider to discuss any specific concerns you may have.

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that acute viral vertigo syndrome is viral, that the most likely viruses to do this are herpes family viruses, and that recurrent and chronic vestibular neuritis may benefit from use of antivirals. There is at least class IV evidence that anti-herpes medication is of value in managing chronic and recurring viral vertigo disorders, quite separate from single-event acute viral vertigo which typically resolves with supportive care, sometimes more rapidly with short term steroids. There is strong clinical reason to believe that for many but not all patients, treatment with anti-viral medication is highly effective.

Aiarrhea and abdominal pain
Date: 8/3/2016
I have been on Acyclovair for 5 days for shingles. I still have two days to go. I started having diarrhea and abdominal pain on the fourth day and I still have it although not as much. I will be very happy when I’m done taking this medication. It really has helped decrease the severity of my outbreak and pain caused by shingles. This medication is definitely worth taking even though it caused me intestinal upset. I was a nurse for over 33 years and have taken care of several patients that had shingles. They were in horrible pain. I wish that this drug was available back then.

Sharon

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