Overcoming Shingles Symptoms

My sisters friend came over to spend the night and she had 4 or 5 large bumps on her back and complained that they itched. She went to the doctor today and my sister called me and said her friend had Shingles….what are they? The last time I heard about Shingles was on Oregon Trail in elem school! (along with polio, etc)
How do you get Shingles? Is it contagious? I’m really worried that my sister shouldn’t stay there overnight because I don’t want her to catch it too….
How do you cure it?

Shingles are contagious. They come from the same virus as the chicken pox. There’s really not much you can do to cure it, the doctor probably gave her some medication for the itching and/or pain, and told her to avoid any unnecessary contact with people. I’m not sure if you can get them after having chicken pox or not so I can’t even tell you that your sister would be fine as long as she’s had the chicken pox. Whether she stays over night or not is your decision, I’m not sure I’d let my sister/brother stay. Hope this helps.

The doctor says that there is no cure, there must be. Does anyone know of a Doctor or medicine or anything that would help my Dad, cure his Shingles inside his body or ease the pain.

Today’s treatments provide a variety of ways to shorten the duration of a shingles outbreak and to control the associated pain. Sometimes, however, shingles leads to a chronic painful condition called post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) that can be difficult to treat.

Although viral diseases can’t be cured, doctors can prescribe oral antiviral medications, such as Zovirax (acyclovir), Famvir (famciclovir) and Valtrex (valacyclovir), that help control the infection by hindering reproduction of the virus in the nerve cells. "Antiviral therapy may shorten the course of an episode of shingles," says Cvetkovich. "However, therapy must be started as early as possible after symptoms develop–within 48 hours–in order to have an effect."

To relieve pain, the doctor may recommend over-the-counter analgesics (pain-relieving drugs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen, or prescription drugs, such as indomethacin, all members of a class of medications known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Acetaminophen is also commonly used to relieve the pain. If pain is severe, doctors may add stronger analgesics, such as codeine or oxycodone.

Doctors use other methods to alleviate pain with varying degrees of success. "One of the relatively new medications that I’m enthusiastic about is the Lidoderm patch," says Veronica Mitchell, M.D., director of the pain management center and inpatient pain service at Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C. "It’s the transdermal form of lidocaine and it’s been studied in the PHN population with very good results," adds Mitchell. "We prescribed the Lidoderm patch for a patient who had intolerable side effects with oral medications–and no relief–and she’s had about a 50 percent-plus improvement in pain relief. It’s one of my first-line therapies." The medication contained in this soft, pliable patch penetrates the skin, reaching the damaged nerves just under the skin without being absorbed significantly into the bloodstream. This means that the patch can be used for long periods of time without serious side effects.

Yet another method used to treat PHN is transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, or TENS. A device that generates low-level pulses of electrical current is applied to the skin’s surface, causing tingling sensations and offering some people pain relief. One theory as to how TENS works is that the electrical current stimulates production of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers.

TENS is not for everyone. "TENS didn’t help at all," says Einar Raysor of Rockville, Md. "I found there was a problem in fine-tuning the administration of the electrical current. Low doses of the electrical current didn’t do anything for me. When the technician increased the current, it gave me a painful response. After this happened a couple of times, we dropped the treatment."

As a last resort, invasive procedures called nerve blocks may be used to provide temporary relief. These procedures usually entail the injection of a local anesthetic into the area of the affected nerves. "We have controversial results in the terms of the efficacy of nerve blocks," says Mitchell. "I do consider nerve blocks in treating PHN and I would perform them because there’s some evidence that they work, but the real efficacy is to catch and treat the patient in the acute shingles phase. As PHN presents mostly in the elderly, and the older patient often is unable to tolerate some of the medications we use, I find nerve blocks useful in these cases."

Injection directly into the spine is another option for relief of pain that is not easily treated. A Japanese clinical study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that an injection of the steroid methylprednisone combined with the anesthetic lidocaine reduced pain by more than 70 percent in one patient group compared with groups that received lidocaine alone or an inactive substance.

Sorry this is going to be long. One of my closest friends commited suicide on May 9th. Ever since I found out I have been having what the doctor calls tension migrains. I have pain from temple to temple and pain all the down my back. I also have shingles on the right side of my back. Even before I had the shingles I have had pain in the muscles closest to the spine. It hurts to walk, cough, or sneeze. The weird thing is that every time I stand up I get a migraine that lasts about 10 – 20 seconds. The thing I am worried about is my doctor only gave me sleeping pills and mecidine to cure the shingles. By the way this is the fourth time I have had shingles. Was my doctor correct in the prescription she gave me? Also is it normal to have a short migraine every time I stand?

