Feedback on Valtrex Side Effect and Usage, page 12
About Valtrex
If you use Valtrex, please help others by adding your feedback. 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.
Subj: Yeast infection
Date: 10/18/2006
I have noticed that every time I take Valtrex for suppression purposes, I have a yeast infection almost every month. Is this coincidental or are others experiencing the same thing?
Lauren
AskDocWeb: Yes, enough others have experienced the same thing that we are beginning to think there is a connection even though it isn’t listed as a side effect.
Subj: Valtrex Itching
Date: 10/28/2006
I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. I’m seeing a doctor that is supposed to be a “specialist” in chronic fatigue syndrome. I am taking 6 GRAMS of Valtrex each day. I have been on it for five months. About a month ago I realized I was losing hair. I thought it was possibly a thyroid problem. I also started having a horrible rash on my butt, hips and thighs, which is driving me crazy. (which I thought was the guaifenisen I was taking for sinuses) I have not found anything that will help with the rash, or the itching for any length of time. It DOES help if I don’t overheat the areas, with too much clothing or too many blankets. I have also begun to have “small” hallucinations. Almost like seeing spots, but it’s not. I have verticle blinds and sometimes they seem to “slide” to one side. Also, I’ve noticed my face is swollen when I arise. I was on the same dosage of Valtrex last year but ran out of money after four months and didn’t experience any of these symptoms. I now have Medicare Plan D and after grabbing my life’s savings and leaping through the donut hole I would like to continue to try to stay the course, which I believe is a year. Thank you for this site. I have probably run across it before, but don’t remember because of my cognitive impairments. My doctor doesn’t feel I should go off of the Valtrex. Any ideas for the itching?
Sharon
AskDocWeb: You might try Benadryl for the itching, if that doesn’t work then ask your doctor about prescribing a steroid.
Subj: Valtrex yeast infection?
Date: 11/1/2006
I saw the question regarding the yeast infection but did not see the answer. Can taking valterx cause a yeast infection?
Shelly
AskDocWeb: It is not a listed side effect but some women report that it has caused a yeast infection. If so, it is at a rate of something less than one percent of users.
Subj: Valtrex for fibromyalgia?
Date: 11/5/2006
I have had fibromyalgia since 1987. About a month ago, I was treated with 3 Valtrex (1gm each) for seven days for shingles. During that time, I had three days of feeling almost normal (something I have not experienced since I have had fibromyalgia). I was elated! When I spoke with my doctor, he put me on 1 pill a day…with no improvement in how I felt. When I saw him a few days ago, he agreed I could take 3 a day as I had taken for the shingles. He is concerned about toxicity if used on a long-term basis. I have been searching online for information on what dosage has been used by others to treat fibromyalgia and how long can it be taken? I haven’t found any of this information. Also, have there been studies on using Valtrex for fibromyalgia? I would appreciate your assistance with this. Thanks.
Sandy
AskDocWeb: If you had a car accident and fibromyalgia was the result of your injuries, Valtrex may provide some short-term relief but there are no studies (that we know about) concerning the use of Valtrex to treat fibromyalgia. That may be because the safety and efficacy of Valtrex usage beyond 1 year has not been established.
Subj: Valtrex treatment for SCAEBV?
Date: 11/14/2006
I was diagnosed with Chronic EBV several years ago and have recently been re-diagnosed with Severe Chronic Acute EBV. The doc has put me on 1K MG 2xday. Have you had any negative or positive feedback on this mode of therapy and is there any evidence indicating efficacy in the treatment of SCAEBV??? Will be happy to provide my own feedback once I’ve been on this drug for a while. Regards
Pat
AskDocWeb: Thanks Pat, others would appreciate knowing the outcome of your treatment. For those who are wondering, EBV is an abbreviation for the Epstein-Barr virus, a human herpes virus. You may have heard of it referred to as infectious mononucleosis, mono (the kissing disease) or IM.
Your treatment seems to be experimental because there are no established therapeutic strategies for treating SCAEBV. Patients treated with a high dose of Valtrex have resulted in some reduction in EBV viral load, but with no clearance and with no effect on clinical signs and symptoms. Treatment with etoposide-based regimens or adoptive transfer of EBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes have shown some promising results. Another treatment, Rituximab (anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody) have successfully been used in patients with EBV lymphoma after kidney and bone marrow transplantation, inducing clinical remissions. Please let us know how well you do with your treatment.
If you live in Texas, consider taking part in a research project conducted by the Baylor College of Medicine. They are exploring a new treatment where special white blood cells, called T cells are drawn from a patient, trained to kill EBV infected cells and given back to the patient. Contact Helen E Heslop, MD at the Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, 832-824-4662. It’s a small study but the last we heard they were still taking volunteers.
Subj: Side effects of 500mg of Valtrex a day
Date: 11/16/2006
I have been taking valtrex for over a year for chronic and frequent cold sores (2-3 per month) – at first I was taking a larger dose just at the onset, but for the past 3 months I’ve been taking 500mg once a day. I notice the following: I do have more anxiety and a lack of energy and more frequent bouts of depression. The valtrex is able to mostly prevent an outbreak, however I still experience sensitivity and pain at sites on my lips where cold sores usually appear. Also, the light/pale scars appear on my lips regardless of whether the actual sore has appeared. Although the pain/sensitivity periods last longer than they would have if I let the cold sore run its course, I do not notice the frequency increasing above what it was before suppressive therapy. I’m still hoping frequency will decrease over time – I’ll keep you posted.
Erin
Subj: Wondering about nerve pain
Date: 11/24/2006
I had a hysterectomy 10 years ago. At that time they were surprised to find I had terrible endometriosis. I had had all sorts of pain & chronic yeast infections for over 20 years and no gyn doctor diagnosed it. I had to have blood transfusions during the surgery. I had not had sex for almost 2 years. Before the surgery, I suddenly had attacks of blisters in my mouth and genital area in about 2 years. Afterwards I was told I had vulvadynia and no one understood the mouth blisters. I used Sporanex and anti-fungal creams and finally controlled the blisters. I started a sexual relationship with an old friend which continues to this day. I didn’t have sex with him until about 4 months after the surgery when all the blisters were gone. I haven’t had blisters now for almost 8 years. But I have had terrible nerve pain & spasms. A gyn doctor recently gave me the Herpes tests. I came out positive for Herpes 1 & 2. She prescribed Valtrex daily for 1 year. My partner did have a blister and symptoms of Herpes about 2 years after my surgery, but my blisters never re-appeared. The doctor said my Herpes could be the source of my nerve pain. The pain especially in my belly and groin seems a little better the last few weeks, but I’m wondering over this diagnosis. Taking Valtrex daily for a year seems serious. I really feel that I got Herpes 2 from the blood transfusion but do wonder why I don’t have any blisters for the last 8 years. Can Herpes 2 really cause the systemic neuropathy and pain I’m suffering from? Is a year really necessary? I have ulcers and diverticulitis so I do worry about taking any medications for so long.
Maureen
AskDocWeb: Taking Valtrex for one year is fine, don’t worry about that. And yes, Herpes may cause nerve pain even in the absence of blisters, however, we suggest you see a neurologist for this nerve pain because it could also be something else.
Subj: Old Valtrex?
Date: 11/27/2006
I have had a bottle of valtrex for a little over a year, can I still take them?
Deneen
AskDocWeb: On a prescription drug, the expiration date is typically one year after the prescription was filled. An expiration date is the last date that a manufacturer will guarantee 90% potency of its product. However, most medications do not deteriorate significantly for a few years. Deterioration occurs when oxygen and moisture hit the medication. Once a pharmacy opens up a bottle, and the environment becomes less controlled, that date becomes less accurate. Once the pharmacy dispenses the drug, there is no way to know what it will be subjected to. Hot bathroom medicine cabinets, etc. To be on the safe side they mark it with a one year expire date. If you are given a manufacturer’s bottle, you can go by the expiration stamped, that is if you keep it away from heat and moisture. If it contains the desiccant, keep that in the bottle to prolong the shelf life. In a pinch we have been known to take medications that were a few months past the expiration. In a real pinch, we’d still go for it even if a year has passed, and hope that it was still effective. That does not apply to medication that keeps you alive such as a heart medication. Unless it has a foul odor or has physically deteriorated, it will not harm you. Only the effectiveness is reduced.
What do you do with old drugs? If you have drugs that have passed their expiration dates, the best way to dispose of the drugs is to put them in the trash right before it is collected or return expired drugs to a pharmacy. Please, do NOT flush them down a toilet or wash them down a garbage disposal. That causes problems for the water treatment plant, which is responsible for treating the wastewater before it is returned to a river or other body of water. Please be considerate of those who live down stream from you. Remember, you also live downstream from someone else. Read more feedback about Valtrex. Valtrex report – 9 – 10 – 11 – Page 12 – 13 – 14 – 15 – Last Page 64
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