I've never used Valtrex so I don't know the dosage.  But I can see how
confusing it must be!

Good luck.

ar

1. Yes, emedicine recommends 500 mg twice a day for recurrences.

2. This dosage would be more proper for a primary episode.

3. Perhaps read an article online about this or talk to your doctor
about your dosage confusion.

I never used any antivirals, I'm thinking about it though, but I have
used Abreva and it seemed to help.

When you say that you get a "cold sore" on your lip a few times a year, what
you are really trying to say is that you have oral herpes and you get
outbreaks a couple of times a year on or around your mouth, right?

What seems to be the issue with that? Have you read the prescribing
information on the Valtrex site?

Did your dentist say why he thought 1 gram 3 times a day was necessary? That
seems to be excessive to me, but what do I know? I've only had herpes for 11
years.

Did you look up the site to see for yourself yet?

I'm assuming Denavir is some sort of cream? I've always heard to keep the
area clean and dry because it promoted quicker healing times. But then
again, maybe the Denavir would help with any pain or discomfort you might
have.

I have genital herpes and have always found that taking 500 mg twice daily
did the trick. Two or three days is all that I need. If I were you, I would
look up the site and see what their recommendations are.

If it were me, and I had oral herpes, knowing what I know after 11 years of
dealing with herpes, I'd take the Valtrex.

Yes, since you have insurance you might as well.

If it were me, I would stay away from the creams and ointments, but that's
just me.

Good luck and best wishes,

Angela

http://yoshi2me.com -- Herpes Help

Dear Cool,

I've had oral HSV-1 for all of my adult life.  Like you, I had one or
two outbreaks a year, and then the virus went dormant for several
years.  Recently (last March), I had a big outbreak...two blisters
instead of the usual one, and then again last month, I had a single
blister.

Last month, I bought some Abreva to see if it would shorten the
duration of the cold sore.  At first I thought it seemed to, but it
wound up still taking a week for the blister to totally go away.
Perhaps if I had started the Abreva at the first sign of the outbreak,
that would have helped.  By the time I started using it...the blister
had already developed.

I do not take Valtrex at all.  It's expensive and I don't see the need.
My husband has type 1 genitally (a gift from me, due to our ignorance)
and during the times that I feel like I'm getting an outbreak, and when
I have one, I am just much more cautious.  I am more careful around my
children in regard to drinking glasses, eating utensils,etc.  Although
transmission like this is more difficult, it's not impossible.

You could take Valtrex suppressively to minimize the spread of the
virus to others.   Other than that, taking it at the onset of the
outbreak is only going lessen the time which you have the lesion
(supposedly, like I said, I've never taken it...so I can't say from
experience).

I guess what I'm trying to say is...it depends on the reason you want
to take the Valtrex...whether it be for protecting someone else and
limiting the number of outbreaks you have each year (you'd need to take
it constantly for this) or whether you just want to shorten the length
and severity of your outbreak.

Good luck either way.
Michelle

When I was initially prescribed acyclovir for herpes the dosage was to
take 200 mg five times a day upon the onset of the outbreak.
 That did absolutely nothing, (which I couldn't see how it would) -- a
complete waste of time and money.
 Then my internist at Mayo Clinic advised me that when I could first
sense the onset (tingling stage), just take _all five_ 200 mg pills at
once and "tromp on it."
 From then on, that's what I have done, and I almost never have them
anymore.
 I've even done it when the blisters are actually becoming visible --
took all five pills like he said and they would stop growing and just
kind of disappear back into my body, believe it or not.  But it is
important, obviously, to take all those pills IMMEDIATELY.  For that
reason, I have a small container made for pills on my keychain so I can
take the five pills at absolutely any time.
 Once the blister has manifested itself, no pills, cream, nothing is
going to do much for it, if anything.
I've been getting them all my life since childhood, and I am vividly
aware of what it feels like when I'm about to have an outbreak.  I take
all the pills at once and that's the end of it.

 I would expect any doctor to concur with this advice, since mine came
from the world famous Mayo Clinic itself.

 The only time I ever get a cold sore now is if it begins to appear
after I've gone to sleep for the night -- then when I wake up I'll have
one since I wasn't awake to stop it and of course it's too late to do
anything about it since it's already completely formed.

 But anyway, this really works.  Some of the best advice I've ever
gotten --really made a difference in my life.  Pretty much eliminated
the whole problem entirely, compared to how it was.