Exhaustion and poor sleep after mono; awake on high-dose Valtrex, then fatigue returned
- Condition
- ME/CFS
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- Not stated
- Last post
- Aug 2016
In their words
- Condition: ME/CFS
I may have had a mild CFS unknowingly?
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
Crash hard after an hour or two, to the point that I'd barely be able to talk to anyone without serious effort
In context ↗ - Now: Relapsed
Within two days my morning became much worse, fatigue returned to a higher level.
In context ↗ - Began after: glandular fever or EBV
My history does include Mono (at 17)
Summary
Cove 46394, a student, had poor sleep and exhaustion since mono at 17, and ice-cold hands for ages. Mistakenly given Valtrex 3000mg/day for a rash, they woke feeling awake within two days, with better sleep, concentration and warmer hands, though a midday drain remained. Halving the dose to 1500mg brought the fatigue back within two days. A doctor advised stopping it, and they had to stop for a fatigue panel.
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What they tried
What they credit
Their words about each treatment
- gym · Not said
I would be knocked out hard (was once bed-ridden for a week), but I always pushed through thinking I was just adapting to the strain
In context ↗ - anti-fungals · No change
The rash showed no improvement
In context ↗ - valtrex · Helped a lot
within two days of starting the valtrex, something huge happened. I woke up feeling awake.
In context ↗
Approaches: Antivirals
Their path
How ill they were on the ME/CFS severity scale, estimated from what they describe at each point, in the order they describe; they don’t give enough times to place each step. Hover or tap a point. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| age 17 | mono, then years of poor sleep and exhaustionI've had terrible sleep patterns since I had mono @ 17In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2016-08-05 | woke feeling awake two days after starting Valtrex 3000mg/daywithin two days of starting the valtrex, something huge happened. I woke up feeling awakeIn context ↗ | Mild | Valtrex / valacyclovir |
| 2016-08-08 | halved the Valtrex dose and fatigue returnedWithin two days my morning became much worse, fatigue returned to a higher level.In context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Valtrex / valacyclovir“I did try taking half the dosage (1500mg/day) out of curiosity. Within two days my morning became much worse, fatigue returned to a higher level.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Sleep problems
I've had terrible sleep patterns since I had mono @ 17
In context ↗ - Brain fog
my ability to concentrate has been increasing
In context ↗ - Temperature regulation
I've had ice cold hands for ages (which has reduced/disappeared)
In context ↗
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