These medicines work better if you start taking them in the first 3 days after you get the rash. Your doctor might also have you take a steroid medicine to reduce your pain and swelling. This medicine along with the antiviral medicines may reduce your risk of developing postherpetic neuralgia. To help with the pain of shingles, your doctor might have you take an over-the-counter pain medicine. This could include acetaminophen one brand: Tylenol or ibuprofen two brands: Motrin, Advil.
Applying a medicated anti-itch lotion two brands: Benadryl, Caladryl to the blisters might reduce the pain and itching.
Placing cool compresses soaked in water mixed with white vinegar on the blisters and sores might also help. Most people will only get shingles once in their life. There are a few complications that can occur. The most common complication of shingles is post-herpetic neuralgia PHN.
This is when the pain of shingles lasts for a long time after the rash is gone. It is caused by damaged nerve fibers that send exaggerated pain messages from your skin to your brain. The older you are, the more likely you are to develop PHN. It is also likely to be more severe when you are older.
Shingles can also lead to an eye condition called herpes zoster ophthalmicus HZO. HZO can cause a rash with small blisters to break out on the forehead and around the eye. Usually this happens only on one side of your face. Sometimes you will have pain in the same area of your face a few days before the outbreak. Infection of the eye causes extreme pain, swelling of the eyelid, light sensitivity and redness.
In severe cases, the cornea can be damaged. This can affect your vision. This article was contributed by: familydoctor. This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject. Chickenpox is highly contagious and can be very serious.
Beginning at 12 months old, almost everyone should have the…. Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It once was a common childhood disease until a…. Herpes is a group of viruses that cause blisters and sores.
They usually appear near your mouth or on…. Visit The Symptom Checker. Read More. Food Poisoning. Acute Bronchitis. Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. Bursitis of the Hip. Abnormal Uterine Bleeding. High Blood Pressure.
Home Diseases and Conditions Shingles. Table of Contents. An episode of shingles typically lasts around two to four weeks. The main symptoms are pain, followed by a rash. Any part of your body can be affected, including your face and eyes, although the chest and abdomen tummy are the most common areas where shingles develops.
In some cases, shingles may cause some early prodromal symptoms that develop a few days before the painful rash first appears. Not everyone will experience these prodromal symptoms. A high temperature is particularly uncommon. Eventually, most people with shingles experience a localised "band" of pain in the affected area. The pain can be a constant, dull or burning sensation and its intensity can vary from mild to severe. Pain is less common in young healthy people and is rare in children.
It usually starts a few days before the rash appears and can remain for a few days or weeks after the rash has healed. The shingles rash usually appears on one side of your body and develops on the area of skin related to the affected nerve. Initially, the shingles rash appears as red blotches on your skin before developing into itchy blisters similar in appearance to chickenpox.
Scabs then form where the blisters were, which may leave some slight scarring. It usually takes two to four weeks for the rash to heal completely. Shingles is not usually serious, but you should see your GP as soon as possible if you recognise the symptoms. You should also see your GP if you are pregnant or have a weakened immune system the body's natural defence system and you think you have been exposed to someone with chickenpox or shingles and haven't had chickenpox before.
Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, which is the virus that causes chickenpox. After you have had chickenpox , the varicella-zoster virus lies dormant inactive inside your body.
It can become reactivated at a later stage and cause shingles. It is not known exactly why the virus is reactivated, but it is linked to having lowered immunity protection against infection and diseases. Your immunity to illness and infection can become lowered if there is a problem with your immune system the body's natural defence system.
This can happen as a result of:. It is not possible to catch shingles from someone else with the condition, or from someone with chickenpox. However, it is possible for someone who has never had chickenpox to catch it from someone with shingles, as the shingles blisters contains the live virus. In the UK, chickenpox is so common during childhood that 9 out of 10 adults have already had it and will not be at risk from someone with shingles. The blisters that develop as a result of shingles contain virus particles.
If you have not had chickenpox before, you can catch it from direct contact with the fluid from the blisters of someone who has shingles, or from something that has the fluid on it, such as bed sheets or a towel. If you have shingles, you are contagious until the last blister has scabbed over. This will usually occur after about 10 to 14 days. If you have the shingles rash, do not share towels or flannels, go swimming, or play contact sports.
