I Think I Have Shingles What Should I Do
Repeat after me: Call your doctor right away, within 72 hours. The earlier the better.
You should start taking an antiviral medication, preferably valacyclovir or famciclovir, within 72 hours of your symptoms starting to help reduce the severity of the infection, how long your skin rash lasts, and how painful it gets. If its been more than 72 hours, you should still talk to your provider. Treatment can still help, especially if you still see new rashes showing up.
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Stay Away From Certain Groups Of People If You Have Shingles
You cannot spread shingles to others. But people who have not had chickenpox before could catch chickenpox from you.
This is because shingles is caused by the chickenpox virus.
Try to avoid:
- pregnant people who have not had chickenpox before
- people with a weakened immune system like someone having chemotherapy
- babies less than 1 month old unless you gave birth to them, as your baby should be protected from the virus by your immune system
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Whats The Difference Between Cream Lotion And Ointment
Ointments, lotions, and creams are three types of substances you can apply to your skin to help manage shingles.
These topicals are similar, but there are slight differences in their makeup. The primary difference is the amount of water and oil they contain.
According to this 2016 primer, creams are made up of about equal parts oil and water and often have moisturizing properties. Theyre thicker than lotions but thinner than ointments.
Lotions are similar to creams, but they are made up mostly of water. They have less oil and have a thinner consistency. Because theyre thinner, your skin absorbs them more quickly. Some lotions are oil-free.
Ointments are the thickest of the three. They are made to stay on top of your skin instead of being absorbed immediately. Ointments are made up of at least 80 percent oil.
Is There A Shingles Vaccine
In the UK there is a shingles vaccine immunisation programme for people aged 70 years to protect against herpes zoster. There is also a catch-up programme which offers the vaccine to anyone aged between 70 and 79 years who has previously missed out on immunisation. The vaccine is licensed for people aged over 50 years, and if you are not eligible for the vaccine on the NHS, your pharmacist may be able to provide the vaccine as a private service.
The chickenpox vaccine is not routinely given to children in the UK but is offered to people who are in close contact with someone who is particularly vulnerable to chickenpox or its complications eg, people with a weakened immune system.
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What Is Capsaicin Used For
Capsaicin is approved for use for the symptomatic relief of pain associated with osteoarthritis.
It has been used to treat neuralgic pain including:
- Post-herpetic neuralgia: mild to severe pain on the surface of the skin in patients who have just had shingles . This pain occurs in about 20% of people and can persist for a month or longer after the shingles rash heals.
- Trigeminal neuralgia: a disorder of the trigeminal nerve that causes episodes of intense, stabbing, electric shock-like pain in the areas of the face where the nerve endings reach .
- Atypical facial pain: facial pain, often described as burning, aching or cramping that occurs on one side of the face, and can extend into the upper neck or back of the scalp.
- Brachioradial pruritus: an itchy condition of the arms localized to the skin near the elbows.
- Nodularprurigo: a chronic condition characterised by intensely itchy lumps.
How Can You Care For Yourself At Home
- Be safe with medicines. Take your medicines exactly as prescribed. Call your doctor if you think you are having a problem with your medicine. Antiviral medicine helps you get better faster.
- Try not to scratch or pick at the blisters. They will crust over and fall off on their own if you leave them alone.
- Put cool, wet cloths on the area to relieve pain and itching. You can also use calamine lotion. Try not to use so much lotion that it cakes and is hard to get off.
- Put cornstarch or baking soda on the sores to help dry them out so they heal faster.
- Do not use thick ointment, such as petroleum jelly, on the sores. This will keep them from drying and healing.
- To help remove loose crusts, soak them in tap water. This can help decrease oozing, and dry and soothe the skin.
- Take an over-the-counter pain medicine, such as acetaminophen , ibuprofen , or naproxen . Read and follow all instructions on the label.
- Avoid close contact with people until the blisters have healed. It is very important for you to avoid contact with anyone who has never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine. Pregnant women, young babies, and anyone else who has a hard time fighting infection is especially at risk.
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Other Treatments For Shingles
Medications for pain relief may be required. These may be either over the counter or prescription drugs, depending on the severity of the pain. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications may help some people, while others may require narcotic pain medications. Nonmedical treatments for shingles and home remedies include the use of cool compresses to relieve pain and anti-itching lotions like calamine lotion. Aluminum acetate solutions can help dry up the blisters. Additionally, different medications have been used to control the pain of postherpetic neuralgia, including tricyclic antidepressantsand antiseizure medications. Topical agents that can help relieve the pain of postherpetic neuralgia include capsaicin cream and lidocaine patches.
