another20percenter
04-05-2003, 08:08 PM
What is the difference between Famvir and Valtrex? Is there a reason why I would want to (or not want to) be on one versus the other?
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thehomefolks 04-07-2003, 12:02 AM FAMVIR IS THE BET STUFF I THE WORLD!!! TheOneInFour 04-07-2003, 03:58 AM Hi 20%er, As far as I know both Famvir and Valtrex use the same basic antiviral ingredient (acyclovir) but in hypermode so that it is sustained in the system longer and more potently than plain old acyclovir. I think they may do it in slightly different ways though, but I'm not sure of that. Because they're more potent, you take fewer of them for the same basic effect as more of the acyclovir, although even then they're usually quite a bit more expensive than generic acyclovir. I think both are considered more or less the same; not one over the other for any particular reason. If one doesn't work as well, you might try the other and see if it works better. I think Famvir might be slightly more expensive than Valtrex, but of course that will vary from place to place and I may be wrong on that. I've never used Famvir. Valtrex has been studied for its ability to reduce viral shedding and also its ability to reduce the chance of someone catching HSV from their partner, if the partner takes it on a daily preventive basis (in both cases it does greatly reduce shedding and transmission). I've heard rumours of similar studies for Famvir, but they weren't recent and I'm not positive if that's what the studies were really for or what the exact results were. Presumably Famvir has a similar effect but without scientific studies we don't know for sure if or how much it will do that. For whatever it's worth, if I had to take Famvir instead of Valtrex for some reason, I'd probably assume it would also reduce transmission. For more detailed or in-depth information about them, you could check out their websites. Or look in herpes.org (in his board's Resource Links) for an article on treatments, which I think has some comparative info on the antivirals. But I might be misinterpretting or getting it out of context or something. (Don't try this at home! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wink.gif ) Hope that helps! TheOneInFour [This message has been edited by TheOneInFour (edited 04-07-2003).] |
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