What Can You Take For Nerve Pain From Shingles

What Home Remedies May Help Neuralgia

New treatment for the pain of shingles

One home remedy for postherpetic neuralgia to ask your doctor about includes crushed aspirin mixed in a lotion and applied to the painful area of skin, avoiding eyes and mouth. Another is mindfulness meditation, which provided some pain relief for participants in a 2015 stu dy.

Are There Other Ways To Ease The Pain

Most people with postherpetic neuralgia use medication to control their symptoms. But there are other ways to control the pain, too. They include:

TENS : You use a device that shoots tiny electrical currents into the area of pain on the skin. This helps block the pain.

Cold packs: Try a gel-filled one to numb the area unless cooler objects make your neuralgia worse.

Comfortable clothes: Go for looser fits and fabrics such as cotton and silk.

How Is Postherpetic Neuralgia Treated

Treatment for postherpetic neuralgia depends on the type and characteristics of pain experienced by the patient. Generally, there is not a single treatment of postherpetic neuralgia that relieves pain in all people. In many cases, it takes a combination of treatments to reduce the pain, and ensure patient comfort.

Possible pain management options include:

Non-drug treatments for postherpetic neuralgia include:

Acupuncture. The Chinese art of pricking the skin or tissues with very fine needles.
Moxibustion. A form of heat therapy in which dry plant materials called moxa are burned on or very near the surface of the skin. The intention is to warm and invigorate the flow of Qi in the body and dispel certain pathogenic influences.
Relaxation techniques. These can include breathing exercises, visualization, and distraction.
Heat/Cold Therapy. Depending on the patient, hot or cold packs may help reduce pain.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. The stimulation of peripheral nerve endings by the delivery of electrical energy through the surface of the skin.
Spinal cord stimulator. The electrical stimulation of the posterior spinal cord to block nerve impulses.

In some cases, pain treatment for postherpetic neuralgia brings complete relief. However, most sufferers still experience some pain, while some may not obtain any relief. Although some people must live with postherpetic neuralgia the rest of their lives, the condition often disappears on its own within five years.

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.

What Is In The Program

Shingles Nerve Pain Relief: What You Need To Know (Today!)

There are several strands to Julissas The Shingles Solution. One of them is, of course, food.

Food is nutrition. Specific foods prevent illness, repair the bodys varied structures, and ensure that internal processes run properly to keep us fit and alive. Other foods cause illness, damage the body, and prevent those internal processes from keeping us in the best possible shape.

Of course, when youre in the midst of a shingles attack and

you want rid of it quickly,
you sure as heck dont want PHN and
you want to ensure you absolutely never get shingles again

your nutrition has to be spot on.

Fortunately, eating well to treat shingles isnt especially restrictive. I found myself eating most of the foods I used to eat. Its more a case of eating less of the few things that definitely wont help you manage shingles and more of the things that strongly fight off the illness.

But knowledge is key here. We cant use just any healthy eating plan.

For example, there are foods you love that you fear youll have to reduce Youll be happily surprised to discover that, actually, its okay to consume them.

There are a few foods generally considered healthy that you should actually eat less of. Which surprised me when I first learned it.

And, again, proper knowledge is crucial here.

And so on.

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Go With Gabapentin For Phn

If you do have the lasting nerve pain of PHN, some doctors will prescribe anti-seizure medications, including Neurontin or Lyrica . Even though they were developed as anti-seizure medicines, they can help modulate the nerve pain until the nerves can heal, Dr. Auwaerter explains. These treatments can reduce pain signaling from the nerves to the brain by calming your neurotransmitters for a short time. They are FDA-approved as an effective treatment for PHN. Like antivirals, they require frequent daily dosing, usually three times per day.

Also Check: What Does The Early Signs Of Shingles Look Like

Other Treatment Recommendations For Shingles

If you think you have shingles, see your doctor as soon as possible. This increases the effectiveness of any treatment your doctor will prescribe for you. The treatment doesnt cure shingles. Its meant to help you manage the pain.

Besides acupuncture, you can use other methods to manage your pain. These include:

antiviral drugs such as Famvir, Zovirax, and Valtrex
over-the-counter and prescription pain relievers
calamine lotion, colloidal oatmeal, andwet compresses

Two vaccines are available for adults ages 50 years and older. The Food and Drug Administration approved Shingrix and Zostavax for use. These vaccines reduce the risk of getting shingles. If an older adult still gets shingles after being vaccinated, the symptoms may be less intense.

