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

• Antiviral medicines to reduce the pain and duration of shingles.
• Pain medicines, antidepressants, and topical creams to relieve long-term pain.

antibiotic treatment

Shingles is caused by a virus called Herpes zoster, sometimes years after having chicken pox; no one knows what causes the virus to re-activate but is often preceded by stressful situations or a weakened immune system.

Over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamines (Benadryl) and topical numbing creams (Lidocaine cream), "Nupercaine or Benadryl jell can relieve the itching and pain.

Cold tap water compresses can be applied to sooth the blisters and prevent infection. Once the blisters have opened using mild soap and water and petroleum jelly will prevent the skin from becoming too dry or inflamed.

Some doctors now prescribe antiviral medications; acyclovir (Zovirax), valacyclovir (Valtrex), and famciclovir (Famvir). If started as soon as the flair up starts, they can decrease the pain and duration of the outbreak. Corticosteroids are used to decrease inflammation.

A severe outbreak may need to be treated with pain medication if OTC Tylenol or Ibuprofen is not helpful see your doctor.

The weeping blisters contain the virus and is contagious to individuals who are susceptible to the chickenpox virus, so skin to skin contact with anyone who could catch the chicken pox, including new born babies, needs to be avoided.

The following are treatments other sufferers have tried, please check with your physician before using a home remedy: Acupuncture, Brookskin liniment, soaking in a bath of Epsom salts, fresh juices from an aloe plant can be applied as often as needed, Calamine lotion, Destine (diaper rash cream, Butt paste (diaper rash cream) bathing in or a paste made from Oatmeal bath to be soothing.

The medical term for the condition "shingles" is herpes-zoster and it's caused by the varicella-zoster virus, or VZV. VZV is a member of the herpesvirus family and is responsible for both chicken pox (initial infection) and herpes zoster (reactivated infection).

VZV is no longer contagious once the open blisters have crusted over and there's no more drainage. Understand that h. zoster isn't contagious. This is a condition that results when VZV is reactivated. If some one who has not previously been exposed to VZV should transmit this virus to his own respiratory tract, this person would contract chicken pox, not h. zoster. H. zoster cannot occur unless a person has first had chicken pox. The virus must already be in the system and because VZV belongs to the herpesvirus family, it will remain in the body for life.

A person who has shingles can infect others with chicken pox, but only if those persons (usually children) never had chicken pox before. If a person with shingles is around a person/child who already had chicken pox, the other people won't get chicken pox or shingles.

The defining factors in shingles are:

• The person already had chicken pox
• The person is generally over 50 years old
• The person may also have a compromised immune system

See your doctor;

Seek professional medical attention, because nothing you do at home can treat and eliminate the shingles virus by itself. This is a highly painful disease and the sooner it is treated the sooner you will get relief.

Medicate:

The best treatment for the shingles virus is to begin a course of medications as prescribed by your doctor. Most likely you will be given a combination of three types of medications. First, you will be given an antiviral drug to deal with the virus itself and eliminate it.

Get some rest:

The best thing you can do for yourself to treat the shingles virus attacking you is to get some much needed rest. