Valtrex and Burning: What Users Say

• Sil...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 19, 2019

For Herpes Simplex, Suppression "I was diagnosed in 1993, at age 19 with herpes. I’ve been on and off this drug for the last 5 years, and I do much better when I take it daily. At first, I was just taking it when I had a flare-up, but the flare-ups were still kind of frequent. Once I started on a daily 500 mg regimen, no more flare-ups. So for 2 years, I was blister-free. I ran out of my script and had trouble getting it refilled about 3 weeks ago, so I decided to try just taking L-Lysine. Nope, had the worst flare in 20 years and even had trouble sleeping because of the itching, burning pain. I started back on it and immediately my blisters started healing. Yay, science! I’ll probably take this med for the rest of my life, which is just fine with me, and you can bet that I won’t let my prescription lapse again. I just wish that some brilliant researcher would find a cure for HSV."

• muc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 8, 2016

For Herpes Simplex, Suppression "I am pregnant and found out I had genital herpes on New Year's Eve from my boyfriend giving me oral sex with a cold sore on his lip. It burned so bad when I went pee. I had painful blisters and bumps and awful itching with a nasty discharge and swelling. OB-GYN gave me Valtrex 1 gm to take twice a day. On day one, the painful swelling I had in my labia went down a lot. By day two, the burning was gone and the big blisters went down until they were super small. The itching also got a lot better. Day three, blisters and bumps scabbed over. It's now day four and all I had left is dried-up tiny scabs over where two of the blisters were and they don't hurt at all. Bumps are gone. Basically, my vagina looks and feels almost normal again."

• Try...
• December 18, 2019

For Herpes Simplex, Suppression "I think I’ve had it for a while because, for months, I was experiencing terrible clitoral pain, and my gyno tested my blood and the clitoris. Nothing came back, but I would always feel an itchy and burning feeling at night. The beginning of last week, I experienced my first outbreak. I took this whole bottle, qty 14, and I’ve been getting more sores. I have no itchiness, mostly painful, and I’ve been so depressed. I haven’t gone to work and just have been staying in bed. I’ve been on antidepressants for a year now, and I’m scared for my future. I have two people that are close to me who have it, and it’s nice to have someone to talk to about it, but I just want this breakout to end."

• Anonymous
• February 24, 2014

For Cold Sores "I've had HSV-1 ever since I was 2. I had an outbreak then and again when I was 9 or 10. I'd forgotten that I even had the virus until a week ago. I got a new lip piercing, and 3 days into the healing, my lip blistered. It had been 25 years since my last cold sore, but I remembered what those blisters meant. I wasn't able to get to the doctor until two days later. By then, the blisters had broken open and were all crusted over. I took 2 of the Valtrex as soon as I got them and another 2, 12 hours later. Within a few hours, the pain started going away. The terrible burning was gone. It's been 2 days since my last dose, and my cold sore is in its final healing stage, with the little scabs. My lip is flat again, and the only pain is from the piercing."

• Dia...
• May 23, 2024

For Cold Sores "I sometimes get a cold sore after routine dental hygiene appointments in the corner of my mouth. I noticed the tingling sensation associated with getting a cold sore and started Valtrex within hours before blister appeared. Within 3 hours the tingling and burning sensation had subsided! I took another dose 12 hours later and by morning I had a little hardened skin, but no blister ever formed. Truly a drug that does what it says… I always keep this drug on hand."

• Dee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 19, 2022

For Cold Sores "I took 4 pills total, 2 every 12 hours. Within 1.5 hours, I already noticed a difference. Mind you, I waited too long to take these pills (I already had 3 cold sores on my lips). I felt itching and burning every night for 2 days, hoping it would go away on its own. Even after I waited days, these pills still relieved me, and within 2 days, they're almost gone and just a small crust now! No side effects for me. They were large but not hard to swallow, I drank a lot of water while taking them."

• dem...
• November 12, 2011

For Cold Sores "Valtrex is fantastic if used correctly for cold sores. For adults, the dose is 2 grams at the first symptom of a cold sore, followed by 2 grams 12 hours later. That's it. Now the key is getting that first dose right when you feel the first symptom (tingling, burning, swelling, etc.). This medicine has worked great for me and usually prevents the sore from breaking the skin, thus no one even knowing I was getting a cold sore. Anyone who gets cold sores knows how awful they are and how long they take to heal. I have not had as much success with acyclovir. Be sure you always have some Valtrex on hand. If you wait until you get a cold sore before calling the doctor, it's probably too late, but take it anyway to reduce healing time."

• luc...
• May 3, 2011

For Cold Sores "I am reading these responses, and it makes me feel so hopeful. I felt my bottom lip burning and itching this morning and ran home to use Abreva, then made a doctor's appointment and was prescribed Valtrex one-day treatment. It's been 5 hours, my blisters are still there, but at least they don't seem like they're growing, still itching and uncomfortable, though. I am supposed to see my boyfriend and his family this weekend, so I'm really hoping it dissolves very soon."