Valtrex contains the active ingredient of valaciclovir (as valaciclovir hydrochloride monohydrate), with tablets coming in 250mg and 500mg doses. Your doctor will know which dose is suitable for the condition you are trying to treat, and can advise you.

When treating genital herpes, the recommended dose is 500mg taken twice a day. For the first infection, you should take the tablets for 5-10 days (to be decided by your doctor). If you’ve had an outbreak before and are treating a further one then treatment normally lasts for 3-5 days.

For prevention of any further outbreaks, the normal dose is 500mg once a day for as long as your doctor decides.

As this medication can have a potentially damaging effect on your kidneys and nervous system, it’s important that you drink a lot of water throughout the day while being treated with Valtrex.

The most common side effects of using Valtrex include:

headache, feeling sick, dizziness, vomiting, diarrhoea skin reaction after exposure to sunlight, rash and itching (pruritus).

Active ingredients

Valaciclovir (as valaciclovir hydrochloride)

Inactive ingredients

Microcrystalline cellulose, Crospovidone, Povidone, Magnesium stearate, Silica colloidal anhydrous

Valtrex 500mg tablets

Please visit: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/files/pil.5467.pdf