There is a new development in migraine therapy:

http://www.neurologyreviews.com/feb04/nr_feb04_foramen.html

Treatment for Shingles

Antiviral Medication (such as acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir): For most patients with shingles, oral antiviral medication should be prescribed for 7 days. The earlier this medication is taken, the better the chance of stopping the virus from causing more damage to the nerves. Early treatment with antiviral medication can lessen the intensity and duration of shingles pain (but, as mentioned above, there is no definite proof that these medications will stop the patient from getting PHN). Once the rash has healed, the patient should stop taking antiviral medication.

Steroids(such as prednisone): Some studies have shown that early treatment with a short course (usually 1-2 weeks) of steroids can decrease the intensity and duration of pain associated with acute shingles.

Nerve Blocks: Pain specialists can inject numbing medications (called local anesthetics) directly into certain nerves to help with shingles pain. As mentioned above, these nerve blocks have not been proven to reduce the chances of developing PHN, but nerve blocks may provide good temporary pain relief for the shingles.

Opioid Medication (narcotics): Opioid medications, such as morphine, oxycodone, codeine, hydromorphone, and methadone, can provide good pain relief without side effects for many patients. In most cases, there should be no concern about developing "addiction" when these drugs are used to treat the severe pain of shingles. Patients can be safely taken off of the narcotic medication if it is no longer needed.

Tricyclic Antidepressants (such as amitriptyline [Elavil] and nortriptyline [Pamelor]): One study has shown that giving tricyclic antidepressants during the early shingles phase can help reduce the pain and help reduce the chance of developing chronic PHN pain. When used in this way, tricyclic antidepressants are not given to treat any kind of depression — they are prescribed for pain relief and perhaps to reduce the chance of getting PHN.

I mean if the virus can’t reach the skin, shouldn’t that stop it from breaking out? If the virus is not shedding you shouldn’t infect anyone. I was just curious. They say there is no cure but these medications don’t always inhibit breakouts or spreading the virus. There’s got to be a way to control it.

Okay, in theory this sounds like a plan; however, the virus does migrate to other nerves. The migration process is not completely understood, but it does tend to happen if an area (nerve) near the nerve that habors the virus is traumatized. Also, I have read of the virus traveling from the nerve into the lymph system and other organs. So, damaging the nerve may not be the anwer as far as finding a cure.

Acupuncture, and specifically electro-acupuncture, is exceptionally helpful for this. I have included a few links to get you started in your research.

what is a fast and easy way to cure shingles

There isn’t a fast and easy way to cure it! Antiviral meds may help but only time will make it better. Pain meds will help ease the pain.

My father has not been feeling well. He went to the doctor yesterday and the doctor told him that he had shingles inside his body. The doctor gave him some pain medicine and told him there is no cure it will just go away. He told him this was cause from stress. Any help on what he could do or take to help get rid of these shingles inside his body.

I’m a physician assistant and have an answer for you.
Shingles is a virus that is also a part of the chicken pox virus. When you are young you get chicken pox, when you are old you get shingles from the same virus. Unfortunately, your doctor is right, it can’t be cured. It comes about in times of stress and is pretty painful. There is a medication called Acyclovir that can prevent the outbreaks before they get bad. Usually you begin taking the mediation when you feel an episode come on (tingling sensation or mild pain where the outbreak is going to occur) and it prevents the outbreak from progressing to a painful situation. If i were you, i would ask your doctor or Physician Assistant about Acyclovir. We prescribe it frequently for people with exactly the same problem. hope that helped!

My father has not been feeling well. He went to the doctor yesterday and the doctor told him that he had shingles inside his body. The doctor gave him some pain medicine and told him there is no cure it will just go away. He told him this was cause from stress. Any help on what he could do or take to help get rid of these shingles inside his body.

I’m a physician assistant and have an answer for you.
Shingles is a virus that is also a part of the chicken pox virus. When you are young you get chicken pox, when you are old you get shingles from the same virus. Unfortunately, your doctor is right, it can’t be cured. It comes about in times of stress and is pretty painful. There is a medication called Acyclovir that can prevent the outbreaks before they get bad. Usually you begin taking the mediation when you feel an episode come on (tingling sensation or mild pain where the outbreak is going to occur) and it prevents the outbreak from progressing to a painful situation. If i were you, i would ask your doctor or Physician Assistant about Acyclovir. We prescribe it frequently for people with exactly the same problem. hope that helped!