What is a good treatment for shingles and are there any preventive measures to stop it in the future?

Answer 1

How is shingles treated?
There is no cure for shingles, but treatment may shorten the length of illness and prevent complications. Treatment may include:

Antiviral medications, sometimes in combination with corticosteroids, to reduce the pain and duration of shingles.
Pain medications, antidepressants, and topical creams to relieve long-term pain.

There is more information provided by clicking on the link below.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Research continues, your doctor has a limited number of things they can prescribe, none are great.

If you had chicken pox at some point in your life, this strain of Herpes remains in your body. As we get older we run the risk of this virus returning at shingles, nasty painful, long lasting condition.

You need to maintain your health and immune system, with special emphasis on immune system. Proper nutrition, exercise, and avoiding other health damaging actions.
There is a vaccination now available to (hopefully) prevent future attacks.....it's a stronger version of the chickenpox vax given to children.

If you think you are getting shingles, there's an anti-viral shot that must be given within 72 hours. After that it's mainly antibiotics to prevent a secondary infection from scratching and an antidepressant to keep you from going nuts from the discomfort.

Time is about the only cure......and keeping your hands off the rash. I've known people so miserable they could not tolerate any clothes on their body and would sit around naked. It is truly an awful condtion. Some creams are said to help.

http://www.shingles-treatment.com/
http://www.amoils.com/shingles.html

Answer 4

I don't know of an effective treatment, but, depending on your age, there is a vaccine called Zostavax that can be used to prevent the return. Your doctor can prescribe meds for the pain associated with them.

Answer 5

Shingles is a skin rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. The virus responsible for these conditions is called Varicella zoster. After an individual has chickenpox, this virus lives in the nerves and is never fully cleared from the body. Under certain circumstances, such as emotional stress, immune deficiency (from AIDS or chemotherapy) or with cancer, the virus re- activates causing shingles. In most cases, however, a cause for the reactivation of the virus is never found. The herpes virus that causes shingles and chicken pox is not the same as the herpes virus that causes genital herpes (which can be sexually transmitted) and herpes mouth sores. Shingles is medically termed Herpes zoster.

What are symptoms of shingles?

Before a rash is visible, the patient may notice several days to a week of burning pain and sensitive skin. Shingles start as small blisters on a red base, with new blisters continuing to form for 3-5 days. The blisters follow the path of individual nerves that comes out of the spinal cord (called dermatomal pattern). The entire path of the nerve may be involved or there may be areas with blisters and areas without blisters. Generally, only one nerve level is involved. In a rare case, more than one nerve will be involved. Eventually, the blisters pop and the area starts to ooze. The area will then crust over and heal. The whole process may take 3-4 weeks from start to finish. On occasion, the pain will be present but the blisters may never appear. This can be a very confusing cause of local pain!

Are shingles catching?

Yes. Shingles can be spread from an affected person to children or adults who have not had chickenpox. Instead of developing shingles, these people develop chickenpox. Once they have had chickenpox, people cannot catch shingles (or contract the virus) from someone else. Once infected, however, persons have the potential to develop shingles later in life.

Shingles are contagious, to persons that have not previously had chicken pox, as long as there are new blisters forming and old blisters healing. Once all of the blisters are crusted over, the virus can no longer be spread.

What is the treatment for shingles? Should I visit my health care worker?

There are several effective treatments for shingles. Drugs that fight viruses (antivirals), such as acyclovir (Zovirax) or famciclovir (Famvir) can reduce the duration of the rash if started early (within 48 hours of the appearance of the rash). The addition of steroids may also limit the length of time that a patient has pain with shingles. However, the benefit of both of these drugs is limited.

In addition to antiviral medication, pain medications may be needed for symptom control. The affected area should be kept covered and dry. However, bathing is permitted and the area can be cleansed with soap and water. An aluminum acetate solution (Burows or Domeboro's solution, available at your pharmacy) can be used to help dry up the blisters and oozing.

What are the complications of shingles?

Generally, shingles heal well and problems are few. However, on occasion, the blisters can become infected with a bacteria causing cellulitis, a bacterial infection of the skin. If this occurs, the area will become reddened, warm, firm, and tender. You might notice red streaks forming around the wound. If you notice any of these symptoms, contact your health care professional. Antibiotics can be used to treat these complications.

A more worrisome complication occurs when shingles affect the face, specifically the forehead and nose. In these cases, it is possible, although not likely, that shingles can affect the eye leading to loss of vision. If you have shingles on your forehead or nose, your eyes should be evaluated by a health care professional.

Can shingles be prevented with a vaccine?

In May 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first vaccine for adult shingles. The vaccine, known as Zostavax, is approved for use in adults aged 60 and over and contains a booster dose of the chickenpox vaccine usually given to children. Tests over an initial four-year period showed that the vaccine significantly reduced the incidence of shingles in these older adults. The single-dose vaccine was shown to be more than 60% effective in reducing shingles symptoms and it reduced the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) by at least two-thirds. Studies are ongoing to evaluate the effectivenesss of the vaccine over a longer term.

People with weakened immune systems due to cancer treatment, HIV disease, or organ transplants should not receive the vaccine because it contains live, weakened viral particles.

What is postherpetic neuralgia and what can be done for it?

Postherpetic neuralgia is localized pain in the area of involvement of shingles that persists beyond one month.

The most common complication of shingles is postherpetic neuralgia. This occurs when the pain associated with shingles persists beyond one month, even after the rash is gone. It is a result of irritation of the nerves of sensation by the virus. The pain can be severe and debilitating and occurs primarily in persons over the age of 50. There is some evidence that treating shingles with steroids and antiviral agents can reduce the duration and occurrence of postherpetic neuralgia. However, the decrease is minimal.

The pain of postherpetic neuralgia can be reduced by a number of medications. Tricyclic antidepressant medications [amitriptyline (Elavil) and others], as well as anti-seizure medications [gabapentin (Neurontin), carbamazipine (Tegretol)], have been used to relieve the pain associated with herpetic neuralgia. Finally, capsaicin cream (Zostrix), a derivative of hot chili peppers, can be used topically on the area after all the blisters have healed, to reduce the pain. Acupuncture and electric nerve stimulation through the skin can be helpful for some patients. Lidocaine pain patches (Lidoderm) applied directly to the skin can also be helpful in relieving nerve pains by numbing the nerves with local lidocaine anesthetic. These options are best discussed with your healthcare practitioner.

Answer 6

My mum just had them in Australia and was told to just apply metholated spirits on cotton pad to affected area. Dont know how to prevent it though, just eat healthy.

Answer 7

take the chicken pox vaccine & lower your stress level