I finish Valtrex tomorrow but think i still need it...

[AngieDarling]

I've been dealing with my first ob and its been going for three weeks now. By the second week and i felt like i was getting worse, not better, my doctor put me on Valtrex. The healing seemed to speed up rapidly. My sores have closed over and are virtually not there, the pain is gone, my bathroom functions are back to normal... But i end my Valtrex tomorrow and i don't feel like i am 100% out of the woods yet :(

I'm still a bit tender in the area i broke out, and it feels like there might still be something going on under the surface. Also my lymph nodes are still swollen and tender. I'm very tired. I'm sleeping alot.

Do you think i should go get another prescription and do another 10 days?

[mr_hopp]

Hey AngieDarlin'! :)

 

3 weeks, huh? Bless your heart (as we say in the South)! I'm sorry it's been such a frustrating time for you. (By the way, definitely ask your doctor about these medical-specific questions in addition to getting our responses.) In my personal experience once the sores crust over, that's the main healing track. The worst is over for your first outbreak. Congrats, you've made it through the bulk of it and it'll never be this bad again! ;)

 

For the most part, in my experience at least, the medication doesn't really help to speed healing time as much as it helps if you feel an outbreak coming on to totally avoid the outbreak altogether or make it less intense. It probably did help this time since this is the first time your body is dealing with herpes. The swollen and tender lymph nodes are perfectly normal. It means your immune system is in full-on defense mode; it's doing its job to heal you from this new visitor! The first outbreak is always many times worse than future outbreaks, and they continue to get less and less frequent and intense.

 

But ask your doctor what s/he thinks to get a medical opinion ...

[Atlantic]

Your doctor should be able to write you a prescription so you can pick up Valtrex "as needed." That is what mine did.

 

Over time, your body WILL build antibodies against the virus, and you may find you don't even need the Valtrex (or rarely need it), unless you're with a non-HSV partner and use it as a preventative to reduce the likelihood of transmission. I have had HSV II for three years now, and it's now to the point where I do get itchy from time to time, but haven't been having actual OBs like I used to (yay!) I find that outbreaks are triggered by things like stress, exhaustion/jet lag, drinking too much and sometimes by hormones (I'm female). You'll begin to learn your body and your triggers, and your body will help out on its own, eventually.