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DoxyPep 100mg
Post-exposure prophylaxis to help prevent bacterial STIs.
- Take Within 72 Hours
- Cuts Bacterial STI Risk
- Simple As-Needed Dose
Metronidazole 500mg
Antibiotic for bacterial vaginosis and trichomoniasis.
- Treats BV & Trich
- Proven Antibiotic
- Short Treatment Course
Valacyclovir 500mg
Antiviral that controls and suppresses herpes outbreaks.
- Controls Outbreaks
- Daily Suppression Option
- Reduces Transmission
Highlights
- While there is no documented Valtrex and alcohol interaction, the side effects of both can be unpleasant.
- Alcohol consumption should be carefully monitored for overall health and safety, especially during an outbreak you’re managing with Valtrex.
- Healthy attitudes towards alcohol can improve your well-being without changing how you socialize or relax.
Michael DiLeo, MD, has over 30 years of experience in clinical and academic medicine. Through medical school, residency, and private practice, he has functioned as both a specialist and a primary care practitioner. He has twice served as chief of staff of a large regional hospital. He is a published author on women's health for McGraw-Hill. Learn More
Herpes, shingles, and cold sores can be embarrassing, painful, and sometimes a risk to your health or the health of your partner. Fortunately, there’s medication that can help you manage these diseases, but you’ll need to adjust your lifestyle to some degree. Here’s what you need to know about herpes, Valtrex and alcohol interaction, and your overall health. [Español]
What Causes Genital Herpes, Shingles, and Cold Sores?
Facts about individual herpesviruses:
– Genital herpes, cold sores, and shingles are all the results of catching a herpesvirus: Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), or varicella zoster virus (VZV). For the sake of simplicity, we’ll refer to them as “herpesvirus” throughout this article, because all three are part of the herpes family.
– Herpesviruses are DNA viruses. DNA viruses come with all the instructions and machinery to make copies of themselves and just need a host cell to use for resources. This is why a herpesvirus will linger for so long; it can sit in the cell, replicating but not going out of control, indefinitely — as long as it has live cells to use.
– HSV-1 and HSV-2 can cause sores on both the lips and the genitals. Cold sores can appear on the inside of the mouth as well, although it’s rare, and can be transferred through oral sex.
– Canker sores, also known as aphthous stomatitis, are not caused by a herpesvirus. They appear to be related to other factors, such as stress level, vitamin deficiencies, and allergies, although research is ongoing on this. There is no consensus on how to treat them. Since aphthous ulcers can present similarly, your physician should be confident of a diagnosis of herpetic infection before prescribing medication to treat herpes infection. It may be necessary to prove it with a culture, as an incorrect diagnosis of herpes can have severe psychological — and even relationshipl — repercussions.
– It’s estimated that more than 90% of adults have been infected with at least one of these viruses; 47% of the US population is believed to have HSV-1 alone. The virus is usually dormant and generally can’t be communicated while dormant.
– Blood work can document exposure to either virus or an actual infection, for both HSV1 and HSV2. The landscape of human infection, however, is like the wild, wild West in that demographics and prevalence are never constant. The rate of infection varies between male and female and even by region, and exposure to one can offer some cross-protection against the other.
– Herpes outbreaks can be recurring, and the virus can be latent for years or even decades. Shingles, in fact, is technically a recurrence of a chickenpox infection that can cause a painful rash years after an infection.
– Herpes viruses generally lay dormant in nerve tissue and only recur with certain triggers, including illness or injury, stress, fatigue, wind or sun exposure, or changes in the immune system.
– Controlling outbreaks can substantially improve your quality of life, and you may have been prescribed Valtrex, the brand name for valacyclovir.
How Valtrex Works
Valtrex was patented in 1987 and first came to the market in 1995. Because it’s been around for 25 years, it’s well understood by doctors and pharmacists, and its drug interactions are well documented. So far, herpesviruses don’t seem to have developed a resistance to Valtrex.
Valtrex is used to limit outbreaks, reduce the chance of spreading herpes infection, and prevent herpes virus infection for immunocompromised individuals. Valtrex is not a replacement for safe sex behaviors.
Valtrex itself is not a medication, but what’s called a prodrug. When you consume it, your body turns it into acyclovir, which acts on herpesviruses in two ways.
First, its conversion to acyclovir keeps DNA viruses, like herpes, from replicating, shutting down the machinery the virus uses to make copies of itself.
Secondly, the medication goes into the DNA of the virus, damaging the instructions it uses to make those copies.
Unfortunately, the effect doesn’t last forever. The body is fairly good at processing acyclovir, and once it’s out of your system, the virus can replicate again. This makes infection management particularly important.
Is Combining Valtrex and Alcohol a Good Idea?
Drinking alcohol while taking Valtrex hasn’t been explicitly warned against in studies or approvals. And so far, there has been no documented Valtrex–alcohol interaction. However, that doesn’t mean that combining them is a good idea, for three reasons: side effects, potential interactions, and accelerated kidney elimination of the acyclovir in the urine.
Valtrex Side Effects
For starters, consider this list of possible side effects of taking Valtrex, and remember that these side effects become more likely as you age:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Tired feeling
- Depression
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Stomach pain
- Joint pain
- Skin rash
- Stuffy nose
- Sore throat
Overindulging in alcohol can make these side effects feel worse. Alcohol is a depressant; it slows the body down. It can also dehydrate you, which is part of the reason a hangover can be such an unpleasant experience. Imagine overdoing it, then having the effects of that to deal with the next day in addition to the potential side effects of the Valtrex.
Valtrex and Alcohol Interactions
What’s more, the FDA cautions that alcohol may help break down acyclovir faster, which can change its effectiveness.
Alcohol, especially heavy alcohol use, can put a strain on your system and limit the effectiveness of many drugs, which may bring up new safety risks. While we may enjoy the feeling, your body has to work overtime to metabolize and get rid of alcohol, through a four-step process that turns alcohol into chemicals that can be more easily broken down. If it has to do this while also processing Valtrex, it may impact the effectiveness.
Taking a few precautions can help you enjoy your life without worrying about your antiviral medications causing problems or drug interactions.
Valtrex and Alcohol — The Rest of the Story
Alcohol increases urination by directly affecting the hormone that regulates kidney function. Simply put, drinking alcohol makes you urinate more, both in frequency and volume. Acyclovir broken down from valacyclovir is eliminated by the kidneys. With more frequent urination, the actual dose your body gets may be decreased and become less effective.
Precautions for Mixing Alcohol and Medications
None of this means you can’t enjoy a drink or two, provided it’s not contraindicated by your medication, you’ve checked for safety, and you’ve talked about it with your doctor.
However, you do need to take a few precautions to make sure you’re not putting too much strain on your system.
- Pay attention to how frequently you’re going to the bathroom.
- Always discuss your alcohol consumption — and plans for reducing it — with your doctor. Go over your concerns in detail and ask for advice and relevant information.
- Unless you’re taking Valtrex daily for chronic inhibition, skip alcohol during times of treatment for acute or recurrent episodes.
- Be familiar with the drugs that are contraindicated for alcohol or that may have dangerous drug interactions, which usually have to do with the cardiovascular system or liver.
- Remember that bodies change over time, including your ability to process alcohol. What may not be overdoing it today can quickly become too much.
- Keep in mind that some drugs may have an impact on the ability of the body to process alcohol, raising possible safety issues.
- Limit your overall alcohol consumption to one drink or less a day, on average, especially if you’re in the middle of managing an outbreak.
- Learn strategies for avoiding alcohol politely in social situations, such as budgeting your drink for the day for that after-work party or volunteering to be the designated driver on social occasions.
- Bring non-alcoholic alternatives to parties, so you’ll have something available to drink if you’d prefer not to drink alcohol.
- Don’t forget that alcohol consumption can have other impacts on your system, such as weight gain, that may, over time, affect how antiviral medications and other drugs are metabolized.
The Bottom Line
Managing an outbreak doesn’t mean you have to stay home with the TV — it simply means you need to factor in your medication as you live your life.
With the proper precautions, most people can safely drink up to one drink a day while taking Valtrex or the generic valacyclovir. However, it’s always a good idea to check with your doctor first about your personal risk factors.
By Valtrex With Confidence from eDrugstore
At eDrugstore, we’re serious about your sexual health. Our U.S.-licensed physicians are standing by for your free medical consultation and ready to write your prescription. When you order from us, your medications are delivered quickly and discreetly, and shipping is always free.
Dan is a long-time freelance writer focusing on technology, science, health, and medicine, with a lifelong interest in physics, biology, and medicine. His work has taken a particular focus on scientific studies “beyond the headlines,” reading the study to more closely examine the results.