Today, there is a vaccine that can help prevent shingles in older people who have had chicken pox. The shingles vaccine unfortunately does not guarantee that you will not get shingles. However, this live vaccine can decrease the intensity and course of post herpetic neuralgia. The shingles vaccine is only used for prevention and does not help individuals who have the acute rash.
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Is there anything I can do at home to relieve the pain from my shingles?
Home measures to relieve pain for shingles include taking a cool bath or using cool compresses. One may need to take an anti-histamine to relieve the itch and apply some calamine lotion. To avoid stress, one may need to relax and take the mind of the pain.
What types of medications are used to treat shingles?
The typical drugs used for shingles treatment include acyclovir, valacyclovir and famicyclovir. For those individuals with intense pain the treatment may include potent narcotics, anti depressants and a variety of numbing medications. Most of these do not make any difference in the duration of pain or complications.
Does shingles always need treatment?
Well, the pain can be severe and most people need some type of pain medications to relieve the sensation. The skin rash usually resolves spontaneously in 10-21 days. Even though thousands of treatments are marketed for this disorder, very few help.
What the devil is post herpetic neuralgia?
Post herpetic neuralgia is a complication of shingles. Do not worry, once you develop it, you will forever remember this very unpleasant disorder. Post herpetic neuralgia is ongoing pain after the rash has cleared. Sometimes the pain is unresponsive to the usual pain medications and the individual may have to be treated with anti-depressants or anticonvulsants.
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