What is the best medication for shingles?

Several antiviral medicines—acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir—are available to treat shingles and shorten the length and severity of the illness. These medicines are most effective if you start taking them as soon as possible after the rash appears.


Is there a way to get rid of shingles faster?

While shingles does not have a cure, treatments are available to prevent complications, ease pain, and speed up recovery. Older individuals can also receive a vaccine to help prevent shingles and related complications.

What is the new drug for shingles?

The CDC recommends that healthy adults ages 50 and older get the shingles vaccine, Shingrix, which provides greater protection than Zostavax. The vaccine is given in two doses, 2 to 6 months apart. Zostavax is still in use for some people ages 60 and older.


What can I put on shingles for relief?

Skin Care and Itch Relief for Shingles
  • A cool, wet compresses on the affected skin.
  • Soothing baths and lotions, such as colloidal oatmeal bath, starch baths, or calamine lotion.
  • Zostrix, a cream that contains capsaicin (an extract of pepper)
  • Antihistamines to reduce itching (taken by mouth or applied to the skin)


What cream or ointment is good for shingles?

The American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends using calamine lotion for shingles. Calamine lotion can create a cooling sensation to help with itching from conditions such as chickenpox. In addition, it contains zinc oxide.


Mayo Clinic Minute: Don't suffer with shingles



How long should you stay home with shingles?

If you have shingles, you are contagious until the last blister has scabbed over. This will usually occur after about 10 to 14 days.

How can I soothe shingles at home?

Take a cool bath or shower to soothe skin. The coolness of the water can ease pain from shingles blisters and calm itchiness. You can also take a healing bath to reduce symptoms. Pour 1 to 2 cups of colloidal oatmeal or cornstarch into lukewarm bathwater and soak for 15 to 20 minutes.

What triggers shingles?

What causes shingles? Shingles is caused when the chickenpox virus is reactivated. After a person has had chickenpox, the virus lies dormant in certain nerves for many years. Shingles is more common in people with weakened immune systems, and in people over the age of 50.


How can I stop shingles from getting worse?

Tips for coping with shingles

Take an oatmeal bath or use calamine lotion to soothe your skin. Apply a cool washcloth to your blisters to ease the pain and help dry the blisters. Keep the area clean and try not to scratch the blisters so they don't become infected or leave a scar.

What causes shingles to flare up?

Stress, some medications, and certain health conditions can reactivate the virus and trigger the symptoms of shingles. When shingles occurs more than once, doctors refer to it as recurrent shingles. Recurrent shingles is more common among people with a compromised immune system.

Do you need antibiotics to get rid of shingles?

Antibiotics — If the rash becomes infected, you may need treatment with an antibiotic medication. Treatment of postherpetic neuralgia — Treatment is available to reduce pain and maintain quality of life in people with postherpetic neuralgia (see 'Postherpetic neuralgia' above).


Is it worth taking antivirals for shingles?

Antiviral drugs, such as Valtrex (valacyclovir), can shorten the duration and severity of shingles, but they're most effective if you start them as quickly as possible after the rash emerges, or even before it erupts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

What is the most painful stage of shingles?

The most painful phase of shingles is usually 4-5 days after shingles symptoms first develop, when the red rashes form painful blisters filled with fluid. The pain gets better when the blisters become smaller and start to scab over.

Is shingles due to stress?

And while stress may not directly cause or trigger shingles, there is a link between the two. Large amounts of stress can wear away at the body's immune system, lowering its ability to defend against all sorts of viruses—shingles included.


What are the 1st signs of shingles?

Shingles is characterized by pain or a tingling sensation in a limited area on one side of the face or torso, followed by a red rash with small, fluid-filled blisters. Shingles symptoms usually affect only a small section on one side of your body. These symptoms may include: Pain, burning or tingling.

Can I spread shingles on myself?

You can't catch shingles, and you can't give shingles to someone else. But you can give others chickenpox. After you have chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus stays dormant in your body.

What are the do's and don'ts of shingles?

DOs and DON'Ts in Managing Shingles:

DO keep blisters clean. Don't bandage the blisters. DO avoid anyone who never had chickenpox or didn't get immunized, pregnant women, or people with cancer. DO get medical care as soon as you think that you may have shingles.


Do you have to stay in bed if you have shingles?

The major symptoms of shingles—the rash, itching, fever etc. —are usually cleared up in a couple of weeks. So, really, you shouldn't need much time off.

Should I quarantine myself if I have shingles?

The risk of spreading VZV to others is low if you cover the shingles rash. People with shingles cannot spread the virus before their rash blisters appear or after the rash crusts. People with chickenpox are more likely to spread VZV than people with shingles.

Can Sunlight Help shingles?

You should avoid prolonged sun exposure if you have shingles because: The area of skin affected by the shingles rash is already tender and fragile, so excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure, such as sunshine, can further damage that skin.


Does shingles get worse at night?

Those experiencing shingles pain typically feel it gets worse as the day goes on, making it the worst at night. Peak pain time tends to be around 8 p.m., which may be when they're getting ready for bed.

How long does it take for shingles to go away with medication?

Shingles usually lasts two to six weeks, following a consistent pattern of pain and healing. Keep reading to learn more.

When is it too late for antivirals in shingles?

See your doctor as soon as possible if you are experiencing any symptoms of shingles. Starting treatment with antiviral medicines within 3 days of the rash appearing should reduce the severity of symptoms and the risk of further complications, including post-herpetic neuralgia.


When do shingles peak?

Typically, the peak pain of shingles is felt within 4 or 5 days after the first symptoms develop, and it comes along with a blistering rash. As the blisters scab over, the pain usually starts to disappear. In some cases, the pain does not go away. This is known as a condition called postherpetic neuralgia.

Can you recover from shingles without antivirals?

Generally, a case of shingles rash resolves within 3 to 4 weeks. It can resolve without treatment, but antiviral treatment can shorten both the duration and severity of the rash.