This will help prevent the virus being passed on to someone who has not had chickenpox. You should also avoid work or school if your rash is weeping oozing fluid and cannot be covered.
Once your blisters have dried and scabbed over, you are no longer contagious and will not need to avoid anyone. Your GP or pharmacist will normally be able to diagnose shingles from your symptoms and the appearance of your rash.
Testing is not usually necessary. It is uncommon for someone with shingles to be referred to a specialist for further assessment and treatment, but your GP may consider seeking specialist advice or referring you if:. You may also be referred to a specialist if you have an unusually persistent case of suspected shingles that is not responding to treatment, or if you have been diagnosed with the condition more than twice.
There is no cure for shingles, but treatment can help ease your symptoms until the condition improves. In many cases, shingles gets better within around two to four weeks. However, it's still important to see your GP or pharmacist as soon as possible if you recognise the symptoms of shingles, as early treatment may help reduce the severity of the condition and the risk of potential complications.
If you develop the shingles rash, there are a number of things you can do to help relieve your symptoms, such as:. Calamine lotion has a soothing, cooling effect on the skin and can be used to relieve the itching.
If you have any weeping blisters, you can use a cool compress a cloth or a flannel cooled with tap water several times a day to help soothe the skin and keep blisters clean. It's important to only use the compress for around 20 minutes at a time and stop using them once the blisters stop oozing.
Don't share any cloths, towels or flannels if you have the shingles rash. As well as painkilling medication, some people with shingles may also be prescribed a course of antiviral tablets lasting 7 to 10 days. Commonly prescribed antiviral medicines include aciclovir, valaciclovir and famciclovir. Antiviral medicines are most effective when taken within 72 hours of your rash appearing, although they may be started up to a week after your rash appears if you are at risk of severe shingles or developing complications.
If you are over 50 years of age and have symptoms of shingles , it is likely you will be prescribed an antiviral medication. If you are pregnant and have shingles, it is likely your GP will discuss your case with a specialist to decide whether the benefits of antiviral medication significantly outweigh any possible risks.
Shingles will not harm your unborn baby. If you are under 50 years of age, you are at less risk of developing complications from shingles anyway, so you may not need antiviral medication. Antiviral medication is not usually necessary for otherwise healthy children because they usually only experience mild symptoms of shingles and have a small risk of developing complications. However, if your child has a weakened immune system, they may need to be admitted to hospital to receive antiviral medication directly into a vein intravenously.
To ease the pain caused by shingles, your GP or pharmacist may recommend painkilling medication. Some of the main medications used to relieve pain associated with shingles are described below. The most commonly used painkiller is paracetamol , which is available without a prescription. Always read the manufacturer's instructions to make sure the medicine is suitable and you are taking the correct dose. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs , such as ibuprofen , are an alternative type of painkilling medicine also available without a prescription.
For more severe pain, your GP may prescribe an opioid, such as codeine. This is a stronger type of painkiller sometimes prescribed alongside paracetamol. Occasionally, your GP may consider seeking specialist advice before prescribing an even stronger opioid, such as morphine.
If you have severe pain as a result of shingles, you may be prescribed an antidepressant medicine. These medications are commonly used to treat depression , but they have also proven to be useful in relieving nerve pain, such as the pain associated with shingles.
The antidepressants most often used to treat shingles pain are known as tricyclic antidepressants TCAs. Examples of TCAs most commonly prescribed for people with shingles are amitriptyline, imipramine and nortriptyline. If you have shingles, you will usually be prescribed a much lower dose of TCAs than if you were being treated for depression. This will usually be a tablet to take at night. Your dose may be increased until your pain settles down. It may take several weeks before you start to feel the antidepressants working, although this is not always the case.
Rosenquist says. We are trying to turn that nerve off. When it comes back on, hopefully it will send an appropriate transmission as opposed to a pain transmission. Patients with refractory PHN rarely need opioid narcotic pain medication. If you are age 60 or over and have not had shingles, talk to your doctor about getting the shingles vaccine. Learn about treatment options from a pain management specialist.
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