{"id":10139,"date":"2018-01-23T08:00:44","date_gmt":"2018-01-23T08:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/?p=10139"},"modified":"2018-11-09T02:11:14","modified_gmt":"2018-11-09T02:11:14","slug":"acyclovir-vs-valtrex-which-is-better-for-shingles-outbreaks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction\/acyclovir-vs-valtrex-which-is-better-for-shingles-outbreaks\/","title":{"rendered":"Acyclovir vs. Valtrex: Which is Better for Shingles Outbreaks?"},"content":{"rendered":"

N<\/span>either acyclovir nor valacyclovir is a cure for shingles, an outbreak of the varicella-zoster virus in adults. Both, however, can significantly reduce the discomfort and severity of shingles symptoms.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Some research indicates that the winter season seems to bring with it a weakening of the body’s immune system. This, of course, makes you more vulnerable to bacterial and viral infections. In the latter category, two of the most virulent viral threats are those of influenza and the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), responsible for chickenpox in the young and shingles in older patients. And if you fall victim to the flu, it increases your risk of developing shingles.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, vaccines are available to reduce your chances of contracting either virus. During the 2017-18 season, flu killed more than 80,000 Americans. And while shingles is rarely a killer, it can cause untold misery in those it strikes, estimated to be one in every four Americans.<\/p>\n

Standard treatments for shingles include both acyclovir and Valtrex. How are these two medications alike and how are they different? Is one’s dosage schedule more convenient than the other? Can they be taken with other drugs, like flu medications?<\/p>\n

What Is Shingles?<\/h3>\n

\u201cMost adults in the United States have had chickenpox, even if it was so mild as to pass unnoticed, and they are at risk for developing shingles later in life.\u201d
\n<\/em>—\u00a0The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke<\/a><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s review what we know about the shingles virus to date. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) tell us that fully 25 percent of all adults develop the painful condition known as shingles. That\u2019s around 1 million cases that occur each year in the United States.<\/p>\n

As previously noted, shingles is caused by VZV, which typically manifests in childhood as chickenpox. While the red spots and itching eventually disappear, the virus does not. Instead, VZV goes deep into the nerve cell structure of the individual affected, sitting dormant, and waiting to erupt. VZV, like all viruses, is opportunistic; it manifests typically in later adulthood when many have co-morbidities or a weakened immune system.<\/p>\n

Other factors that could put a person at risk for developing shingles include:<\/p>\n