There are side effects with any medication. That being said....some people do ok with valtrex while others definitely do not. The only way to know for sure is to try and see how your body responds.

There are a ton of posts on here which talk about the side effects people suffer from valtrex (and also famvir). Ultimately, valtrex is great at supression of shingles if you can live with the side effects. It sounds like you don't have many so you are one of the luck ones.

Good luck to you.
:)

Valtrex clears through the kidneys, so it doesn't affect the liver. So that is one thing in favor! Famvir just killed me, but it did clear up the shingles. But they kept coming back, so now I am using Valtrex as daily maintenance. One of my docs said sometimes people have to be on them for the rest of their lives. I am on for at least a year. I have a compendium, and there are side effects, but none of them are too severe, or I don't know what I would do.

I have been on acyclovir for several years. I had problems with famvir. Now, my pharmacist tells me that they cannot obtain acyclovir as a generic. Something about raw materials. I am not sure what is going to happen here. So far I have obtained it through another pharmacy. I am sure it has some side effects, but I have chronic pain from phn/degenerative disk disease/ etc. Keeps my shingles away--that's what is important for me. I was told by a woman working at the pharmacy that she does not respond to acyclovir; she takes valtrex. What works for one, may not work for another.

Best to everyone,

Colleen

Thank you Angela for the information about the liver as that was my primary concern with taking the Valtrex indefinetely. What side effects do you get? I guess that I am lucky as I don't get any side effects really that I notice. I get side effects to everything else though.

April