Questions To Ask Your Doctor
- Ive had chickenpox. Am I at risk of developing shingles?
- What is the best treatment for my shingles?
- The pain from shingles isnt going away. What can I do to make myself more comfortable?
- Im on treatment for shingles. When should I call my doctor if things dont get better?
- I have shingles and my children havent had the chickenpox vaccine. Should I get them vaccinated?
- Is the shingles vaccine right for me?
- Are there any risks associated with the shingles vaccine?
- Will my post-herpetic neuralgia ever go away?
- If Ive never had the chickenpox, should I still get the shingles vaccination?
What Can I Do For The Pain
To help with the pain of shingles, your doctor might have you take an over-the-counter pain medicine. This could include acetaminophen or ibuprofen .
Applying a medicated anti-itch lotion 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.
If shingles causes severe pain, your doctor might prescribe a stronger pain medicine.
How Should I Take Hydrocortisone
Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose. Use the medicine exactly as directed.
Take with food if hydrocortisone upsets your stomach.
Do not swallow an Alkindi Sprinkle capsule whole. Open the capsule and pour the medicine granules onto the tongue before swallowing. You may also mix the granules with soft food such as yogurt or applesauce . Swallow the mixture right away without chewing.
Drink water right after taking the Alkindi Sprinkle granule mixture. If giving this medicine to a baby, give infant formula or breast milk.
If you have trouble sleeping, you may need to take this medicine early in the day. Follow your doctors dosing instructions very carefully.
Your dose needs may change if you have a serious illness, fever or infection, surgery or a medical emergency. Tell your doctor about any such situation that affects you.
Your doctor will need to check your progress on a regular basis.
You should not stop taking hydrocortisone suddenly. Follow your doctors instructions about tapering your dose.
Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.
Wear a medical alert tag or carry an ID card to let others know you use steroid medication.
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Treat Your Body And Mind
You can get worn down mentally when youâre in constant pain. Stress can make it seem even worse. Self-care starts with treating your rash, but donât stop there. Your mind and emotional state need to be cared for as well.
5. Stick with good habits: Your bodyâs working hard to fight the varicella-zoster virus that causes shingles. To give it the right support, you can:
- Eat nutritious food and have regular meals. Ask someone to make a run to the grocery store for fresh fruit and such if youâre not up for it.
- Try to get a good nightâs sleep and rest anytime you need to.
- Do gentle exercises, such as walking or stretching. Light activity can help take your mind off the pain. Keep it simple though, and check with your doctor if youâre trying something new.
6. Distract yourself: Sometimes, the best thing you can do is to put your focus elsewhere. Here are a few things to try:
What Are Other Treatment Options For Shingles
Other treatment options that your doctor may recommend include:
- Prescription antiviral medicines such as acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir reduce the duration and severity of the infection. This is most effective when started within 72 hours of the onset of the rash
- Topical creams, lotions, patches, powders, and sprays for relieving shingles that typically contain topical acyclovir, lidocaine, and capsaicin. This typically provides a numbing effect.
- Antibiotics, which may be needed if bacteria infects the skin and rashes. If there is no bacteria infection, antibiotics will not be helpful.
- Painkillers such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen
- Lotions containing calamine that can be used on open lesions to reduce pain and pruritus
- Anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, or numbing agents to help relieve pain
- Applying a wet compress to the area of skin that is experiencing pain and inflammation
- Oral intake or topical applications of antihistamines to relieve the itchiness
Other treatment options and lifestyle changes to manage shingles include:
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Are All Itchy Skin Conditions The Same
No, there is a big difference between dermatitis, allergic reactions, eczema and insect bites & stings. Eurax products can be used to treat many minor to moderate skin conditions. The active ingredient Crotamiton helps relieve itching while the Hydrocortisone in our Eurax HC Cream helps reduce skin inflammation.
Who Should Not Be Vaccinated With Shingrix
You should not receive the Shingrix vaccine if you:
- Have ever had a severe allergy to this vaccine or any ingredient in this vaccine.
- Are breastfeeding or pregnant.
- Are somewhat ill or very ill and have a high fever.
- Have tested negative for immunity to varicella zoster virus .
Ask your healthcare provider if the benefits of getting the vaccine outweigh any potential risks.
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Why Doesnt Having Chickenpox Earlier In Life Provide Immunity Against Having Shingles Later
After having chickenpox, your body doesnt rid your system of the virus. Instead, the virus stays in a portion of the spinal nerve root called the dorsal root ganglion. In most people, the virus simply stays there quietly and doesnt cause problems. Scientists arent always sure why the virus gets active again, but they know stress can be a cause.
