Valtrex is a prescription medication used to treat symptoms of infection caused by the herpes virus, including shingles, cold sores, genital herpes and chickenpox. It may be used to treat the pain and symptoms of active outbreaks, to help prevent recurrences or future outbreaks and to help prevent the spread of the virus to others. While generally well tolerated, Valtrex can cause mild to severe side effects in some people.
Common Side Effects
Clinical trials for Valtrex have been conducted under widely varying conditions in terms of dose, duration of treatment, nature of herpes infection (oral versus genital) and nature of treatment (suppressive therapy versus episodic treatment versus recurrent herpes infection treatment), making actual rates of side effects difficult to predict in the general population. Side effects commonly reported across these studies include headache (occurring in up to 38 percent of people), nausea (up to 15 percent), abdominal pain (up to 11 percent), depression (up to 7 percent), vomiting (up to 6 percent), increased liver enzymes (up to 4 percent) and dizziness (up to 4 percent), according to EMedTV. Up to 8 percent of women taking Valtrex have also reported painful menstrual periods.
People with HIV or other conditions that compromise their immune systems may be more likely to experience additional common side effects such as rash, fatigue and decreased blood counts.
If you develop any of these symptoms, or if they persist or worsen, you should contact your doctor.
Pediatric Side Effects
Valtrex has been evaluated in 177 patients aged 1 month through 17 years, according to RX List. Among those aged 12 to 17 who were treated for cold sores, the most commonly reported side effects were headache and nausea. Among those aged 1 month to 12 years, reported side effects occurring in more than one participant were diarrhea (5 percent), fever (4 percent), dehydration (2 percent) and runny nose (2 percent).
Other Reported Side Effects
According to RX List, a number of other side effects have been reported in the general population among those taking Valtrex. Because these side effects are reported voluntarily, it is not known how commonly they occur. Those included on RX List are either severe in nature, frequently occurring or have a possible causal connection to Valtrex. If you experience any of these side effects, you should seek emergency medical care. Reported symptoms include facial swelling, hypertension (high blood pressure), tachycardia (abnormally fast heartbeat), agitation, aggressive behavior, mania, hallucinations, seizures, confusion, tremors, dysarthria (slurred, slowed or difficult-to-produce speech), ataxia (unsteadiness or wobbliness) and coma. Visual abnormalities, liver dysfunction (hepatitis and liver enzyme abnormalities), kidney dysfunction (renal pain and renal failure), diarrhea, alopecia (hair loss from the head or body), skin photosensitivity (sun allergy), aplastic anemia (a blood disorder in which bone marrow fails to produce new red blood cells), thrombocytopenia (a blood disorder characterized by low platelet count), leukocytoclastic vasculitis (rare skin disorder in which nodules or plaques form on the joints, hands or feet) and a syndrome called TTP-HUS that causes multiple body systems (blood, vascular, neurological, renal) to fail.
Serious allergic reactions have also occurred, causing symptoms such as rash, itchiness, hives, angioedema (swelling beneath the skin), dyspnea (breathlessness), erythema multiforme (allergic reaction to medication that causes damage to blood vessels of the skin and skin tissue) and anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening allergic reaction affecting the whole body and requiring urgent medical intervention.
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