Shingles Treatment

Once a person is diagnosed with shingles, he or she has several treatment options. There is no cure for shingles, but there are medications and lifestyle changes that can help minimize symptoms and speed healing. For example, shingles treatment often includes the use of antiviral medicines. Also, pain relievers can be used to treat complications like postherpetic neuralgia. Lifestyle changes that can be helpful include practicing good hygiene, getting enough rest, and using cold compresses.

 

An Overview of Shingles Treatment

For a person diagnosed with shingles (also known as herpes zoster), there are several shingles treatment options available. The treatment recommended by your healthcare provider will be based on a number of factors, including the severity of symptoms, when the shingles symptoms started, and whether shingles complications occur.
 
Options for shingles treatment may include:
 
  • Antiviral medicines and pain relievers
  • Other medicines to treat complications such as postherpetic neuralgia.

 

Treatment for shingles may also involve some temporary changes in your lifestyle.

 

Shingles Treatment: Antivirals and Pain Relievers

While there is no cure for shingles, antiviral medicines are the most commonly prescribed medicine for shingles treatment.
 
Examples of antiviral medicines used for shingles treatment include:
 
When given within 72 hours of the first symptoms of shingles, the severity and duration of a shingles attack can be reduced. For example, these shingles medications have been shown to shorten the length of new lesion formation. They have also been shown to shorten the times to full crusting, complete healing, and complete relief of shingles pain.
 
In one study looking at valacyclovir for shingles, people who were treated with valacyclovir had their blisters stop forming one day sooner than those who did not take valacyclovir (two days versus three days). In a study with famciclovir, the average time to full crusting was five days compared to seven days in those people who did not take famciclovir.
 
These shingles medicines perhaps may affect the chances for developing shingles complications (such as postherpetic neuralgia). They may also help with the severity and duration of complications. For example, compared to people who did not take any medicine, famciclovir decreased the average time for postherpetic neuralgia symptoms from 119 days to 63 days.
 
Other shingles treatment medications that may be recommended include pain relievers and anti-inflammatory corticosteroids such as prednisone. Corticosteroids are routinely used when the eye or other facial nerves are affected.
 
(Shingles Treatment Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD