How to Take Valtrex

Getting over Shingles with Valtrex

Recognize the symptoms of shingles. Shingles causes pain on one side of the body along with a rash and blisters. To be sure about the diagnosis, a doctor might scrape some of your skin to examine the cells. You will typically feel pain and sensitivity in the affected areas for several days before the rash actually appears. A shingles rash follows the path of your nerves. When you get a shingles rash on your trunk, it will move from your back and around your sides to the front of your body. It rarely crosses from the front to the other side. See your doctor as quickly as possible once the rash appears. If it appears around your eyes, you will need to see an ophthalmologist immediately. The virus can damage your vision if it develops without treatment.

Start taking Valtrex within 72 hours of noticing symptoms. The faster you start taking Valtrax, the quicker you will start to get relief. With most outbreaks, Valtrex can minimize symptoms in 2-3 days. Start taking Valtrex as soon as you can after noticing symptoms. Starting within 24-48 hours can provide even faster relief. It can also help prevent herpetic neuralgia, a condition in which the area of the rash continues to be painful for months after the rash disappears. Valtrex does not cure shingles, but it does treat the symptoms. This medication will not be effective if you begin taking it more than 72 hours after developing a rash. See your doctor immediately if you develop any rash that you suspect may be shingles.

Take 1000 milligrams 3 times a day for 7 days. Valtrex is taken orally. If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember, unless it is time for your next dose. Don't take a double dose of Valtrex. You can take Valtrex with a meal or on an empty stomach. Take all of the Valtrex your doctor prescribes, even if you start to feel better.

Drink lots of fluids while taking Valtrex. Drink lots of water to flush out your kidneys. This will help ensure you don't have any kidney problems from taking Valtrex. Water is ideal to drink, but drinking any fluid will help.

Combine Valtrex with pain medications as recommended. While you are waiting for Valtrex to take effect, your doctor may prescribe another treatment to minimize your shingles pain. Ask your doctor about taking oral pain medications, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) to manage your pain. Once the rash begins to scab over and heal, you may be able to safely use topical pain medications, such as numbing creams or patches. Don’t apply any topical treatments to the rash without checking with your doctor first. You may be able to use a patch or numbing cream yourself, or your doctor may inject steroids or local anesthetics.

Managing Genital Herpes with Valtrex

Start taking Valtrex as soon as possible after noticing symptoms. Valtrex is most effective if you take it within 24-48 hours of noticing an outbreak. For a first outbreak, see a doctor as soon as possible to be able to take Valtrex within 48 hours. Symptoms of genital herpes include pain and itching around the genitals, red or white blisters, ulcers from ruptured blisters, and scabs on healing ulcers. Similar symptoms can also appear on the anus, mouth, and thighs.

Take 1000 milligram doses twice a day for your first herpes outbreak. For a first outbreak of herpes, take 1000 milligrams twice a day for 10 days. This will help relieve symptoms and prevent them from getting worse. For later outbreaks, you will take smaller doses. Make sure you take all the doses your doctor prescribes, even if your symptoms clear up.

Treat an outbreak with 500 milligrams of Valtrex twice a day for 3 days. After your first outbreak, you don't need to take as large of a dose. Start taking Valtrex within 24 hours of noticing your outbreak. Combine treatment with counseling to learn about how to manage herpes outbreaks with sexual partners.

Prevent herpes outbreaks by taking 500 milligrams of Valtrex once a day. Taking a daily dose of Valtrex can help prevent outbreaks. It can also reduce the risk of the virus spreading to others by up to 75%. Talk to your doctor to find out if taking Valtrex daily is the right treatment for you. Pregnant people and people with kidney problems might be at risk for complications from taking Valtrex.

Protect sexual partners with barriers between your skin and their skin. The only way to be sure not to spread herpes is to abstain from any contact at all. However, you can reduce your chances of passing the herpes virus to your sexual partners by using condoms, dental dams, or gloves to create a barrier between the infected skin and healthy skin. Wash healthy skin with warm soap and water after sexual activity to prevent spreading potentially infected fluids around. Unfortunately, barriers such as condoms can’t fully prevent the spread of herpes. If you’ve developed lesions on areas that aren’t covered by the barrier (e.g., higher up on your groin), they can still come into contact with your partner’s skin and pass the virus on. You can also reduce the risk of spreading herpes by avoiding sexual contact when you’re having an outbreak. However, it’s still possible to pass on the virus when your infection is dormant, so always use protection. Taking Valtrex significantly helps prevent spreading the herpes virus to others, but it isn't 100% effective. Communicate openly with all of your sexual partners about your health status before any sexual activity.

Treating Cold Sores with Valtrex

Identify cold sores by looking for small blisters always appearing in the same place. Cold sores appear as small, fluid-filled blisters around the lips. They can be hard and painful. After a day or so, the blisters usually break, ooze, and crust. After the blisters heal up, they can reappear. The first time you get cold sores, you may also get a fever, sore throat, headache, or swollen lymph nodes.

Take 2 doses of 2000 milligrams of Valtrex for a cold sore. Cold sores are treated with Valtrex in 1 day. Take one pill in the morning and one at night. Valtrex will help your cold sore heal 1-2 days faster than it would normally.

Combine Valtrex with lip balm, cold compresses, or pain-relieving creams. Lip balm and cold compresses can help relieve pain from cold sores. For very painful cases, use an over-the-counter cream with lidocaine or benzocaine. Keeping your lips moisturized can help sores heal faster.

Avoid contact with others during an outbreak. While Valtrex reduces the risk of spreading cold sores to others, you should still avoid contact until the sores have completely healed. Don't kiss or put your lips on anyone while you have a cold sore to be sure you aren't spreading the infection. Also avoid sharing eating and drinking utensils, towels, and lip balm.