How Can I Treat Shingles Naturally
The shingles virus affects the nerves, which is why a skin rash only appears in a specific area of the body rather than all over. However, nerve pain is still possible even after the shingles rash has disappeared. If the nerve fibers are damaged, they are unable to send messages from your skin to your brain. This complication of shingles is called postherpetic neuralgia and it can cause severe pain, lasting months or even years.
Postherpetic neuralgia is more common in the following patients:
- Adults over the age of 50
- Patients with another medical condition, like diabetes
- Those who experienced a severe shingles rash
- Those who experienced a shingles rash on the face or torso
- Patients who didnt begin shingles treatment within 72 hours of symptoms appearing
Besides chronic pain, symptoms of postherpetic neuralgia include depression, insomnia, suppressed appetite, and attention deficits. Fortunately, there are home remedies, over-the-counter products, and prescription medications that offer pain relief to these symptoms. Heres a long list of treatments:
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Safety And Side Effects
While CBD is not a replacement for standard treatment options, its probably OK to try CBD for shingles, despite the lack of scientific evidence. Just make sure to talk with your doctor first, especially if youre taking any medications or supplements. CBD may interact with some medications.
Topicals are less likely than ingested products to make their way into your bloodstream, but its still best to be cautious and follow your doctors recommendation.
Additionally, be sure that youre aware of potential side effects. While suggest that CBD is generally safe to use topically or orally, some people may experience mild side effects such as:
- weight or appetite changes
Its possible to receive a positive test result for THC when taking CBD products, especially full-spectrum CBD products.
We chose these products based on criteria we think are good indicators of safety, quality, and transparency. Each product in this article:
- is made by a company that provides proof of third-party testing by an ISO 17025-compliant lab
- is made with U.S.-grown hemp
- contains no more than 0.3 percent THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, according to the certificate of analysis
- passes tests for pesticides, heavy metals, and molds, according to the COA
We also considered:
- CBD potency: 250 mg per 15-mL stick
- COA: available on product page
Joy Organics also claims to produce cruelty-free products and is part of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable.
Rashes Produced By Fungal Infections
Fungal infections are fairly common. Yeasts are botanically related to fungi and can cause skin rashes. These tend to affect folds of skin . They look fiery red and have pustules around the edges.
Fungus and yeast infections have little to do with hygiene clean people get them, as well. Fungal rashes are not commonly acquired from dogs or other animals. They seem to be most easily acquired in gyms, showers, pools, or locker rooms, or from other family members. Many effective antifungal creams can be bought at the drugstore without a prescription, including 1% clotrimazole and 1% terbinafine . With extensive infection, or when toenails are involved, a prescription drug may be useful, such as oral terbinafine.
If a fungus has been repeatedly treated without success, it is worthwhile considering the possibility that it was never really a fungus to start with but rather a form of eczema. Eczema is treated entirely differently. A fungal infection can be independently confirmed by performing a variety of simple tests.
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How Could Cannabis Help
Topical Cannabis
If you have had chickenpox, then you could get shingles and it would be wise to go out right now and make sure you are fully stocked with topical products. The amount of pain relief that a cannabis cream can give is miraculously effective and instantaneous the second its on the rash, the bad burn pain drops from an excruciating level 9 to a 2.
Edibles
I dont think I would ever be able handle a shingles outbreak without high THC, edible cannabis. The type of pain I described as electric shocks throughout the nerves can literally cause severe anxiety because its so weird and uncomfortable. Like hitting a mute button, the moment I felt the the edible starting to take effect, it was like it sent all the shocks and pain far away to someplace else.
With such a large concentration of pain receptors residing in the intestines, using edible cannabis to effectively treat the pain caused by shingles, makes sense and it works.
Liquid Dimethyl Sulfoxide And Idoxuridine
Idoxuridine is an antiviral medication approved in Europe for treating shingles.
One 2015 publication suggested frequent application of 5 to 40 percent idoxuridine dissolved in DMSO may speed up the healing time of shingles. However, in the United States, idoxuridine is only FDA-approved to treat keratitis, a herpes simplex virus infection of the cornea of your eye.
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Home Remedies And Lifestyle
In addition to triggering the uncomfortable rash, shingles can cause symptoms that are similar to those of other viral infections.
Shingles can make you feel feverish, tired, and generally unwell.
