Question:
hi everyone,

i wish i didn't have to come on here but my doctors aren't being very helpful and the internet doesn't seem to have any useful information, but i was recently diagnosed with genital herpes. i don't know how long i've had it, and as far as i know i've never had an outbreak. but the doctor put me on valtrex as soon as the test reults came back and i am confused.

1. don't you only take valtrex when u have an outbreak?
2. if not, if you are supposed to take it whenever u get diagnosed with it, do i have to take it after my prescribed 10 days? how long does valtrex stay in the system? what exactly does it do?

i'm so confused, can anyone help?

Answer:
p.s. the only way i was diagnosed with it was because i asked for a full STD test. otherwisei had no idea.

Answer:
so u had a blood test that confirmed u have hsv-2?
well i was just recently diagnosed too. my doctor told me to just watch over the next couple of months to see if i have an outbreak and then decide if i wanna take any meds. since i seemed to be having an outbreak when i talked to my doctor she prescribed me to take 2 valtrex pills 12 hours apart for 3 days. but i wouldnt think if u werent having an outbreak that u would need it, unless u were doing the suppressive therapy thing.
as for how long valtrex stays in the system im kinda new to this too and im not sure...and im not exactly sure what it does either...but id like to know too. cuz on another thread i was reading how someone said taking suppressive therapy can help the virus build immunity to it...

Answer:
My doctor also told me to watch for outbreak reaccurances because such a large amount of people don't experience many, or none after the initial. Valtrex is a suppressive medication and seems unnecessary if you are not suffering from outbreaks.