Tuesday, March 26, 2024

What Cream Can You Use For Shingles

Are There Alternative Treatments

How to treat shingles

Some studies show that various alternative treatments, from acupuncture to supplements, can offer relief. The research isnât complete, but some shows promise. Check with your doctor before you try any of these:

TENS . This therapy uses tiny electrical pulses to relieve pain. A TENS unit is about the size of a smartphone and comes with small patches called electrodes. You put them over the painful area and turn the unit on and off as your pain comes and goes.

Traditional Chinese medicine: These treatments aim to restore balance in your body. They include acupuncture, the ancient practice of inserting very thin needles into your skin at specific points. Also, moxibustion and cupping, two types of heat therapy, are supposed to draw out toxins. These treatments may be done in combination.

Creams and other skin treatments: A mixture of liquid dimethyl sulfoxide and idoxuridine, an antiviral drug, may reduce swelling and the number of blisters you have when you put it on your rash. And chlorophyll, the chemical that gives plants their green color, is also used directly on the rash as a cream or saline solution.

Supplements: Youâll find a long list of herbs, pills, and oils that claim to relieve shingles. Most have no research to back them up, but there are a couple of exceptions. Papain, a protein found in papayas, is sold in capsules. And manuka and clover honeys can be put directly on your skin. Very early studies on both show they may be helpful.

See Your Pharmacist Or Medical Professional

  • see your doctor as soon as possible if you think you have shingles
  • early treatment with antiviral tablets can reduce symptoms and complications, which is especially important if the rash is on your face, neck or scalp. The complications from shingles here can be more serious, including damage to your sight
  • see your doctor again if the pain does not go away after initial treatment, particularly if it is interfering with your sleep or making you feel depressed
  • see your doctor if the rash is not healing, especially if there is swelling or pus sometimes the rash can become infected with bacteria

What Not To Do

As your shingles blisters start to scab, be sure not to:

  • Touch or scratch your scabs. This can break the scabs and cause scarring. You might also introduce harmful bacteria into your skin that can cause an infection.
  • Use thick ointments. Thick ointments will keep the scabs moist, which may increase the risk of infection. Try to keep your scabs dry instead.
  • Wrap your scabs. Avoid bandages or dressings, which can stick to your scabs. Its best to keep them uncovered and dry.
  • Wear tight clothes. Tight, restrictive clothing will rub against the scabs and further irritate your skin.

Even as your blisters start to scab, you might still develop new ones for about a week. Thats why its essential to keep protecting your skin as it heals.

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Can Hydrocortisone Cream Be Used On Shingles Rash

No matter how you come down with shingles, the rash can be very itchy and uncomfortable. One of the most common questions people ask is if hydrocortisone cream can be used to reduce itching. It turns out that there are mixed reviews on this topic some say yes, others no. So whats the answer? We will examine both sides of this argument in order to help you decide whether or not you should use hydrocortisone cream for your shingles rash.

How Can I Treat Shingles Naturally

Shingles Cream

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:

Also Check: How To Heal Shingles Scars

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.

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Is There A Shingles Vaccination

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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How To Use Valacyclovir

Read the Patient Information Leaflet if available from your pharmacist before you start taking valacyclovir and each time you get a refill. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Take valacyclovir by mouth, with or without food, as directed by your doctor. Drink plenty of fluids while taking this medication to lower the chance of side effects.

The dosage and length of treatment are based on your type of infection, medical condition, and response to treatment. For treating chickenpox in children, the dosage is also based on weight.

This medication works best when started at the first sign of an outbreak, as directed by your doctor. It may not work as well if you delay treatment. For shingles or chickenpox, start taking valacyclovir at the first symptom or as soon as possible after the rash appears. For cold sores or genital herpes, start taking this medication at the first sign or as soon as you feel tingling, itching, or burning.

Valacyclovir works best when the amount of medicine in your body is kept at a constant level. Take this drug at evenly spaced intervals. To help you remember, take it at the same time each day.

Continue to take this medication until the full prescribed amount is finished. Do not change your dose, skip any doses, or stop this medication early without your doctor’s approval.

Tell your doctor if your condition persists or worsens.

How Are Shingles Usually Treated

New treatment for the pain of shingles

Antiviral drugs such as acyclovir , valacyclovir , and famciclovir are commonly used to treat shingles but may also come with side effects including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and more.

Theres no cure for shingles, but prompt treatment can help shorten its duration and diminish the risk of complications. Most doctors will also prescribe painkillers, numbing agents, steroids, or even local anesthetic to mitigate the severe pain associated with the shingles rash.

