Dealing with Shingles

Yes, I've had it. Afterwards, keep gabapentin handy for any neuralgia.

Just take the painkillers and rest in bed as much as possible. It will indeed take a couple weeks. Which side do you have it on?

Take handfuls of opiates.

I have had shingles twice. The first time was 30 years ago, a few months after I had moved and started a new job. No pain, but I never had such low energy in my life. I remember sitting on the couch and thinking I couldn’t even push the buttons on the remote. It wasn’t until I felt a nerve pulsing in my chest that I was diagnosed.

The second time was this year, luckily pre-pandemic. Much milder.

Because I was lucky twice to have had only mild symptoms, my advice is to sleep as much as you can and pamper yourself while you go through this.

Wishing you a quick and complete recovery. It especially sucks to be ill now.

Yikes, I'm so sorry, I had the same exact type of shingles. It's nasty.

The pre-visible skin eruption period was the most painful. I thought I had a brain tumor and was dying, but there was nothing to see. My sister suggested I might be coming down with shingles and demanded I see my doctor that day, which I did and they agreed with her.

My lesions were around my right eye and I went to an ophthalmologist right away as losing my vision in that eye was very possible. Although my vision was very blurry in that eye, it healed in a few months. The worst part of shingles is the exhaustion. I frequently just gave up and went home in the middle of doing anything because I was so tired. That took 3-4 months to entirely go away, but got a bit better each week.

Take Valtrex and rest all you can. Get the vaccine! Contrary to popular beliefs, you can get shingle more than once!

I hope you weren't just given a few low dose Acyclovir?

You need Famciclovir/Valacyclovir in a fairly sustained course to ensure you suppress the virus.

Just give em a fake number.

R4 I go to an ophthalmologist tomorrow morning to check my eye which feels like it's burning a bit, but I have no vision problems thus far. And My doctor told me once it clears up that I should get the vaccine even though I'm only 37 and they usually only prescribe it to people over 50 or with chronic health issues.

I just took both doses of the vaccine this year. I’ve known a few people who’ve gone through it and jumped at the chance to get vaccinated.

I hope you feel better soon, OP.

The antiviral is the first-line treatment, because you want to shorten the duration of viral shedding & replication and suppress the reactivation of the previously latent varicella-zoster virus that causes herpes zoster/shingles. The antiviral can also reduce the risk of postherpetic neuralgia and is most effective if therapy is initiated within 72 hours of the rash onset. Usually, 75-80% of people with HZ have pain in the dermatome for 2-3 days, occasionally up to a week, prior to the rash erupting. Once the rash starts, it's initially just erythematous (red) and then develops vesicles, which tend to be clustered along the branches of the cutaneous sensory nerve. Usually within a week of the rash onset, you'll have pustulation of the vesicles and then, a few days later, lesion ulceration & crusting. About a quarter of people will also have systemic symptoms like headache, fatigue, malaise, fever, etc. It's also possible to have HZ with just pain as the symptom and no rash, called zoster sine herpete. Obviously that's not true in your case.

As R5 pointed out, a few days of acyclovir won't cut it. It's no longer even considered a first-line antiviral in most cases, but it's still a secondary option. Famciclovir 500 mg three times daily x 7 days; or valacyclovir 1000 mg three times daily x 7 days are the two primary antiviral options. If there is any ophthalmological manifestation, as you mention at R7, then the antivirals should be taken for 10 days.

Did your provider actually give you prescription analgesics or just tell you take OTC acetaminophen or ibuprofen? I hope the former. In addition to an opioid analgesic if the pain is moderate to severe (e.g., oxycodone HCl I.R. 5-10 mg PO q4-6 hours PRN), topical lidocaine 5% cream/ointment 2-3x/day can provide relief, too. Another OTC option is pramoxine/calamine topical (Caladryl, Aveeno Anti-Itch) 4x/day, which can provide minor relief for some, as well. Of course, if someone is already otherwise immunocompromised, and especially with eye involvement, then IV acyclovir is usually necessary. For postherpetic neuralgia, topical capsaicin 0.025-0.075% 3-4x daily can help calm the nerve and provide pain relief. If you develop postherpetic neuralgia, then you'll definitely want an opioid analgesic, if your provider didn't already provide one. As R1 mentioned, the anticonvulsant gabapentin/Neurontin is also good for treating PHN, as is amitriptyline/Elavil (a tricyclic antidepressant) and gabapentin's sister drug, pregabalin/Lyrica (also an anticonvsulant mainly used for neuropathic pain & fibromylagia). You can typically expect the rash to resolve within 4-5 weeks. Keep it clean & dry and avoid topical antibiotics or dressings with adhesives that can cause irritation & delay healing. Also avoid clothing made from irritating fibers like wool. Good luck & feel better soon!

Everyone should be aware that if you take the shingles vaccine there can be Covid-like side effects. I had a high temperature and chills both times I took the vaccine.

Aren't shingles vaccines very low cost?

R10 I think many people have become so accustomed to flu shots with their limited side effects, that most people forgot that most vaccines have symptom like side effects. I remember when I get the vaccination for Hepatitis was in my early 20s and omg I super sick for about three days after.

Some trails for covid vaccines are saying patients feel sick for about week after.

I had a bout with shingles, but it was 54 years ago. Back in those days I had to go to the doctor every day for 7 days to get an injection. Mine was on my side. I'd hate to get it on my face. I condole you OP.

I'm now shingle

Shingles run on my father’s side of the family. His mother, my grandmother, had them repeatedly. Some of his siblings have had them and my dad got them this year. He and my mother have since gotten the shingles vaccine. I also got it because I’m over 50 and in a high stress job. I had no side effects with the vaccine.

I feel for you, OP. Shingles are very painful. Take care and hang in.

I need new glasses. I read this as "dating with shingles."

R10 that is what happened to me after the 2nd shot. I wouldn’t quite say Covid-like, but I my body ached and I ran a slight fever. I was fine the next day, although the injection site really hurt this time around.

I remember thinking to myself, “did the nurse punch me in the upper arm before she poked me?” I had 0 side effects after the first shot, so I was a bit surprised that the 2nd one was a bit troublesome. Also, I did take a flu shot at the same time. I wonder if that had anything to do with it.

SHINGLES CAN BE WHAAAAT????

Alarming that you mention its in your scalp, OP. Let's hope that it doesn't engage your facial nerves along your cheek bones and inner ears. You may become afflicted with Bell's Palsy if so. If that happens, then you must get to the ER immediately! You will need a steroid for the facial nerve so that the side of your face doesn't become permanently paralyzed. You must get the steroid within 24 hours of first noticing your facial symptoms. DO NOT leave the ER without the script! Best wishes.

I had shingles a few years back. I was very lucky that I woke up with the rash, immediately called my doctor who recognized it as shingles, and went in within and hour for the specific anti-shingles treatment. As a result my case was mild and really only lasted 3-4 days. When I found out last year that I could still get the new Shingrex vaccine, I went for it. First shot hurt, but no side effects other than injection-site pain. The second shot made me sicker than a dog for 48 hours, and then it just passed. Given the pain of shingles itself, I thought vaccine was totally worth the short-term pain.

r9 covers the topic very well.

I have had it on my left side and in my left under arm. It was very painful and unfortunately was miss diagnosed at the start by a physicians assistant. I didn’t trust the diagnosis and immediately made an appointment with my primary care physician who put me on the regimen that r9 describes.

Ironically I had planned to get the shots for this just before I contracted it. I was under a lot of work stress and felt that I should get this done. I don’t even talk to my pharmacist about it. When I came in two weeks later with the script from the doctor all she said to me was how ironic it was that we had just spoken to her about it.

This little known, but many patients who have certain Infectious diseases where they are trying to bring down " Viral load" find success using a ling used food additive ( which is also a strong anti- oxidant) called BHT. Among the viruses treated with this are Hep-C, Herpes Simplex, and HIV. Essentially, BHT destroys the outer layer of lipid-coated viruses- Shingles being also one of these, latches on to the virus and does not allow it to replicate. I cannot personally testify to this myself, but interestingly enough found this info when I went down a Rabbit hole one night looking for Nutra-ceuticals which one might use to treat Covid-19. Surprise! Covid is also a lipid coated virus, but as yet there are no studies on this subject. I have provided below patient reviews on the supplement, most of which are wildly enthusiastic. The scant scientific literature available ( I looked) is mostly about what happened when they gave 10,000 the normal human dose to rats ( poor things). Otherwise, it is completely safe, FDA approved and the Food industry continues to poor it into our granola bars and Cheerios.

Talking to my health care person today making appointment for my shots and I learned that you need no history of chicken pox after all to get the shingles vaccine. So I'll get that next appointment. Not sure why, but 4 shots in one day makes me apprehensive.

Seems they've been advising shingles shots for everyone over 50 for ages now. How did I miss this? In any event Merck has withdrawn Zostavax (live zoster vaccine) as of July 2020 from the market in the US but it also seems it's still being used - the last expiration date for any still floating around is November 2020. So Shingrix (dead virus) it will be and then a 2d shot of it from 2-6 months later.

If you do have any spread of shingles to the eyes it's important to begin treatment with anti-viral eye drops or ointment quickly.

You'd also need a longer course of tablets.

Ganciclovir drops are pretty much the best available treatment.

Looks like Zirgan Ganciclovir is about $400 in the US though and you'd need a few.

Hope you have good insurance.

R25 I'm British, my prescription is covered thanks ;)

R24: I assumed you are British or from another Commonwealth country due to your use of "tablets" (we just say "pills" in the U.S.), but Zirgan (ganciclovir ophthalmic gel 0.15%) isn't an FDA approved treatment for HZ eye involvement in the U.S. It's used for acute HSV keratitis (herpes simplex virus) here. I'm not an ophthalmologist, but for eye manifestations of HZ, we would use 10 days of oral antiviral therapy instead of 7 days; and depending on the severity of the eye involvement & the resultant complications, there's a whole shitload of possible treatment options. IV acyclovir for retinitis; artificial tear gels for lubrication; lateral tarsorrhaphy (surgical fusion of the upper & lower eyelids) to protect the corneas from breakdown; dilation for iritis; glaucoma therapies for glaucoma caused HZ uveitis; topical antibiotic ointment and topical corticosteroids for inflammatory diseases (iritis, scleritis, immune keratitis & episcleritis) and to protect the ocular surface; possibly systemic corticosteroids (oral steroid pills) for moderate-to-severe pain, particularly if there is swelling of the surrounding orbital area; and possible surgical management if the complications are severe enough to warrant it (amniotic membrane transplantation, glaucoma trabeculectomy, keratoprosthesis, etc.) The goal, of course, is to start oral antiviral therapy (famciclovir or valacyclovir) quickly enough that chronic problems requiring surgery never develop. However, assuming R26 is the OP, s/he is British, so Zirgan/ganciclovir ophthalmic may be an option for HZ eye manifestations in the U.K.

You know, R27, my mom would be so happy if I married a doctor...

R19 I had shingles a few years ago on the left side of my neck from shoulder to ear. One day I had a migraine headache, and after it was over, the left side of my face was paralyzed. A couple of weeks later, I had another migraine, and after it was over, the facial paralysis faded away on its own. I guess I was lucky in that regard.

Here's a link to a previous discussion about shingles...

[quote]Nutra-ceuticals which one might use to treat Covid-19

Here

Very lucky, indeed Lucy. You don't know how lucky! Change your handle to Lucky Lucy.......19

OP, a lot of good information on this thread that I had to search for months to collect on my own. I was mistreated by a p.a. and so didn't get valcyclovir until late. Eventually had to take gabapentin for the postherpetic neuropathy and three years later am still on it. It has side effects but nothing like the hellish itching/pain of the nerve damage. The only thing I can add to the posters here is get movies and books that will absorb you if your eyes can stand it, otherwise audiobooks, I guess. Funny, the books that got me through were air crash investigations. I've always been interested and they proved absorbing. Also, cut down on the self-pity. Good luck and hang in there.

oops, meaning the books cut down on MY self pity. I wasn't referring to you, OP.

R27 Interesting that they don't use topical antivirals for eye infections in the US.

My Mother got a quite minor shingles infection in her eye and had to use both Zovirax eye ointment and Zirgan for three weeks, along with Famvir for the same duration. After it had cleared she had to continue on Acyclovir 800mg a day (prophylaxis) for a further six months.

She was treated at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital though, which is second only to Moorfields in the UK.

We should all go over to the UK and stay with R24. Sounds fab.

