Key takeaways
- Valacyclovir can interact with several medications, including aminoglycosides, cidofovir, emtricitabine, foscarnet, lithium, methotrexate, mycophenolate, and tenofovir, potentially increasing the risk of side effects.
- Certain health conditions, such as kidney issues, HIV, stage 3 HIV, a history of bone marrow or kidney transplant, can increase the risk of interactions with valacyclovir, so it’s important to discuss your health history with your doctor.
- While valacyclovir doesn’t have known interactions with alcohol, supplements, or certain lab tests, it’s still important to consult with your doctor or pharmacist about potential risks and which pain relievers are safe to take with valacyclovir.
Overview
This article describes possible interactions with valacyclovir oral tablet. Interactions can cause a drug to have a different effect on the body than expected, including increased side effects or reduced effectiveness. Interactions can occur with other medications, alcohol, or certain health conditions.
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Other drugs and valacyclovir
Before taking valacyclovir oral tablets, tell your doctor and pharmacist about any prescription, over-the-counter, or other drugs you take. Doing so may help prevent possible interactions. If you’re concerned about possible interactions, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
The drugs in the following list may interact with valacyclovir oral tablet. This article doesn’t include all drugs that may interact with valacyclovir.
Drug classes or drugs that may interact with valacyclovir oral tablet include:
- aminoglycosides:
- drug examples: gentamicin, amikacin
- what might happen: can increase the risk of side effects of the aminoglycoside and valacyclovir
- cidofovir:
- what might happen: can increase the risk of side effects of cidofovir and valacyclovir
- emtricitabine (Emtriva) and treatments that contain it:
- foscarnet:
- what might happen: can increase the risk of side effects of foscarnet and valacyclovir
- lithium (Lithobid):
- what might happen: can increase the risk of side effects of lithium and valacyclovir
- methotrexate (Trexall, others):
- what might happen: can increase the risk of side effects of methotrexate and valacyclovir
- mycophenolate (CellCept):
- what might happen: can increase the risk of side effects of mycophenolate and valacyclovir
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs):
- tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (Vemlidy) and treatments that contain it:
- tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Viread) and treatments that contain it:
- drug examples: cobicistat/elvitegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Stribild), efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate
- what might happen: can increase the risk of side effects of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and valacyclovir
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Get free cardWhen to avoid valacyclovir
Certain health conditions or other factors could increase some risks with valacyclovir oral tablet. Because of this, doctors may not prescribe valacyclovir in these cases. These warnings about health conditions or other factors are called contraindications.
Here’s a contraindication for valacyclovir oral tablet:
- Past allergic reaction to valacyclovir: If you’ve ever had an allergic reaction to valacyclovir oral tablet, taking it again may cause another allergic reaction.
Before you start taking valacyclovir, talk with your doctor about the contraindications of valacyclovir. They can recommend whether you should take this drug.
Other interactions and valacyclovir
Interactions can occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, and some lab tests. In the following section you can learn whether valacyclovir oral tablet has these interactions.
The following information doesn’t include all other possible interactions with valacyclovir.
Valacyclovir and supplements
Before taking valacyclovir oral tablet, tell your doctor and pharmacist about any herbs you take, as well as vitamins and supplements. Doing so may help you avoid interactions.
If you have questions about interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Valacyclovir interactions with herbs
Valacyclovir oral tablet isn’t known to interact with any herbs. But this doesn’t mean interactions with herbs can’t happen or won’t be identified later.
Because of this, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products while taking valacyclovir oral tablet.
Valacyclovir interactions with vitamins
Valacyclovir oral tablet isn’t known to interact with any vitamins. But this doesn’t mean interactions with vitamins can’t happen or won’t be identified later.
Because of this, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products while taking valacyclovir oral tablet.
Valacyclovir and food
Valacyclovir oral tablet isn’t known to interact with foods. But this doesn’t mean interactions with foods can’t happen or won’t be identified later.
Because of this, talk with your doctor or pharmacist about what foods you should avoid while taking valacyclovir oral tablet.
