Valacyclovir With Ibuprofen (Top voted first)

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I've been searching everywhere for an answer to this, but does anybody know if it is okay to take Advil with Valacyclovir? My wife's gotten a headache (a reported side effect) and is really wanting to take a pain medication. I have read that individuals should check with their doctor before taking Valacyclovir if they are taking NSAIDs such as Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen, but I can't seem to find a definite answer if one Advil will be harmful.

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2

Thanks Roy - my wife actually called her pharmacist today and they stated that she can definitely take Ibuprofen along with her Valacyclovir. They said that it could actually help with the inflammation and that there would be no interaction between the two. She was on a very short prescription, consisting of two doses of 2,000 mg each (one at night, and one the next morning). Thanks again!

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1

Ibuprofen is not specifically listed as a drug which interacts with Valacyclovir (meaning it is not implicitly described as dangerous to take together with it, whereas other drugs have been mentioned). This does not mean that you shouldn't double check with your doctor or pharmacist, but she should be good to take an Advil, as long as she has not been taking them every day recently. Also, if the headaches continue, let the prescribing physician know, as your wife may want to stop taking the medication if side effects persist.

Hope this helps!

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6

Hi everyone, I know this is an old thread, but in case someone comes across it like I did, I wanted to add information I recently found. It looks to me like there *is* the potential for acute injury to kidneys if Valtrex is used with NSAID (Motrin, Advil, Aleve, etc). I found this article (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24788910) at the National Library of Medicine. Bottom Line: it shows a correlation between taking both Valtrex/Valacyclovir and NSAIDs in people older than 65. It's the only thing I found showing a potential issue, but everything else seems to indicate it's ok.

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9

Can I take valacyclovir and Advil together? I am taking valacyclovir for shingles and I have a terrible headache. Can I take Advil with that?

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3

I went to the Urgent Care, because mi thumb got an infection. The doctor prescribed me Valtrex 1000 mg (3) times a day for a treatment of 7 days. I would like to know if I could take an Ibuprofen 800 mg together with the Valtrex, because I have a horrible sciatic pain. Thank you for your help! Renee

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15

For people who are confused about seemingly different answers, the reason is that it depends.

NSAIDs like ibuprofen can alter kidney blood flow - so with other drugs that might potentially compromise the kidneys there may be increased risk. If you added to that older age, pre-existing kidney issues, dehydration, high doses or long-term use of the drugs, etc then that risk jumps up even more.

However, if you have healthy kidneys, are well hydrated, and are taking reasonable doses of the drugs shorter term then your kidneys will probably be able to handle it just fine. THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD TALK TO YOUR PHARMACIST - they can look at your age, medical history and other medications and for some people the answer will be ‘sure, no problem’ in light of that info, but for other people it may be a different recommendation.

I hope that helps (I’m not a pharmacist, but I used to teach veterinary pharmacology and these principles are the same).

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11

i just called my pharmacist and asked if ibuprofen and valtrex can be taken together and she said it was fine,

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8

Thank you.... my head is pounding. I am taking the medication valacyclovir for the chicken pox,which I already had as a child...

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4

I would call your pharmacy and ask them for sure. I am pretty sure it is safe to take together. Good luck

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7

Thank you for adding that, I did indeed come across this thread just now, looking for an answer.

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10

My mom is taking valacyclovir for shingles. Ibuprofen seems to help pain better than pain medication prescribed by doctor. Is it safe to mix the two. Also how many ibuprofen can be taken in a 24 hour period. My mom is 85. Her prescription lasts for 7 days.

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13

I found this when asking this same question:

"Drugs that cause kidney problems, like a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like ibuprofen or naproxen, can interact with Valtrex. Since Valtrex (the original name for Valacyclovir) is very similar to acyclovir (Zovirax), you should not take the two medications at the same time."

Source: "What Is Valtrex (Valacyclovir)?". Everydayhealth.com. Web. November 14th, 2014.

Advil contains Ibuprofen, therefore that would not be a such a good idea according to that information.

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14

Re: Some Guy Experiencing A Mild Case of the Shingles (# 13) Expand Referenced Message

I’ve seen it’s ok to take Advil with valtrex then I also found what you posted so I wonder what the actual answer is! If the doctors and pharmacists say it’s ok but this article says no... I’m so confused, have back pain at the site and a headache.. took 500 mil valtrex now I want to take an Advil and not sure if I should!

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12

I am taking valacyclovir 1 gra tab. I have a headach can l take tylenol with this med?

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5

I am looking for the same answer. Help

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