I'm new to this, so I just started taking the 500mg valtrex once a day so what is the chance of me having a outbreak if I'm on medication? And what do I do if I do have a outbreak on medication? Should I switch to acyclovir 3x daily till it goes away?  The first outbreak is the worst right? Other then having this virus in my body, does this body destroy my immune system or effect me in anyway besides being emotionally draining and being a skin rash as well. 

You might have one or two outbreaks a year while on medicine - it greatly varies and the medicine reduces the frequency of outbreaks by about 70% but you have no history with this, so we can't be certain what impact it will have for you.   If you do have an outbreak, you can increase your dose to 500 twice or even three times per day for three days.  Yes, the first outbreak is most often the worst.  This virus does nothing that we know of to your body other than cause recurrences and psychological and social concerns.  It does nothing to your immune system that is damaging.

Terri
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If I know I'm going to be sexually active for a weekend should I up the dose of valtrex 500mg? Will this reduce shedding? What if I want to have sex in the shower? I can't participate in that anymore? :-( , this sucks Terri I fucked up big time. Since my breakout was a small lil blister near the tip, Is that where my shedding would occur? Cus I never had anything towards the base. I wasn't even having liquid come out of the blister, but it still did test positive. Can ruff sex compared to slow sex make a difference in shedding as well?

Actually research has found that high dose and normal dose therapies result in about the same amount of shedding.  But since you are newly infected, it would not hurt at all to take 500 twice a day and it will certainly reduce viral shedding.  You can have sex in the shower, you can do anything you want, but you must obtain consent from a partner who knows about your herpes to do so, in my opinion and they understand there is some risk,  Rougher sex is a bit more likely perhaps than less rough sex to trigger an outbreak or shedding as some people who experience prolonged or rough sex do report that as a trigger for an outbreak.  Shedding normally occurs from the shaft of the penis, generally speaking. 

Terri
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Ok so I'll take a pill morning and night. When should I reduce it to once a day? So I guess u can't over dose from this medicine? Also, since I'm about a month in with the virus I will refrain from shower sex and unprotected sex but when is a safe time or more safe to possibly go unprotected and hopefully be a low risk for my partner? And ofcourse once I have somebody and told them my condition. I real don't want to ever spread it, but I still want to enjoy sex at times without a rubber when the times right. 

I'm not saying that you can't overdose on this medicine, so for example, the dose for shingles is 1,000 mg three times a day (for a week or two). 
I know that you want me to tell you that there is some time in the future when unprotected sex is safe sex but I just can't say that because it isn't true.  If you have intercourse about twice per week with someone who does not have herpes, while taking medicine daily but no using a condom, the risk of transmission (after the first year or two), is about 5% per year, on average, from male to female.

Terri
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Ok. How long should I should do the twice a day until I can go back to once a day 500mg valacyclovir?

The usual recommendation is three days.

Terri
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