Thsnk you Valcyte!!
Amazing response after just one week of 900 mg 2x a day.
Tolerating it easily to boot !
Finally chains are releasing from my organs and spine!
there is another thread on Valcyte and I posted this there..
I am somewhat different than most. I started Valcyte 1800mg At the end of the 4th day I opened my eyes wide and said (out loud) "I feel different". And many of my autonomic symptoms started to improve. After 2 weeks, the dose was reduced to 900mg and I went downhill. Later back up to 1800mg and the very same routine. At the end of the 4th day "I feel different". I have been on that dose for 10 days and better each day. But we are waiting for blood test results on my liver (may be a problem). If so, back to a lower dose.
These are wonderful stories, and I'm very glad that Valcyte has been working so well for both of you. When I started IV ganciclovir (the active metabolite of Valcyte) before Valcyte was released, my major improvements started after two weeks, and continued for five years. (I transitioned to Valcyte when it came out a few months after my ganciclovir treatments.) Throughout this whole time, I took 900 mg/day. The minimum effective dose seems to vary quite a bit for people.
Everyone I have heard of has to be on it for months, although Jennifer Brea (Unrest) took Valcyte and her movie implied that she had very fast improvement.
Antivirals work by inhibiting virus replication, so that takes months to take effect. But as you and I have experienced, as has Jen Brea, who got results within two days, Valcyte can have powerful effects long before then. The reasons were described by Doctor Montoya many years ago. In addition to being an antiviral, Valcyte is an immune system modulator. This means that in short order, it can kick your immune system into action and get it to get rid of any problematic viruses (not just herpes viruses, as my own experience attests). This doesn't work in all people, though, for reasons that are not known.
The second non-antiviral effect that Valcyte has is that it is an inhibitor of microglial inflammation, which has been implicated as a major problem in ME/CFS. This effect is also quite rapid, and can produce a quick remission in symptoms among some people.
These last two effects also mean that Valcyte can be very effect against ME/CFS even in people who have no active herpes virus infections. I am one of those people.
Update a few days later: I am improving greatly EVERY DAY! No more brain fog or confusion. Was able to do some computer work that I have been struggling unsuccessfully for several years. I have been able to follow recipes and to garden a little. I have ideas and enthusiasm. This is better than I have been in over 5 years. I am myself again!
These effects seem to be related to Valcyte's ability to reduce microglial inflammation.
I have few side effects except it is affecting my sleep. Trouble going to sleep and staying asleep. But that does not seem to affect my greatly-improved energy.
This is very common, especially in those cases where Valcyte starts to produce results quickly. In my experience, the insomnia went away after a few weeks on a constant dose of Valcyte. If the insomnia becomes a real problem, you may have to decrease the Valcyte, at least temporarily. In my experience, many of the Valcyte side effects can be managed by temporary reductions in the dose; with time, higher doses are often tolerated. On the other hand, if you're getting good results at a given dose, it's typically good to stay at that dose, as increasing the dose may not only produce additional side effects, but also has the potential of sensitizing you to the drug.
I have written many posts about Valcyte over the years on this site, and if you're interested, you can easily find them by searching for posts containing "Valcyte" with me as the author.