Valacyclovir and vaccines
Valacyclovir oral tablet may interact with live vaccines used to prevent varicella (chickenpox) infection. Examples include Varivax and ProQuad. A live vaccine contains an active, live version of the germ it protects against.
If you’re taking valacyclovir and receive a varicella vaccine, the vaccine may not work as well as usual. Your doctor may recommend that you avoid taking valacyclovir for at least 14 days after receiving a dose of a varicella vaccine. But this depends on your specific treatment plan.
Because of this, talk with your doctor or pharmacist before receiving any vaccines while taking valacyclovir oral tablet.
Valacyclovir and lab tests
Valacyclovir oral tablet isn’t known to interact with lab tests. But this doesn’t mean interactions with lab tests can’t happen or won’t be identified later.
Because of this, talk with your doctor or pharmacist before having any tests while taking valacyclovir oral tablet.
Valacyclovir and cannabis or CBD
Valacyclovir oral tablet isn’t known to interact with cannabis (commonly called marijuana) or cannabis products such as cannabidiol (CBD). But this doesn’t mean interactions can’t happen or won’t be identified later.
As with any drug or supplement, tell your doctor before taking cannabis with valacyclovir.
Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many states to varying degrees.
Common questions about valacyclovir and interactions
Here you’ll find answers to some common questions about valacyclovir and possible interactions.
What pain medications can I take with valacyclovir?
It depends on your specific health factors and overall treatment plan. But as far as interactions are concerned, some pain medications are safer to take with valacyclovir than others.
NSAIDs can interact with valacyclovir. Taking valacyclovir and an NSAID can particularly raise the risk of kidney-related side effects.
Common over-the-counter NSAIDs include ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and naproxen (Aleve). Common prescription NSAIDs include diclofenac (Voltaren), meloxicam (Mobic), and celecoxib (Celebrex).
Aspirin is also an NSAID, and some people take it daily to help protect against heart attack and stroke. If you take a daily aspirin, talk with your doctor or pharmacist to determine whether it’s safe for you to take aspirin and valacyclovir.
On the other hand, acetaminophen (Tylenol) isn’t known to interact with valacyclovir. (You can read more about this drug directly in the next FAQ.)
Talk with your doctor or pharmacist to learn about which pain relievers are safe for you to take during treatment with valacyclovir.
Does valacyclovir interact with acetaminophen?
No, valacyclovir isn’t known to interact with acetaminophen (Tylenol). These medications are generally considered safe to take together if your doctor agrees.
That said, acetaminophen can interact with other medications and health conditions. So be sure to talk with your doctor or pharmacist before taking acetaminophen.
Alcohol and valacyclovir
There aren’t any known valacyclovir interactions with alcohol. But if you have certain side effects from taking valacyclovir oral tablet, drinking alcohol may worsen them. These side effects include:
- headache
- nausea
- abdominal pain
If you drink alcohol, talk with your doctor about whether it’s safe to consume it while taking valacyclovir oral tablet.
Health factors and valacyclovir
Certain medical conditions or other health factors may increase the risk of interactions with valacyclovir oral tablet. Keep in mind that interactions could lead to side effects or affect how well the drug works. Before taking valacyclovir, tell your doctor about your health history. They’ll determine whether valacyclovir is right for you.
These health conditions or other factors might interact with valacyclovir oral tablet:
- a history of bone marrow transplant or kidney transplant
- kidney condition, such as chronic kidney disease, or undergoing dialysis
- HIV or stage 3 HIV
- pregnancy or breastfeeding
- past allergic reaction to valacyclovir
Preventing valacyclovir interactions
You may be able to help avoid certain interactions with valacyclovir oral tablet. Before taking this drug, you may want to discuss possible interactions with your doctor and pharmacist.
Things to consider include:
- Whether you drink alcohol or use cannabis.
- Other medications and herbs you take, as well as vitamins and supplements. Your doctor or pharmacist can help you fill out a medication list.
- What to do if you’re prescribed a new drug while taking valacyclovir oral tablet.
Taking valacyclovir exactly as prescribed can also help prevent interactions.
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Disclaimer: Optum Perks has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.