Three times I've reduced my Valacyclovir dosage from 3 grams/day to 2 grams/day. All three times I've had an return of symptoms (twice after about a week, and once after 2.5 weeks). I wrote to Dr. Gacek about this, and he suggested the next time I go down I try going down to 2.5 grams/day. I am busting my brain trying to figure out what would be the right timing on the dosages of I do 1 gram, 1 gram, and .5 grams (cut a pill in half). Has anyone figured that out before?
My friend had the same problem she couldn't reduce off of 3 grams and she tried 2.5 grams I will ask her how she took her valcyclovir on 2.5 grams and let you know. I think she took her half pill 500 mg during the night but I will ask her for sure.
I would just break it in half. bytheway bythebay Is your hearing as good as it was the other day. I'm not reducing from 3 grams per day until my ear stays clear. Two days ago I could hear my fingers rubbing next to my ear. Yesterday, I could not. Today I can hear fingers rubbing. Tinnitus is extremely loud. I am leaving for Daytona International Speedway for four days of watching sports car racing. We camp in the infield. It is so loud there I will be wearing ear plugs the whole time. How loud is it? ..............Right behind the race track is the international airport. You can see jets taking off all the time but you cannot hear them.
I was about to put up a topic also similar to this and here you are... LOL. I just posted recently that I have been on the past almost 2 months on 2g, and thinking of lowering it to 1.5g or 1g daily. If 1g on daily maintenance dose, what is best? 2 X 500mg in the morning? or 1 in the morning and 1 in the night? Anyone care to share?
This is what my friend did She wanted hers spaced pretty evenly (about eight hours apart over the 24 hours), so she would take one full pill in the morning, one full pill eight hours later, and then when she would wake up in the middle of the night to use bathroom she would take the half pill. That way she was taking my full pills during the day when she needed them more. I hope this helps.
when I asked Dr G about taking my maintenance dose for acyclovir 400 mg once in am and once in pm or 800 mg once in morning he told me it was whatever I preferred. My suggestion would be try it one way and if you don't like how its working try the other way. for me both ways work fine with acyclovir
I am surprised at that. I have been told by a doctor that acyclovir does not persist like valtrex or famvir and it is important that it is spread out throughout the day. I dont see why calling it a maintenance dose would make any difference.
I think because when you are on a maintenance dose the virus is already suppressed, you don't need to take it evenly throughout the day to suppress it like you do when its active.
Thank you for the replies. Extra thank you to you, Vicki for checking with your friend. I hadn't been thinking of needing the pills more during the day than at night. I thought we were more trying to keep the medication steady to tamp down the virus. But maybe the virus is more active in the day when we have more stressors? How do you understand that idea? We are dealing with a lot of unknowns here I guess. Interesting and helpful also to learn that Dr. Gacek said to do what you prefer with the maintenace dose. I've been doing 1 at 7am, 1 at 3pm, and 1 at 11pm. I'm thinking when I got to 2.5 grams/day, maybe I'll take 1 at 8am, .5 at 3pm, and 1 and 10pm. Santa, my hearing is still much better than it was before the Valacyclovir. Unless I'm in a very loud place, I can hear people talk when they are on my left. I can hear the finger rub, though it is quieter than it is in the other ear. Before this recent return of symptoms, my hearing was even better. I was starting to be able to hear the fan in my house a little with my left ear and to hear my alarm clock when my right ear is on my pillow. I can hear the alarm clock very faintly now. (It's a quiet alarm clock and just seems to be a bad frequency for my left ear.) My tinnitus and ear fullness are, for the most part, going long with the hearing--not back to the best it got to, but pretty good again. The funny thing is that every time I went down to 2 grams/day my symptoms got a little better for a while. I think when I was at my best was at 2 grams/day. I wonder if it helps not to have such a battle going on in your ear. It's all hard to figure out, but still I'm in such a better place than I was before the AVs, so I'll take this problem!
I am currently down to maintenance 1g/day on valacylovir. I take in the morning daily. If I have a bad day I will take a 2nd dose in the evening. I just looked it up and according to the info available half life of valacylovir is about 4 hrs. So depending on the person I could easily see why it might be better to cut the pill in 1/2 and take 2x day.
same half life for acyclovir, 4 hours.. interesting. Some how I thought valcyclovir stayed in the system longer than acyclovir.
Yes, that's strange about the same half life. I thought the whole point of Valacyclovir is that it stays in the system longer. I read how it works at one point. The acyclovir is attached to something else. Once it breaks down (which takes time) it is just acyclovir, so the part of it that interferes with the virus is acyclovir.
I know val is supposed to cross the blood brain barrier better, but still surprised they have the same half life
I know crossing the blood-brain barrier is supposed to be one of the advantages for MM patient of Valacyclovir and Famciclovir (Famvir) over Acyclovir, but I don't understand why. Our issue is in the ear, not the brain. Maybe because the virus is on the auditory neuron?
I looked it up The vestibular system includes the parts of the inner ear and brain that process the sensory information involved with controlling balance and eye movements. If disease or injury damages these processing areas, vestibular disorders can result. Vestibular disorders can also result from or be worsened by genetic or environmental conditions, or occur for unknown reasons. - See more at: http://vestibular.org/understanding-vestibular-disorder/types-vestibular-disorders#sthash.oQk4WI8X.dpuf