Drug Database: Valacyclovir Hydrochloride

What is valacyclovir hydrochloride?What is valacyclovir hydrochloride?

What is valacyclovir hydrochloride?

Valacyclovir hydrochloride is an antiviral prescription medicine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to: 

• Treat certain types of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections, including genital herpes (genital lesions) and cold sores (herpes labialis)
• Prevent genital herpes from recurring
• Reduce the risk of transmitting genital herpes to other people
• Treat varicella zoster virus (VZV) infections, including chicken pox (primary varicella infection) and shingles (herpes zoster)

HSV and VZV infections can be opportunistic infections (OIs) of HIV. An OI is an infection that occurs more frequently or is more severe in people with weakened immune systems—such as people with HIV—than in people with healthy immune systems. To learn more about OIs, read the HIVinfo What is an Opportunistic Infection? fact sheet.

How is valacyclovir hydrochloride used in people with HIV?How is valacyclovir hydrochloride used in people with HIV?

How is valacyclovir hydrochloride used in people with HIV?

The Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents With HIV and/or the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Children With and Exposed to HIV include recommendations on the uses of valacyclovir hydrochloride in people with HIV to: 

Treat

• HSV infections, including cold sores and genital lesions
• VZV infections, including chicken pox, shingles, and acute retinal necrosis

Prevent

• Chicken pox from occurring in certain people who come in contact with someone who has active shingles or chicken pox
• Genital lesions caused by HSV infection from recurring

The recommended uses may not always be consistent with FDA-approved uses of valacyclovir hydrochloride. See the Adult and Pediatric guidelines for complete information on recommended uses of valacyclovir hydrochloride in adults and adolescents with HIV. Valacyclovir hydrochloride may have other recommended uses not listed above. 

What should I tell my health care provider before taking valacyclovir hydrochloride?What should I tell my health care provider before taking valacyclovir hydrochloride?

What should I tell my health care provider before taking valacyclovir hydrochloride?

Before taking valacyclovir hydrochloride, tell your health care provider:

• If you are allergic to valacyclovir hydrochloride, acyclovir, or any other medicines.
• About any medical conditions you have or have had, including:
  • Bone marrow or kidney transplant
  • Liver or kidney problems, including if you receive dialysis
  • Advanced HIV or AIDS
  • Dehydration
• If you are receiving any medicines that may be damaging to the kidneys.
• About anything that could affect your ability to take medicines, such as difficulty swallowing or remembering to take pills.
• If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Talk to your health care provider about the risks and benefits of taking valacyclovir hydrochloride during pregnancy. The Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents With HIV may include other recommendations on the use of valacyclovir hydrochloride during pregnancy. Please refer to these guidelines for additional information.
• If you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. For mothers with HIV in the United States, the Guideline recommends speaking with your health care provider to discuss options for feeding your baby. Mothers with suppressed viral load have a less than 1% chance of transmitting HIV to their baby via their own milk. Although most medicines are safe to use while breastfeeding, some medicines should be avoided. Always let your health care provider know about all the medicines and supplements you are using before you start breastfeeding.
• About other prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Valacyclovir hydrochloride may affect the way other medicines or products work, and other medicines or products may affect how valacyclovir hydrochloride works. Ask your health care provider if there are interactions between valacyclovir hydrochloride and the other medicines you take.

How should I take valacyclovir hydrochloride?How should I take valacyclovir hydrochloride?

How should I take valacyclovir hydrochloride?

Take valacyclovir hydrochloride according to your health care provider’s instructions. Your health care provider will tell you how much valacyclovir hydrochloride to take and when to take it. Before you start valacyclovir hydrochloride and each time you get a refill, read any printed information that comes with your medicine.

What side effects can valacyclovir hydrochloride cause?What side effects can valacyclovir hydrochloride cause?

What side effects can valacyclovir hydrochloride cause?

Valacyclovir hydrochloride may cause side effects that can be mild or serious. To learn about possible side effects of valacyclovir hydrochloride, see the FDA drug label or talk to your health care provider or pharmacist. Tell your health care professional if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. Your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some side effects.

You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088) or online.

How should valacyclovir hydrochloride be stored?How should valacyclovir hydrochloride be stored?

How should valacyclovir hydrochloride be stored?

• Store valacyclovir hydrochloride tablets between 59°F and 77°F (15°C and 25°C).
• Keep valacyclovir hydrochloride in the container that it came in and keep the container tightly closed.
• Do not use valacyclovir hydrochloride if the original seal over the container opening is broken or missing.
• Throw away valacyclovir hydrochloride that is no longer needed or expired (out of date). Follow FDA guidelines on how to safely dispose of unused medicine.
• Keep valacyclovir hydrochloride and all medicines out of reach of children.

Where can I find more information about valacyclovir hydrochloride?Where can I find more information about valacyclovir hydrochloride?

Where can I find more information about valacyclovir hydrochloride?

• Recommendations on the HIV-related uses of valacyclovir hydrochloride, from the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents With HIV and the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Children With and Exposed to HIV.
• This Patient Version drug summary is based on the following FDA label(s): Tablet (film-coated). The Patient Package Insert includes information for people taking valacyclovir hydrochloride.
• The American Hospital Formulary Service (AHFS) Patient Medication Information for valacyclovir available from MedlinePlus.
• Valacyclovir hydrochloride-related research studies, from ClinicalTrials.gov. (The ClinicalTrials.gov search can be modified so that you can get results that better match your interests.)