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Are Valtrex And Prednisone Effective In Treatment Of Hand,foot And Mouth Disease?

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Posted on Fri, 26 Sep 2014
Question: my son has crohns disease and gets remicaide every month. He now has a bad case of hand foot and mouth disease. He is in a lot of pain. He went to his doc and they said it is very bad case. They ordered Valtrex and prednisone taper..do you think this is the right treatment.?I am worried due to his poor immune system.
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Answered by Dr. Karen Steinberg (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
Question therapy

Detailed Answer:
Hi, thank you for using Healthcare Magic. Prednisone itself can be an immunosuppressant; I would be very concerned about severe immunosuppression from the combination of it and the Remicade. This could severely aggravate the hand, foot, and mouth disease, which is caused by a virus called Coxsackievirus. Valtrex is used for cold sores and genital herpes. In immunosuppressed people it is only approved for HIV patients for suppression of genital herpes. No mention is made in the company pharmaceutical insert about Valtrex being used for anything other than herpes-related infections, such as chickenpox, cold sores, shingles, and genital herpes.

Normally there is no treatment for hand, foot, and mouth disease except time. The doctor may have prescribed Valtrex because your son's infection is very bad and he didn't have any options and was just hoping it would help. I am just guessing that is a possibility. Prednisone might be used to suppress inflammation which could help the pain, but it is not recommended in this situation.

If it wasn't the doctor taking care of the Crohn's disease who prescribed these medicines, your son should ask his Crohn's disease specialist about alternatives. He may need to speak to an infectious disease specialist about the appropriate therapy, if any, for the hand, foot, and mouth disease in view of his already immune compromised state from the Remicade. The Coxsackievirus can sometimes cause inflammation in the heart which can be life-threatening, and I am afraid the prednisone will facilitate its spread.

You are wise to question this therapy. Hope this answers your query. If you have other questions, I would be happy to answer them.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T
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Dr. Karen Steinberg

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Practicing since :1981

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Are Valtrex And Prednisone Effective In Treatment Of Hand,foot And Mouth Disease?

Brief Answer: Question therapy Detailed Answer: Hi, thank you for using Healthcare Magic. Prednisone itself can be an immunosuppressant; I would be very concerned about severe immunosuppression from the combination of it and the Remicade. This could severely aggravate the hand, foot, and mouth disease, which is caused by a virus called Coxsackievirus. Valtrex is used for cold sores and genital herpes. In immunosuppressed people it is only approved for HIV patients for suppression of genital herpes. No mention is made in the company pharmaceutical insert about Valtrex being used for anything other than herpes-related infections, such as chickenpox, cold sores, shingles, and genital herpes. Normally there is no treatment for hand, foot, and mouth disease except time. The doctor may have prescribed Valtrex because your son's infection is very bad and he didn't have any options and was just hoping it would help. I am just guessing that is a possibility. Prednisone might be used to suppress inflammation which could help the pain, but it is not recommended in this situation. If it wasn't the doctor taking care of the Crohn's disease who prescribed these medicines, your son should ask his Crohn's disease specialist about alternatives. He may need to speak to an infectious disease specialist about the appropriate therapy, if any, for the hand, foot, and mouth disease in view of his already immune compromised state from the Remicade. The Coxsackievirus can sometimes cause inflammation in the heart which can be life-threatening, and I am afraid the prednisone will facilitate its spread. You are wise to question this therapy. Hope this answers your query. If you have other questions, I would be happy to answer them.