Shingles: Easing the Pain
By Alan Peterson, MD
What Is Shingles?
Shingles is a skin infection caused by the chicken pox virus. You can only get it if you have had chicken pox or have had the chicken pox shot. The chicken pox virus stays in your body and can cause shingles later. Shingles is most common in older people.
What Are the Symptoms of Shingles?
Shingles start with a stinging or burning feeling. A rash usually appears on the back or the chest and sometimes on the face. It starts with small, red bumps that may blister. After about one week, scabs form on the rash and then fall off.
How Is Shingles Treated?
Your doctor may give you medicine to ease the pain and help the rash go away faster. The medicine may not work if you have already had the rash for several days. An antiviral medication may also be prescribed if you get to the doctor within the first couple of days of the outbreak. Sometimes a steroid drug called prednisone may also be used.
What Can I Do for the Pain?
Not everyone has the same amount of pain from shingles. Over-the-counter pain medicine like acetaminophen (one brand name: Tylenol) and ibuprofen (one brand name: Motrin) can help ease the pain. Make sure you talk to your doctor about whether these might be appropriate for you depending on your past medical history and other medical problems or allergies. A liquid medicine that you put on your skin (brand name: Domeboro) can help cool the rash and dry any oozing that may be present and stop the itching. Your doctor can give you pain medicine if your rash hurts a lot. Sometimes the pain does not go away with the rash. This is called post herpetic neuralgia.
What Is Post Herpetic Neuralgia?
Post herpetic neuralgia is burning or stinging pain from shingles that lasts more than 30 days after the rash is healed. It is more common in people older than 60 years. For most people, the pain goes away over time.
What Can I Do to Ease This Pain?
Your doctor can give you medicine that will help post herpetic neuralgia pain. There are also over-the-counter medicines that you can rub on your skin. There are also prescription patches of local anesthetic that can be placed on the skin.
Can I Give Shingles to Others?
No one can catch shingles from you, but they can catch chicken pox if they have not already had chicken pox or had the shot. The chicken pox virus lives in the spots of shingles and the virus can be spread until the spots are completely dried up. If you have shingles, you should stay away from babies younger than 12 months of age and also from pregnant women.
Can I Prevent Shingles?
There has recently been released an immunization available for adults to help prevent the occurrence of shingles in later life. Some feel that your risk of developing shingles are not great enough to require the shot. However, if you are one who has ever had shingles or had complications from shingles, you may have wished that you had the opportunity to get the immunization to prevent the shingles! This may be something that you will want to bring up with your doctor in the future -- i.e: Should I get the shot to prevent shingles? (If you’ve had shingles, you don’t need the shot.)
Dr. Peterson is a doctor of Family and Community Medicine at the Walter L. Aument Family Health Center, 317 S. Chestnut St., Quarryville.
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