I lucked out. I had them break out on my forehead, going into my hairline too. I thought it was a bug (spider?) bite. Excellent doctor at urgent care took one look at me and said it might be shingles. He showed me pics online and prescribed accordingly. Only lasted about 5 days and wasn't that horribly painful. I'm sorry you had it so much worse.

I had shingles in my late 20s, likely stress induced. I got it in on the right side of my back. It was painful, particularly when I put clothes on or when I took them off. Also trying to sleep at night was a bitch cause I sleep on my back. The rash went away in about 5 to 7 days but the pain lingered for a couple weeks. I was told the worst place it get them is on your face or scalp because you have so many nerve endings there.

R34: I'm not an ophthalmologist, so I can't say definitively that topical antivirals aren't ever used for HZ eye involvement in the U.S., but Zirgan, specifically, isn't FDA approved for HZ, just HSV uveitis. So it could be prescribed off-label for HZ, but you would likely have a difficult time getting the person's insurance company to cover it for that purpose.

Getting shingles on your face or scalp is absolutely horrible...even just from a pain perspective let alone the possible complications with vision. I think it's because the nerves in your face are some of the most sensitive. If you get on an anti-viral within 72 hours of the first pains (before the rash) that's the best treatment, but even if you get on them a within two days or so of the rash, it will shorten the duration and less likely to lead to complications.

OP here, my eyes were examined today and no sign of the virus effecting them. I have been put on an anti-virual but because it was more than 72 hours, my doctor said it may help and it may not. But today has been the worst I've felt yet. Very low energy, sick to my stomach, I threw up my dinner but seem okay now. No fever, no headache, no confusion. But have no appetite and typing this post is about as much as I've done this evening.

Ugh, it’s awful! I had it once during a stressful period at work, over the Thanksgiving weekend visiting my brother. It started as numbness in my arm and I called the “nurse on call” that my insurance company has, who told me it sounded like a pinched nerve. Then I got a rash on my side, one side only, that was a terrible combination of burning and itching simultaneously. I ended up going to urgent care and they told me it was shingles and that my partner, who had never had chicken pox, needed to get a vaccine. Have you ever tried to find an adult chicken pox vaccine in rural VT over Thanksgiving? Not fun! They gave me Valtrex but said it might not really do anything, and it took weeks to go away. I eventually got the shingles vaccine, which was only available to people 50 and up, by lying about my age to two young pharmacists in a CVS.

I have the rash on the left side of my neck and a sore throat. This is complete bullshit.

my aunt just got shingles for the first time, age 80 after getting the corona vaccine. She also got an eye infection. She had Lupus and all kinds of stuff. I used to work in a vitamin store and like the poster above said - BHT was popular with people with any of these viruses, stopped flare ups they said.

It's stress related. The chicken pox virus lies dormant until then. Sorry to hear! It's very painful.

I got it years ago when my city was experiencing a wave of chicken pox, which I had contracted back when I was a kid. I developed a cluster of blisters on my shoulder blade and had a couple weeks of grinding fatigue. It eventually went away; the blisters popped and scabbed over.

I didn't know what it was til years later.

Again -

If any of you with Shingles near your face (and specifically anywhere near either of your facial nerves along side each cheek bone) develop Bell's Palsy because of the virus engaging your facial nerve, then you must get to the ER right now! Furthermore, in addition to the anti viral medication you MUST - MUST - MUST begin STEROID treatment within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms to quiet the facial nerve so that you don't develop PERMANENT palsy. DO NOT leave the ER without the STEROID!

I hope that I've helped someone with this information. You never know when you'll get a negligent doctor/nurse.

i have a slight temperature from the shingles vaccine (99.5F). is it ok to take advil to bring down the fever or no?

Just got diagnosed with shingles. I had the shingles vaccine but still got an outbreak. Taking an antiviral. Doctor said it should be a minor case since I had the vaccine, We'll see...

Feel better soon R48. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

I hope you fell better soon, R48!

A little late now, but why in the world have you not gotten the shingles vaccine? Everyone should get it.

Losing My Mind was my biggest shingle.

I had my first Shingrix shot earlier in the month. A little soreness in my upper arm, but nothing significant. But I’ve developed an itchy rash in my lower back which - fairly or not - I’m connecting to the vaccine. Has anyone else experienced this reaction?

