How long can you take Valtrex for suppressive therapy?

Currently, there appears to be little physical harm in taking valacyclovir every day for more than a year in healthy patients (35–37). In patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there are no data on the safety of therapy lasting more than 6 months (40).

How long is a course of Valtrex?

A 3-day course of 500 mg of valacyclovir administered twice daily as episodic treatment of recurrent genital herpes is equivalent to a 5-day course with regard to key markers of efficacy.

Do I need to take full course of Valtrex?

To help clear up your infection, keep taking valacyclovir for the full time of treatment, even if your symptoms begin to clear up after a few days. Do not miss any doses. However, do not use this medicine more often or for a longer time than your doctor ordered.

How long do I take Valtrex for an outbreak?

For first-time herpes outbreaks, valacyclovir is most effective when it’s used within 48 hours of symptoms appearing. The standard dosage of valacyclovir for first-time herpes outbreaks is 1,000 mg two times per day over a period of 10 days.

What is considered long term use of valacyclovir?

Valacyclovir enhances acyclovir bioavailability compared with orally administered acyclovir. Long-term use of acyclovir for up to 10 years for HSV suppression is effective and well tolerated.

What happens when you stop taking Valtrex?

Abruptly stopping Valtrex can cause new side effects or worsen symptoms. If you stop Valtrex before you’re supposed to, your viral infection may get worse because the medication hasn’t had the opportunity to work properly.

How many days should I take Valtrex?

The recommended dosage of VALTREX for treatment of initial genital herpes is 1 gram twice daily for 10 days. Therapy was most effective when administered within 48 hours of the onset of signs and symptoms. The recommended dosage of VALTREX for treatment of recurrent genital herpes is 500 mg twice daily for 3 days.

Can you take valacyclovir for 3 days?

To treat a recurrent outbreak, the FDA recommends using 500 mg of valacyclovir twice daily for 3 days starting at the first sign or symptom of lesions—preferably within 24 hours of onset.

How long should I take valacyclovir?

Valacyclovir comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken every 8 hours (three times a day) for 7 days to treat shingles. To treat genital herpes it is usually taken twice a day for 5 days.

How long can you take Valtrex daily?

Valacyclovir 1 g taken every 12 hours for 5 to 14 days is recommended by the HIV guidelines.

Is it OK to take Valtrex everyday?

Valtrex is most effective when started as soon as symptoms begin, so see your doctor immediately if you have symptoms. It’s safe to take Valtrex every day as long as you’ve been instructed to do so. If you miss a dose of Valtrex, you should take the next dose as soon as possible.

What happens if you take Valtrex everyday?

A new study shows that daily therapy with the antiviral drug Valtrex significantly lowers the risk of transmitting genital herpes among heterosexual couples in which one partner is infected with the herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2).