Valtrex is an antiviral drug supplied by GlaxoSmithKline. It is used mainly in the treatment of infections caused by the herpes virus. Valtrex is the brand name for Valaciclovir. – the main ingredient in the drug. Once in the body it gets converted into an active drug called acyclovir. Valaciclovir is also supplied by GlaxoSmithKline as another drug called Zelitrex. Valtrex was approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration in 1995.
Generic Valtrex is available in dose sizes of 250 mg, 500 mg, and 1000 mg(1 gram). Unlike other drugs used to treat oral and genital herpes Valtrex only needs to be taken once a day. It is also relatively inexpensive. It can be taken with or without food.
Valtrex against oral and genital herpes
As mentioned above Valtrex is mainly used to treat herpes. More specifically it is actually a large family of viruses called herpesviruses.
One member of this family which is quite common in the adult population is the herpes simplex virus (type 1 and 2). These viruses cause oral and genital herpes.
Oral and genital herpes are the main conditions for which Valtrex is c used for. Oral herpes is the most common form of infection and is characterized by cold sores or blisters in the face or the mouth. Genital herpes is the second most common herpes infection and is characterized by a flu like symptoms and blisters or ulcers on the genitals. The virus is usually contracted from having sex with an infected person.
Valtrex helps alleviate the symptoms of oral and genital herpes by slowing the growth and spread of the virus. However it is not a cure for the conditions, it only gives the body a chance to fight off the infection. After which the virus will lay dormant until a time when it becomes active again.
The next infection which Valtrex is also used to treat is shingles. Shingles is the adult form of chicken pox. It is caused by a virus called herpes zoster which is also part of the same family of viruses that cause oral and genital herpes. The symptoms of shingles include a headache, fever and a painful rash usually on one side of the body which will develop into fluid filled blisters. As in the other conditions Generic Valtrex is used as an antiviral to slow the virus from multiplying too much and thereby alleviating the painful symptoms associated with the rash.
As well as treatment of symptoms Valtrex is also used in the prevention of illness. Following organ transplantations the body’s immune system is very much weaker and prone to infection. Valtrex is used to prevent contracting a viral infection known as cytomegalovirus. Patients undergoing chemotherapy also have compromised immune systems. Valtrex is used in such cases to prevent infection from herpesviruses.
Generic Valtrex,
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