When you come across a drug medication that possesses the ability to treat a variety of conditions, then you have a versatile treatment at your disposal. Drug medication Valacyclovir is one such medication and it would be to your benefit to know and understand as much as you can about this particular drug treatment not only for your own health but for the good of your family, friends and colleagues with whom you may share the good fortune.
How Valacyclovir is used as a drug treatment
There are a variety of uses for Valacyclovir as a treatment for infections caused by different types of viruses.
It’s used in children for treating cold soresthat usually appear around the mouth after being caused by herpes simplexas well as chickenpoxwhen caused by varicella zoster.
In adults this medication is used for the treatment of shingles which are caused by herpes zostertogether with the treatment ofcold soresthat normally appear around the mouth area.
Genital Herpes is another infection that can be treated with Valacyclovir especially in people who suffer from frequent outbreaks of the infection and administration of this treatmentis done in order to reduce the number of future outbreaks.
Essentially, Valacyclovir is an anti-viral drug, meaning that it prevents certain viruses from growing but unfortunately it’s not a permanent cure for the infections it treats.
It’s known that the viruses that give rise to these infections actually continue to thrive in the body between outbreaks.
What Valacyclovir does is to reduce the severity and therefor pain and discomfort caused by outbreaks of the infections.
It helps the sores that develop to heal and disappear faster, it prevents new sores from springing up and effectively reduces the pain and itching that usually accompany these outbreaks.
This drug medication may also assist in reducing the duration of the pain that lingers in the body after the sores have healed.
Administering Valacyclovir as a treatment
The best procedure you should follow before you actually start takingvalacyclovirconsists of the following:
- Carefully read the Patient Information Leaflet which should arrive with the medication from your pharmacist.You should do this before you start taking valacyclovir and every time you go for a refill. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about anything else you want to know about this drug.
- You should take valacyclovir by mouth, with or without food, according to the doctor’s direction. You should drink lots of fluids while you are taking this medication so you can minimize the risk of side effects.
- Your type of infection, medical condition, and response to treatment will determine the potency of your dose as well as the duration of your treatment. For the treatment of chickenpox in children, weight should also be factored in to determine the child’s dose.
- For getting best results from Valacyclovir, the medication should be used immediately at the first sign of an outbreak, and as directed by your doctor. Delaying treatment man not allow the medication to work as well as expected.
- In the case of an outbreak of chickenpox or shinglesthis drug medication should be administered at the first signs of a symptom or very soon after the outbreak starts.
- For cold sores or genital herpes, this medication should be taken at the appearance of the first sign of the symptom or as soon as the itching, tingling, and burning sensations are felt.
- This drug medication is more effective when there’s a constant amount of the medication in the body. To maintain this constant level of presence, you should take the medication at uniform intervals. To help you remember to take your dose, take your dose at the same time each day.
- The duration of treatment should continue until your supply of tablets run out. However, you should not skip or prematurely stop the treatment without the prior approval of your doctor. You should also inform your doctor if your condition continues or gets worse.
How long to wait before Valacyclovir kicks in?
Normally sold under the Valtrex name tag, the drug medication Valacyclovir is touted as one of the most popular and effective drug medications on the market these days.
It’s used mainly for treating and controlling cold sore infections, shingles and genital herpes.
Admittedly, this drug medication doesn’t cure herpes however, it can help treat the bodily symptoms of HSV-1 and HSV-2. The medication is also used in under prescription form for treating chickenpox that’s caused by the varicella zoster virus.
Various factors are involved in the length of time it takes this drug medication to start working in the body. These factors involve the type of infection you have, your dose of the valacyclovir medication and the symptoms you begin to notice which weren’t there before you began your treatment.
Dissipating cold soars fast with Valacyclovir
If you are a first-time sufferer of a herpes outbreak, then valacyclovir is the most effective treatment provided it’s administered within 48 hours from the appearance of the symptoms
The standard dose of this drug medication for those suffering from a herpes outbreak for the first time is a high of 1,000 mg taken two times a day for a period of 10 days.
It’s known that valacyclovir will immediately go to work as soon as it enters your system, but it can produce a clear improvement several days after being ingested.
It would normally take up to ten days for herpes blisters to finally heal even with the effective help of the valacyclovir drug treatment. However, it’s very important that for achieving best results, the administering of valacyclovir should ideally occur as soon as you notice herpes symptoms showing up.
Sometimes you doctor may prescribe this medication for a longer duration that the 10 days already mentioned or apply a different potency of you dose. It’s always advisable to follow the instructions your doctor gives you.
It’s equally important that you complete the full treatment course even if the herpes blisters have healed and gone before the end of the treatment period.
Bottom line
There’s very little doubt that a great deal of research goes into every drug medication that’s produced and ultimately finds itself in the drug market for sale to the public. The drug medication Valacyclovir is definitely one of them and users attest to its efficacy by the fact that it has continued to be one of the best treatments for herpes more popularly called cold sore due to the different ways it’s used, how it’s administered and how it works in your body.