Shingrix, made from a dead germ, is the preferred vaccine. People with weakened immune systems can get it. Its risky for this group to get the Zostavax vaccine, which contains a live but weakened germ.

Zostavax has not been sold in the United States since November 18, 2020. If you received this vaccine, the

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

How Long Can Postherpetic Neuralgia Phn Last

Treating Nerve Pain Associated with Shingles

Whats truly frightening about PHN is that it can last as little as a few weeks but as much as years.

So 4 to 6 weeks of painful, exhausting shingles isnt necessarily the end of the story. In fact, for too many people its the start of something truly horrific.

PHN can last months or years. Out of every 100 people who get shingles, two of them will suffer PHN for 5 years.

Having seen my brother nearly crushed by it over 8 months I understand why people who suffer its unrelenting pain for years often end up with serious mental health challenges.

Each time you have shingles you run a real risk of PHN straight afterward. Which is one of the strongest reasons I can think of to absolutely not want the illness a second time?

Read Also: What Are Some Signs Of Shingles

How Can I Make The Neuropathic Pain Go Away

Neuropathic pain occurs biochemically, making it a very fluid system that can often be quickly modified, resulting in pain relief. Many different chemicals in your body may be involved in your pain, and therefore it is worth trying different types of medications to see which ones work best in your case.

For many, treating the nutritional and thyroid deficiencies and eliminating the muscle spasms, which are compressing your nerves, may be enough to eliminate your pain. Others may need to take medications to suppress the pain while we look for ways to eliminate the underlying cause.

The best way to tell which chemicals are involved in your nerve pain is to simply try different medications to see what eases your pain. Basically, it is like trying on different shoes to see what fits best. The good news is that we have a large assortment of shoes that you can try on and that are likely to help you.

It is, of course, critical to begin by eliminating the underlying causes of neuropathy and giving the nerves what they need to heal. This includes the nutritional support weve discussed. In addition, the involvement of free radicals in nerve excitation was found in 1995, supporting the use of antioxidants in nerve pain. Since that time, the antioxidant lipoic acid has been shown to be helpful in diabetic neuropathy and should be tried in other neuropathies as well. You will be amazed at how much benefit you may get over time simply from optimizing nutritional support.

Natural Remedies For Shingles

Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. The varicella zoster virus causes this viral infection. Its the same virus that causes chickenpox.

If you had chickenpox as a child, the shingles virus lies dormant in your body. The virus can reactivate later in life and cause a shingles rash. The rash can occur on any part of your body but typically only affects small sections.

Pain is usually the first symptom of shingles. The rash and fluid-filled blisters form within a couple of days after the onset of pain. Some people with shingles also have a fever, sensitivity to light, and fatigue.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , about 1 in 3 people in the United States will develop shingles at some point in their lifetime.

The shingles virus can last between two and six weeks. Shingles isnt life-threatening, but some people experience postherpetic neuralgia. This is when nerve fibers become damaged, causing shingles pain that lasts for weeks or months after the rash clears.

Theres no cure for shingles, but your doctor can prescribe antiviral medication to help shorten the duration of the virus and reduce symptoms.

Although an antiviral is an effective treatment for shingles, its not the only option. Several natural remedies may also reduce pain and discomfort.

Dry your body completely and then wash your towel to avoid spreading the virus to others.

orange and yellow fruits

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How To Prevent Nerve Damage

There are a few things you should always do before and after your runs to reduce your risk of nerve damage.

Wear proper shoes

Prescription of proper fitting shoes with the addition of customized foot orthotics or braces to neutralize biomechanical or structural pathologies , says Trepal.

Finding shoes that doesnt restrict your toes is key.

To do so, grab a shoe and take the insoles out. Put them on the ground and stand on them. You should have ½ to ¾-inches in front of your longest toe, suggests King.

Cross-train

Since running is a very linear sport where similar muscles get activated, it can leave you with weaknesses, especially in core and flexibility, if you dont focus on exercises that work all other parts of your body.

The best runners are the best cross-trainers. If the only thing you do is run and dont focus on resistance training, light biking, or rowing it can lead to muscle weakness and imbalance.

A good rule of thumb: run 4 to 5 times week, and cross-train 2 to 3 times.

Finally Use A Cool Water Compresses

Cool water may soothe the burning sensation from both your rash and mild PHN pain. Depending on the location, you could potentially put a cool pack on it, Dr. Kotton says, though she notes this wont help much for severe pain. Soak a cloth in ice water, take it out, and apply directly to the affected area. Ahhhhh. Another soother to consider? This pain very likely wont last forever, even if you have PHN. In the meantime, though, these tips will help you get through the worst of it.