Shingles generally last for two to six weeks with proper treatment. Most people only get shingles once, though it is possible to contract it more than this. For the majority of patients, pain management is the most important facet of shingles treatmentand new research suggests CBD may be able to help.

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How Long Is Shingles Contagious

The varicella-zoster virus is contagious and can be spread from someone who has chickenpox or shingles. Although shingles is a lifelong disease, it is only contagious for some time during each episode. Shingles is contagious from the time your symptoms appear until the time that your blisters have dried or crusted, which usually happens within seven to 10 days of symptoms appearing. As long as the blistered area is covered and hands are clean the spread is contained.

How Is Shingles Treated

There is no cure for shingles, but antiviral medicine may relieve the symptoms and help prevent complications. See your doctor for a prescription of antiviral medicines as soon as possible after symptoms develop. Treatment should be started within 3 days of the shingles rash appearing.

If you are pregnant, talk to your doctor about whether antivirals are right for you.

Over-the counter medicines, such as paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, can be used for pain relief. If over-the-counter medicines are not controlling your pain, your doctor may prescribe other medicines.

There are several things you can do to help manage the condition. They include the following.

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What Is The Best Medication For Shingles

Your healthcare provider will determine the best medication for your case of shingles based on your symptoms, medical history, and response to shingles treatment. Heres an overview of the popular shingles medications that your doctor may prescribe.

Best medication for shingles
One 0.65 ml injection in the upper arm Irritation of the injection site or chickenpox-like rash near the injection site or headache

Dosage is determined by your healthcare provider based on your medical condition, response to treatment, age, and weight.

Other possible side effects exist. This is not a complete list.

Know The Bathing Dos And Donts

Shingles Treatment Cream

Using the right water temperature while bathing or showering can make a big difference in how your skin feels and heals. Ideally, you should bathe with cool or lukewarm water and avoid very hot water.

You can also apply a cool, wet compress to the rash and blisters. The AAD recommends you soak a clean washcloth in cold water and place the cloth on top of the affected area several times a day. Leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes.

You should avoid rubbing washcloths, sponges, or exfoliants on the area.

You can also add colloidal oatmeal or cornstarch to your baths to provide some much-needed itch relief. Just be sure to dry your skin gently after getting out of the bath. Then, follow up with a layer of calamine lotion to soothe your skin, or keep it dry and cover with a bandage if its still weeping.

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What Cream Is Good To Put On A Rash From Shingles

Doctors recommend applying topical antibiotic creams to the rash that occurs during a shingles outbreak, according to WebMD. Use of these creams helps prevent infection of the blisters and reduces the risk of further complications.

While topical antibiotic creams may indirectly reduce the pain of a shingles rash through preventing infection, oral analgesics are generally used to treat pain from a shingles rash rather than a topical cream, states WebMD. However, creams containing benzocaine and capsaicin are used after the initial shingles rash heals to treat postherpetic neuralgia, a common symptom consisting of persistent pain in the area of the rash that continues even after the rash itself has healed.

Can You Use Cbd Cream For Shingles

Epidiolex, a drug that helps treat epilepsy, was recently authorized by the FDA. It allowed expanded research into the drugs potential applications, such as CBD, to treat shingles. There is much anecdotal data on using this compound for shingles. It has very few side effects, which makes it even more appealing. But there is no solid scientific evidence stating that it can benefit shingles.

The ECS controls several aspects of our body, including our skin. The presence of ECS in the skin makes it a good target for curing inflammation, eczema, acne, epidermolysis bullosa, skin cancer, and other skin conditions. Many people who develop shingles also experience severe pruritus or itching. In keratinocytes, skin nerve fibers, hair follicles, sweat glands, and sebaceous glands, there are several cannabinoid receptors and AEA. These receptors bind to fat, and the skin has many cannabinoid receptors and TRP receptors, both of which contribute to itching. TRP receptors function as ionotropic cannabinoid receptors. This suggests that these receptors are involved in lowering pain and inflammation in the skins nerves.

Also Check: How Often Do You Have To Get A Shingles Shot

Prevent Shingles Or Another Shingles Outbreak:

  • A vaccine may be given to help prevent shingles. You can get the vaccine even if you already had shingles. The vaccine comes in 2 forms. A 2-dose vaccine is usually given to adults 50 years or older. A 1-dose vaccine may be given to adults 60 years or older.
  • The vaccine can help prevent a future outbreak. If you do get shingles again, the vaccine can keep it from becoming severe. Ask your healthcare provider about other vaccines you may need.