While prescription and over-the-counter drugs can help, one of the most important things you can do while dealing with it is to take good care of yourself. If youre caring for someone else who has shingles, lavish them with TLC.
Laura Porter / Verywell
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Topicals Are Not A Substitute For Medical Treatment
Topical products can help you manage your symptoms. But they arent a substitute for proper medical treatment.
Its important to visit your doctor if youre dealing with shingles. Your doctor can prescribe antiviral drugs and other medications that can shorten the duration of your infection and help you avoid severe complications.
The following creams may be able to help you manage shingles symptoms.
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Can Other People Catch It
This one is confusing! You can catch chickenpox from other people, but you canât catch shingles from other people. You only get shingles from a reactivation of your own chickenpox infection in the past.
So if you have shingles, and you come into contact with somebody else, they cannot âcatchâ your shingles. But if they have never had chickenpox, it is possible that they could catch chickenpox from you.
To put it another way, no, you donât âcatchâ shingles. It comes from a virus hiding out in your own body, not from someone else. But if you have shingles, you may be infectious, as it is possible for people to catch chickenpox from you.
Only people who have never had chickenpox are likely to be at risk of catching chickenpox from your shingles. People who have had chickenpox should be immune from catching it again. If the rash is in a covered area of skin, the risk of anyone with whom you are not in close contact catching chickenpox is very low.
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Can I Prevent Shingles
There are two shingles vaccines. Shingrix is recommended over the older vaccine, Zostavax, because it is more than 90% effective in preventing a shingles outbreak
Who should get it: The CDC recommends that you get this vaccine if youâre a healthy adult age 50 or older, whether or not you remember having had chickenpox, because most people have been exposed to the virus. If you have had the Zostavax vaccine, you can also have Shingrix.
How many shots do you need? You would need two shots for Shingrix: One at first, with a follow-up in 2 to 6 months.
What it does:Shingrix reduces your chance of getting shingles by more than 90%. Even if you still get shingles, the vaccine may help it be less painful.
I never had chickenpox. Do I still need the shingles vaccine? Yes, you do. Shingrix is recommended for everyone age 50 or older, whether or not you remember having had chickenpox.
If Iâve had shingles, can I still get the vaccine? Yes. It may help prevent you having another bout of shingles later on. If you have shingles right now, you should wait until the rash is gone before you get vaccinated.
Donât get the Shingrix vaccine if you:
- Are allergic to any of the ingredients
- Are pregnant or nursing
- Have tested negative for immunity to the chickenpox virus. Ask your doctor about the chickenpox vaccine instead.
- Have shingles now
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Can I Give Shingles To Others
No one can catch shingles from you. But the virus can be spread to a person who has never had chickenpox. The virus lives in the blisters that shingles causes. It can be spread until the blisters are completely healed. If you have blisters that have not crusted over yet, you should stay away from:
- Anyone who has never had chickenpox
- Babies under 12 months old
- Very sick people
Tell your doctor if you live with children who have not had chickenpox. They may need to be vaccinated.
Neosporin Eczema Essentials Daily Moisturizing Cream
- Small tube gets used up fast
- Cream can separate inside the tube
- Can cause skin irritation for some
Approved with an official seal of acceptance by the National Eczema Association, this daily relief cream from Neosporin comes in a convenient six ounce tube. Toss one in your purse or glove box so its on hand any time youre hit with itching or notice a new dry patch. This cream uses colloidal oatmeal, which is basically a powder from ground oats, and ceramides like many of the most effective eczema treatments do.
This cream promises to deliver you visibly healthier skin in just three days, with an improvement in your skins moisture barrier. The unique REPLID formula features a blend of lipids, humectants, emollients, and botanicals to give you rapid eczema relief. This gentle cream is suitable for all members of the family, as eczema often appears to run in families, although its not considered a genetic condition.
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Who Should Get The Shingles Vaccine
Getting the shingles vaccine is the only way to reduce the risk of developing shingles and to lessen the risk of postherpetic neuralgia.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved recombinant zoster vaccine, known as Shingrix, for adults ages 50 years old and older in 2017. In July 2021, the FDA also approved Shingrix for adults ages 18 years old and older who are or will be at increased risk of herpes zoster due to immunodeficiency or immunosuppression caused by disease or therapy, according to a press release issued by Shingrix manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline . In October 2021, the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices also voted to recommend Shingrix in adults 19 and older who are or will be immunodeficient or immunosuppressed due to disease or therapy, according to a press release issued by GSK.
Shingrix is given as two shots that are two to six months apart.