Valacyclovir

How should you use this medication?
Take this medicine by mouth with a full glass of water. Follow the directions on the prescription label. Take with food. Do not chew or crush. Do not touch broken tablets with bare hands. Wash skin with soap and water if broken tablets touch your skin. Take your medicine at regular intervals. Do not take your medicine more often than directed. Take all of your medicine as directed even if you think you are better. Do not skip doses or stop your medicine early.

Talk to your pediatrician regarding the use of this medicine in children. While this drug may be prescribed for children as young as 1 month for selected conditions, precautions do apply.

What are the possible side effects of this medicine?
Side effects that you should report to your doctor or health care professional as soon as possible:

allergic reactions like skin rash, itching or hives, swelling of the face, lips, or tongue
breathing problems
changes in vision
feeling faint or lightheaded, falls
fever or chills, sore throat
hallucination, loss of contact with reality
pain, tingling, numbness in the hands or feet
seizures
signs and symptoms of kidney injury like trouble passing urine or change in the amount of urine
suicidal thoughts or other mood changes
unusual bleeding or bruising
unusually weak or tired

Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report to your doctor or health care professional if they continue or are bothersome):

constipation
cough
diarrhea
loss of appetite
nausea, vomiting
stomach pain
trouble sleeping

What may interact with this medicine?
Our pharmacists will check to see if this medication will cause any interactions with the information in your profile.
This medicine may interact with the following medications:

amphotericin B
certain medicines for cancer like adriamycin, doxorubicin, vinblastine, vincristine
certain medicines for HIV like didanosine, zidovudine
cyclosporine
dapsone
flucytosine
hydroxyurea
imipenem; cilastatin
mycophenolate mofetil
pentamidine
probenecid
sulfamethoxazole; trimethoprim
tacrolimus