The drug is a broad-spectrum antiviral agent that effectively fights against the herpes simplex viruses of the first and second types, cytomegalovirus and other bacteria. How to take Valtrex?
Release form
The medicine "Valtrex" is made in the form of tablets for oral administration. Capsules are coated. Each tablet has in its composition five hundred milligrams of the main active trace element - valaciclovir. In addition to the active substance, the drug also contains a number of additional components:
- crospovidone;
- magnesium stearate;
- povidone;
- cellulose;
- silicon dioxide;
- titanium dioxide;
- polysorbate;
- hypromellose.
Tablets are packaged in cardboard packs in blisters of ten pieces.
Pharmacological properties
After using the drug, oral micronutrients are instantly absorbed into the blood. Under the influence of chemical processes, the main substance turns into acyclovir, which selectively acts, that is, the medication penetrates only cells and tissues disrupted by the virus, without affecting healthy areas.
The composition of Valtrex includes active substances that have high pharmacological activity against herpes simplex bacteria of the first and second types, cytomegalovirus, chickenpox.
Resistance to an active microelement is usually explained by a deficiency of phosphotransferases in the body, which forms an increased spread of the virus. Occasionally, a decrease in sensitivity to acyclovir is associated with the appearance of virus enzymes in which the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase is in disharmony.
Valacyclovir helps eliminate pain:
- reduces its duration;
- reduces the percentage of patients with pain due to herpes zoster, including acute neuralgia.
After ingestion of the main active trace element is perfectly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, instantly and almost completely breaking up into two components:
Such a biochemical transformation, as a rule, occurs with the participation of the hepatic enzyme valaciclovir hydrolase.
When using the medicine "Valtrex" in a dosage that is higher than a thousand milligrams, the bioavailability of the main trace element is 54 percent and does not decrease when the drug is taken with food. The degree and speed of absorption decreases with increasing dosage, which leads to a less proportional increase in the maximum content of the component in the blood compared to the recommended dose range and lower bioavailability when using Valtrex in doses of more than five hundred milligrams.
In patients with normal renal function, the time for removing the active component from plasma after one or more doses of Valtrex is about three hours. Less than one percent of valaciclovir is excreted unchanged in urine. The active microelement of the drug is excreted through the kidneys mainly in the form of acyclovir.
Indications
The drug is recommended for use by patients for the treatment and prevention of the following diseases and ailments:
- Herpetic rash on the inner shell of the oral cavity, near the nasal passages, above the lip.
- Genital herpes (viral infection of the mucous membrane of the genital organs, which is characterized by the formation of a series of vesicles, and then ulcers).
- The rapid development of cytomegalovirus infection (a viral infectious disease of a person, the source of which is considered to be DNA-containing cytomegalovirus).
- Herpes zoster (a viral disease that is characterized by unilateral rashes on the skin with increased pain).
- Herpetic infection.
According to the instructions and reviews for Valtrex, it is known that the use of the drug for adult patients and adolescents over the age of twelve is rational for the preventive purposes of cytomegalovirus, opportunistic and other herpes virus infections after organ transplants, as well as for acute transplant rejection.
Contraindications
The drug "Valtrex" is forbidden to take in the treatment of patients with the following conditions:
- Individual sensitivity to the components that make up the drug.
- Children under twelve years old.
- Severe impaired liver or kidney function.
The medicine is not recommended for the treatment of people with human immunodeficiency virus.
How to take the drug?
According to the instructions for use with Valtrex tablets, adults are recommended to take two tablets three times a day for one week to eliminate shingles.
The tablets are intended for oral administration. As a rule, it is necessary to swallow the capsule whole without chewing, with water. Depending on the history, the maximum daily dosage of the drug may vary.
According to indications, "Valtrex" can be used in the treatment of infectious diseases that are caused by the herpes simplex virus of the first and second types, the dosage of the medication is five hundred milligrams twice a day.
The duration of treatment is at least five days. In the absence of positive dynamics, the patient needs to see a doctor to clarify the diagnosis or prescribe another drug.
In case of accidental contact of a person with a patient with herpes sick, it is necessary to undergo preventive therapy. According to the indications for Valtrex, the dosage of the drug is from one to two times a day, five hundred milligrams for five days.
In the chronic form of herpes infection for preventive purposes, which are aimed at eliminating relapse, the patient should begin treatment even before the onset of the first symptoms or immediately after the appearance of burning or itching at the site of the rash.
According to reviews of Valtrex, it is important to remember that with genital herpes, the patient is recommended to take five hundred milligrams of the drug twice a day. As a rule, it is necessary with such an infection to undergo treatment immediately for both sexual partners, otherwise the inflammation will continue to pass from one person to another. During therapy, you need to refrain from intimate relationships.