Can Shingles Be Prevented
A vaccination called Zostavax reduces the likelihood of developing shingles. If you are over 50, you can talk to your doctor about whether you need it. It is recommended for everyone over 60. It is given free of charge in Australia to people aged 70 to 79. Vaccination will not guarantee that you will not get shingles, but it will reduce your chance of developing the condition. Zostavax is not the same as the vaccine used to protect against chickenpox. Read more about the chickenpox vaccine here.
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Preventing The Virus Spreading
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 and cannot be covered.
Chickenpox can be particularly dangerous for certain groups of people. If you have shingles, avoid:
- women who are pregnant and have not had chickenpox before as they could catch it from you, which may harm their unborn baby
- people who have a weak immune system, such as someone with HIV or AIDS
- babies less than one month old, unless it is your own baby, in which case your baby should have antibodies to protect them from the virus
Once your blisters have dried and scabbed over, you are no longer contagious and will not need to avoid anyone.
When Should You Call For Help
or seek immediate medical care if:
- You have a new or higher fever.
- You have a severe headache and a stiff neck.
- You lose the ability to think clearly.
- The rash spreads to your forehead, nose, eyes, or eyelids.
- You have eye pain, or your vision gets worse.
- You have new pain in your face, or you cannot move the muscles in your face.
- Blisters spread to new parts of your body.
Watch closely for changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor if:
- The rash has not healed after 2 to 4 weeks.
- You still have pain after the rash has healed.
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Proper Use Of Cortizone
This section provides information on the proper use of a number of products that contain hydrocortisone. It may not be specific to Cortizone-10. Please read with care.
It is very important that you use this medicine only as directed by your doctor. Do not use more of it, do not use it more often, and do not use it for a longer time than your doctor ordered. To do so may cause unwanted side effects or skin irritation.
This medicine is for use on the skin only. Do not get it in your eyes. Do not use it on skin areas that have cuts, scrapes, or burns. If it does get on these areas, rinse it off right away with water.
This medicine should only be used for skin conditions that your doctor is treating. Check with your doctor before using it for other conditions, especially if you think that a skin infection may be present. This medicine should not be used to treat certain kinds of skin infections or conditions, such as severe burns.
To use:
How Should I Take Cortisone
Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose. Use the medicine exactly as directed.
Your dose needs may change due to surgery, illness, stress, fever, or infection. Do not change your dose or stop using cortisone without your doctor’s advice.
cortisone can affect the results of certain medical tests. Tell any doctor who treats you that you are using cortisone.
Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.
Wear a medical alert tag or carry an ID card to let others know you take steroid medicine.
You should not stop using cortisone suddenly. Follow your doctor’s instructions about tapering your dose.
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If You Get The Shingles Vaccine Does This Mean Youre 100% Protected From Getting Shingles
No. Just like most vaccines, getting vaccinated with a shingles vaccine doesnt provide 100% protection from disease. However, getting the shingles vaccine reduces your risk of developing shingles.
Even if you do develop shingles, youll be more likely to have a mild case. Also, youll be much less likely to develop postherpetic neuralgia, a painful condition that can follow a shingles outbreak.
Is Shingles Contagious
You can catch chickenpox from someone with shingles if you have not had chickenpox before. But most adults and older children have already had chickenpox and so are immune from catching chickenpox again. You cannot get shingles from someone who has shingles.
The shingles rash is contagious until all the blisters have scabbed and are dry. If the blisters are covered with a dressing, it is unlikely that the virus will pass on to others. This is because the virus is passed on by direct contact with the blisters. If you have a job, you can return to work once the blisters have dried up, or earlier if you keep the rash covered and feel well enough. Similarly children with shingles can go to school if the rash is covered by clothes and the children do not feel unwell.
Pregnant women who have not had chickenpox should avoid people with shingles. See the separate leaflet called Chickenpox Contact in Pregnancy for more details. Also, if you have a poor immune system , you should avoid people with shingles. These general rules are to be on the safe side, as it is direct contact with the rash that usually passes on the virus.
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How Common Is Shingles
Shingles affects 1 out of every 3 people in the United States. More than 1 million cases of shingles are diagnosed every year. The risk of shingles increases as you get older, with about half the cases occurring in people over the age of 50. Shingles develops in about 10% of people who have had chickenpox at an earlier time in their life.
What Is Canesten Hydrocortisone Used For
To treat athletes foot and fungal sweat rash in adults and children aged 10 years and over.