Also Check: Does Ucare Cover Shingles Vaccine

Who Gets Postherpetic Neuralgia

About 1 out of 5 people who have shingles will have these sharp, ongoing pains afterward. Certain things can increase your chances of getting it:

Age: Most people who get postherpetic neuralgia are older than 60.
Gender: Women seem to get it more than men.
Early symptoms: People who have numbness, tingling, or itching before a shingles rash even appears tend to get the lingering pain later.
Pain at the start: If you had severe pain or a rash during the beginning of your outbreak, you have a greater chance of the neuralgia later.
Other health problems: People with ongoing conditions that can weaken the immune system, like HIV and cancer, seem more likely to get it.

Peripheral Neuropathy Relief With Acupuncture

Peripheral neuropathy affects millions of Americans, resulting in burning, numbness, and tingling sensations in the feet and hands. While often associated with diabetes, most of our neuropathy patients dont have diabetes. In addition, this condition affects many cancer patients, as neuropathy is a common side effect of chemotherapy.

We have developed a highly effective peripheral neuropathy protocol with over a 90% success rate. Specifically, our treatment heals the nerves in the hands and feet responsible for burning, numbness, and pain. Typically, patients feel the benefits after just a few treatments and find lasting relief after six to eight sessions. Our peripheral neuropathy treatment is an example of how acupuncture resolves nerve pain best. The gentle insertion of sterile, single-use, hair-thin needles painlessly promotes healing in their nerves themselves, without the need for medications, and with no adverse side effects.

Read Also: Installing Hip And Ridge Shingles

Why A Natural Approach Rather Than Pharmaceutical Drugs

Our bodies operate powerfully, natural health systems specifically designed to keep you well. Healthy is your bodys natural state. It becomes ill because of what we do to it. Make small, beneficial changes and you go back to your bodys preferred healthy state.

Remember: we get shingles from a weakened immune system. And that system didnt weaken on its own. We did things that caused it. By reversing what we did. our immune system comes back online, strong, powerful, and able to fight off all kinds of affliction. Including shingles.

Note something important here: it wasnt pharmas drugs or meds that caused the illness. So why would those things remedy it? If we behaved our way into shingles then we can behave our way out of it.

This is exactly what The Shingles Solution showed me. And it worked.

What Does Nerve Pain From Shingles Feel Like

How to treat shingles

Shingles typically result in a rash accompanied by pain in the affected area. The pain typically goes away whenever the rash goes away. This usually happens after two to four weeks. However, pain that continues for longer is known as postherpetic Neuralgia. The word postherpetic comes from post-herpes since the pain arises after infection by the herpes zoster virus. In sporadic cases, pain even comes back after a shingles infection, even if it had already gone away and the rash had disappeared.

The main symptom of Postherpetic Neuralgia is a pain in the nerves. The pain can either be spontaneous , paroxysmal shooting, or electric shock-like pain, or the patient can experience evoked sensations in response to light touch or other mechanical stimuli. The type and intensity of pain generally vary from patient to patient. The skin is often overly sensitive and itchy. This can make it difficult or painful to turn over in bed, wash, or even hug someone. The affected area may also feel intensely itchy, be more sensitive to pain than usual, and feel pain due to something that would not usually hurt, such as a light touch or cool breeze. Postherpetic Neuralgia also affects the quality of life as well as that of sleep. Patients often report much pain and suffering due to the condition, which leads to loss of sleep. Functional status is also affected by the pain, which leads to a limited range of movement of the chest region due to discomfort.

Also Check: Does The Chickenpox Vaccine Prevent Shingles

What If I Have Shingles And A Poor Immune System

If you have a poor immune system and develop shingles then see your doctor straightaway. You will normally be given antiviral medication whatever your age and will be monitored for complications. People with a poor immune system include:

People taking high-dose steroids. per day for more than one week in the previous three months. Or, children who have taken steroids within the previous three months, equivalent to prednisolone 2 mg/kg per day for at least one week, or 1 mg/kg per day for one month.)
People on lower doses of steroids in combination with other immunosuppressant medicines.
People taking anti-arthritis medications which can affect the bone marrow.
People being treated with chemotherapy or generalised radiotherapy, or who have had these treatments within the previous six months.
People who have had an organ transplant and are on immunosuppressive treatment.
People who have had a bone marrow transplant and who are still immunosuppressed.
People with an impaired immune system.
People who are immunosuppressed with HIV infection.