For preventive purposes, the appearance of inclusive cytomegaly during blood transfusion or transplantation of internal organs, a person is recommended to take two grams of the drug per day, dividing them into four doses, one tablet with a dosage of five hundred milligrams. In this case, the doctor determines the duration of therapy purely individually for each patient.
Can I use the drug during pregnancy?
According to reviews about Valtrex, it is known that in medicine there is not enough information about the safety of the main active substance for the development and growth of the fetus in the womb, and therefore, during pregnancy, the drug can be taken by women only if the expected effect for the future moms are higher than the possible risks to the embryo. In this case, the doctor should strictly monitor the general condition of the pregnant woman and in the event of a negative effect, stop treatment immediately.
When using Valtrex, orally active substances easily pass into breast milk and are able to penetrate the baby’s body instantly. If therapy with this medicine is necessary for lactating women, it is important to closely monitor the child's reaction. The drug is prescribed during lactation in the minimum dosage of Valtrex.
Side effects
In most situations, this drug is well tolerated by people, but with increased individual sensitivity to the microelements of the drug, the patient has a risk of developing the following side effects from Valtrex:
- Nausea.
- Pain in the abdomen.
- Migraine (a neurological disease, the most common and characteristic symptom of which is episodic or regular severe and painful headache in one half of the head).
- Thrombocytopenia (a condition characterized by a decrease in platelet count below normal).
- Leukopenia (a decrease in the level of white blood cells in a person’s blood below the standard).
- Angioneurotic edema (reaction of the body to the influence of various allergic factors).
- Anaphylaxis (a state of sharply increased sensitivity of the body).
- Shortness of breath (a symptom that accompanies many ailments - from neurological diseases and ending with severe heart pathologies).
- Hand shake.
- Partial or complete loss of coordination of voluntary muscle movements.
- Oppression of consciousness when ingested large doses of the drug.
- Enhanced sensitivity of the organs of vision.
- Kidney disease.
Interaction with other medicines
With the joint use of the drug "Valtrex" with antiviral drugs or immunomodulating agents, the pharmacological effect of the drug increases.
You need to be careful while taking this medication with other drugs that are excreted by the kidneys, since excessive load on the genitourinary system can lead to serious complications, in particular renal failure.
The cost of the drug varies from 1,100 to 4,000 rubles per pack.
Valtrex tablets: analogues
The drug has a number of substitute drugs:
- Valvir
- Valtsikon.
- "Panavir".
- "Valacyclovir."
- "Vairova."
- "Valogard."
- "Acyclovir."
- Wirdel.
- "Famvir."
- Zovirax.
- Herpacycvir.
- Famciclovir.
- Cycloferon.
Valacyclovir
A drug for oral administration of an antiviral effect. The drug is effective against herpes viruses of the first and second types, cytomegalovirus.
"Valacyclovir" is made in the form of tablets for oral administration, the capsules are coated with a protective coating. The drug is packaged in blisters of ten pieces. One tablet contains five hundred milligrams of the main active trace element.
After applying the medicine, the orally acting component under the influence of certain chemical processes completely turns into a microelement, which simply gets into cells and tissues disrupted by the virus, and then acts detrimental on them.
Valaciclovir is cheaper than Valtrex, its cost is 400 rubles.
"Panavir"
A medication that has an antiviral and immunomodulatory effect. Available in the following dosage forms:
- rectal suppositories;
- vaginal suppositories;
- gel for external use;
- solution for intravenous administration.
The drug increases the body's defense to the sources of various infections and helps to produce leukocytes in the blood interferons alpha and gamma. In the prescribed dosages, the medication is tolerated, as a rule, quite well. The cost of "Panavir" varies from 100 to 3500 rubles, depending on the form of issue.
Vairova
Antiviral medication is a blocker of the synthesis of viral deoxyribonucleic acid and the return of viruses back. Vairova is available in the form of tablets for oral administration, the capsules are film-coated.
The drug is prescribed for adult patients for the treatment of primary and recurrent herpes on the lips, as well as with prolonged suppressive therapy of renewed genital herpes in people with immunodeficiency.
In addition, the drug is used to reduce the likelihood of infection of the sexual partner and eliminate herpes zoster. For prophylactic purposes of cytomegalovirus bacteria during organ transplants, the drug is recommended for adults and children over twelve years of age. The cost of the drug "Vairova" is 700 rubles.
Opinions
There are a lot of reviews about Valtrex. In positive responses, there is a high effectiveness of the drug, as well as the absence of the resumption of the disease.
Many patients indicate a more pronounced pharmacological result when using Valtrex with medications that increase immunity. As a negative side of the drug, its high cost is noted.
But there are opinions indicating the lack of positive dynamics from therapy and the ineffectiveness of the treatment of herpes on the lips with Valtrex.