The cream contains clotrimazole to treat the infection and hydrocortisone to relieve soreness and itching.
If you are thinking of using Canesten Hydrocortisone, read the following key information:
- If you have a fungal infection without any redness or itching, an antifungal medication without hydrocortisone may be more appropriate for you. Ask your pharmacist for more advice.
- Apply the cream thinly and evenly to the affected area twice a day for seven days only. See your doctor if the infection hasnt cleared up after seven days.
- Dont use the cream on large areas of skin, broken skin, acne, rosacea, impetigo, cold sores, chicken pox, shingles or herpes.
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New Treatment Impressive For Pain Following Shingles
Nov. 22, 2000 Once the unsightly, red blisters of shingles go away, the agony of the herpes zoster infection has only just begun for those patients who develop the excruciating complication called postherpetic neuralgia. Because the burning, stabbing pain lasts for months or even years, and can be triggered by even the lightest breeze or even the touch of clothing on the affected area, many patients are afraid to leave the house, and may even contemplate suicide.
Although there are currently no good treatments for postherpetic neuralgia, a new study reported in the Nov. 23, 2000 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine showed that injecting steroids into the spinal canal offered impressive pain relief. The steroid methylprednisolone relieves pain by decreasing inflammation around the source of the nerves, suggest authors Naoki Kotani, MD, and colleagues from the anesthesiology department at the University of Hirosaki School of Medicine in Japan.
You have to try the usual treatments first, C. Peter N. Watson, MD, tells WebMD. These include anesthetic skin patches, capsaicin cream, antidepressant and antiseizure medications, anti-inflammatory drugs that dont contain steroids, and even narcotics.
Watson applauds the authors for a well-done and well-designed study, but recommends repeating it with larger numbers of patients followed for longer periods.
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Treatment Of Herpes Zoster
The treatment of herpes zoster has three major objectives: treatment of the acute viral infection, treatment of the acute pain associated with herpes zoster and prevention of postherpetic neuralgia. Antiviral agents, oral corticosteroids and adjunctive individualized pain-management modalities are used to achieve these objectives.
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If I Get The Shingles Vaccine Does This Mean Im 100% Protected From Getting Shingles
No, just like most vaccines, getting vaccinated doesnt provide 100% protection from disease. However, getting the shingles vaccine reduces your risk of developing shingles. Even if you do develop shingles, youll be more likely to have a mild case. Also, youll be much less likely to develop postherpetic neuralgia, the painful condition that can follow a shingles outbreak.
I Feel Healthy Am I Really At Risk For Shingles
If youre one of the 99% of adults 50 years and older who have had chickenpox, the virus that causes shingles is inside your body and can reactivate at any time. 1 in every 3 people in the US will get shingles in their lifetime. No matter how healthy you feel, your immune system declines as you age, and that puts you at an increased risk for shingles.
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Caring For Shingles Rash
As the pustules scab over its important to try to leave the scabs intact as this can cause: bacterial infection to occur, the herpes simplex virus to spread and can also cause the area affected to scar more. This can be difficult to maintain but try to avoid knocking or scratching the scabs as they heal. The rash can take up to four weeks to heal .
Most people will not be left with scarring from the shingles infection, but if you are left with some scars then the marks are usually an angry red or purple colour at first, but this will gradually fade over a number of weeks and months . Usually these marks have faded completely a year after the initial infection and there are some steps you can take to help the process along.
Tips to reduce likelihood of scarring
- Ensure good hygiene and no disruption to the skin surface as it heals
- Protect the area from sunlight, which can darken the pigmentation, by applying high SPF sun creams when exposed to sunlight
- Keep the skin well moisturised by using emollients, oils and creams containing ingredients such as Aloe Vera, Vitamin E, Vitamin C and other natural products .
Unfortunately, however diligent you are in following these steps, some scars may still be left. If the scars are very unsightly you may wish to talk to your GP about whether further treatment could help and what options are available.
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What Should I Avoid While Taking Cortisone
Ask your doctor before receiving a vaccine. The vaccine may not work as well while you are using cortisone.
Avoid being near people who are sick or have infections. Call your doctor for preventive treatment if you are exposed to chickenpox or measles. These conditions can be serious or even fatal in people who are using cortisone.
Avoid drinking alcohol.
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Which Groups To Avoid If You Have Shingles
Pregnant women who have not had chickenpox should avoid people with shingles. See the separate leaflet called Chickenpox Contact in Pregnancy for more details. Also, if you have a poor immune system , you should avoid people with shingles. These general rules are to be on the safe side, as it is direct contact with the rash that usually passes on the virus.