Do Shingles Lead To Other Complications

Mayo Clinic Minute: Don’t suffer with shingles

Shingles symptoms typically go away in less than a month, but in rare cases, it can lead to complications within the organs. A severe shingles outbreak may not be life-threatening, but it has the potential to make someone lose their eyesight if it infects the eye. For the lungs, it can cause pneumonia in the liver, it can cause hepatitis and for the brain, it can lead to encephalitis.

Early treatment for any viral infection is always recommended as it can help prevent your symptoms from spiraling out of control and avoid any long-term issues. The most prevalent complication that arises from a shingles outbreak is postherpetic neuralgia . With normal shingles, symptoms will subside once the rash is gone with PHN the pain, tingling, itching, and burning will last months after the rash is gone.

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Can You Use Cbd Cream To Heal Shingles Rashes

Anyone who has ever had shingles knows how excruciatingly painful it is, nearly to insanity. In other situations, the discomfort from shingles can continue for months or even years. This article will examine how CBD cream might be the solution shingles patients are looking for.

Shingles is a viral illness induced by the varicella-zoster virus or chickenpox virus. The varicella-zoster virus stays inactive in the body in the spinal cord base after a bout with chickenpox till the body is stressed and the virus strikes again. Shingles cause a nasty rash that can appear anywhere on the skin but most commonly appears as a painful red rash wrapping around one side of the upper body. Shingles rashes usually follow the nerve path.

Fever, shivers, headaches, itching, red shingles rash, stabbing pain, and an upset tummy are all symptoms of shingles. There is no one-size-fits-all treatment for shingles, as it necessitates a multifaceted approach. Though we dont know what triggers the virus to reactivate, we believe that a weaker immune system contributes to the development of shingles years after a chickenpox outbreak. This article discussed the association between the CBD creams and Shingles.

You Cannot Get Shingles From Someone With Chickenpox

You cannot get shingles from someone with shingles or chickenpox.

But you can get chickenpox from someone with shingles if you have not had chickenpox before.

When people get chickenpox, the virus remains in the body. It can be reactivated later and cause shingles if someones immune system is lowered.

This can be because of stress, certain conditions, or treatments like chemotherapy.

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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.

Can Shingles Be Prevented Or Avoided

Terrasil Shingles Skincare â 3X Triple Action Formula, 100% Guaranteed ...

The best way to prevent shingles is through vaccination. Vaccinate your children for chickenpox. This vaccine reduces their risk for getting chickenpox. You cant get shingles unless youve had chickenpox first.

When you are older, get the shingles vaccine. It is recommended for adults 50 years of age and older. It can prevent shingles. People who have had shingles should get the vaccine to help stop the disease from reoccurring. Common side effects of the vaccine are headache, plus redness, swelling, itching, and soreness at the injection site.

The shingles vaccine is not recommended for anyone who:

  • Has had an allergic reaction to gelatin or the antibiotic neomycin
  • Has an allergy to any component of the shingles vaccine
  • Has a weakened immune system due to conditions such as leukemia, HIV, or AIDS
  • Is receiving treatment for cancer
  • Is being treated with drugs that suppress their immune system, including high-dose steroids
  • Is pregnant or might become pregnant within 4 weeks of getting the vaccine

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Oral Pain Relief Medicines

e.g. paracetamol , aspirin ibuprofen

e.g. paracetamol, ibuprofen diclofenac , naproxen

e.g. ibuprofen

e.g. diclofenac

  • paracetamol, aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories , which include ibuprofen, diclofenac and naproxen, relieve pain and reduce fever
  • paracetamol is a safe choice for most people, but it is important not to take more than recommended. Paracetamol is an ingredient in many cold and flu remedies, so be careful not to double dose
  • the maximum daily dose of paracetamol for an adult is 4 g , and no more than 1 g every 4 hours.
  • aspirin and NSAIDs are not suitable for everyone. Children under 16 years old must not take aspirin because it can cause Reyes syndrome, which is a serious condition. It should also be avoided by adolescents under 16 years old who have a viral illness
  • check with your pharmacist before taking aspirin or NSAIDs if you:
  • have a history of stomach problems, such as ulcers or indigestion
  • have asthma some asthmatics find their condition is made worse by these types of medicines
  • have kidney problems or a heart condition
  • take other medications
  • have bleeding or bruising problems
  • have an allergy to aspirin or NSAIDs
  • are pregnant or breastfeeding
  • are elderly you may be at more risk of side effects
  • are due to have any type of surgery within the next couple of days

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