Most miserable time in my life, the bastard. Get your vaccines, ladies. And it's definitely catchy, despite what ANYONE tells you.

For severe itching generic Atarax (Hydroxyzine HCL) is excellent. The dose is 25 to 50 mg every 4 to 6 hours when needed. It's magic

Question: I'm going to Florida Jan-March. Should I get dose #1 of the vaccine now and the other one when I get back? How long between shots is ideal?

The shot may make you ill for a couple days. It did me.

With Bai Ling on my roof, I've not had a shingle problem in a while. She fixes the loose and replaces the missing ones. She's besties with the smoking gargoyle next door.

I got them on vacation. It started as leg pain, but I had just thought I pulled a muscle. Then on vacation, my husband goes"what is on your leg?" there were what looked like small spiral marks. I thought it was bed bugs. The hotel checked the room and told me no. I go to urgent care and the doctor takes one look and goes shingles. He asked me if it was painful, I said not really. He put me on Valtrex and told me to treat the marks with apple cider vinegar. I was fine energy-wise the rest of the trip and they went away a few days later. He was amazed, he said most people are in pain from it.

[quote] And it's definitely catchy, despite what ANYONE tells you.

R54, the Drifters' 1962 hit "Up On The Roof" is catchy -- the condition known as shingles is not, nor is it contagious. You can catch the chicken pox virus, which your body will harbor forever and which can cause shingles if your immune system weakens (e.g., as with old age or under conditions of stress) -- but you cannot catch shingles by exposure to someone who has it.

[quote]A little late now, but why in the world have you not gotten the shingles vaccine? Everyone should get it.

If that was for me, R51, you should try reading past the first sentence.

I had it for months a decade ago and I wanted to die. my ER doc didn't diagnose it properly so I didn't get on antivirals right away; AGONY

I wouldn't have made it without the painkillers.

I don’t deal with them, I leave that job to my roofer.

r60 my Urgent Care doc said it can be "activated" by being around kids who have CP. For those who don't know Shingles is chicken pox. It lays dormant in your body and for some reason "reactivates" the pain is the virus essentially crawling up your nerve endings to re-emerge on your skin. You can get it in your eye, your scalp, anywhere, though it is only on one side of your body.

I had shingles on my back. My back itches sometimes, so I though it was just an itchy back at first, but then it got more painful, like being slightly electrocuted. I went to the doctors and they gave me anti-viral pills. My father had passed away and I was having a really bad time at work, so I think that is what brought it on.

Be sure to rub the scabs on the swing sets, slides and teeter-totters at your nearby park. Or there's the revolving doors at Nordstrom or Saks.

Those are the only things that helped my partner feel better.

[quote] Question: I'm going to Florida Jan-March. Should I get dose #1 of the vaccine now and the other one when I get back? How long between shots is ideal?

I just looked it up. You get the second dose 2 to 6 months after you get the first dose.

Sorry OP but why in today's age with a Shingles vaccine did you not get vaccinated? I got it done more than 5 years ago, not like it just came out. They even have several different types and it's not a live vac so no worries about reactions. You wanted to learn the hard way I guess.

R48 here, just got shingles after having been vaccinated. It never spread beyond the one original spot and I'm having none of the pain most people describe. So I'd say definitely get the vaccine because even if you get it, it won't be as bad of a case.

R68, there used to be an age limit for Shingrex and it was only permitted for those 50 or older. I think that was because it hadn't yet been tested on younger people, so safety and efficacy couldn't be assured for them -- and/or there may have been only so much vaccine available at that time. I don't know what the current rules are, but I do recall the age limit being imposed when it first came out.

r70 I thought it was 65 and older when it first came out.

R71, according to the 2018 "Consumer Reports" article at the link, Shingrix was introduced at that time and approved by CDC for those 50 years and older, whereas its predecessor (Zostavax) was introduced in 2006 and recommended by CDC for those 60 and older.

Those ages comport with my recollection of what was being done by my HMO at those times. I turned 60 in early 2007 and got the Zostavax vaccine the day after my birthday -- in 2018, I got the Shingrix vaccine in 2 doses, 6 months apart. I had no reaction to any of the shots except for slight tenderness at the injection site over a couple of days.

I had chicken pox when I was 5 but never shingles. My father did and I sure don't want that!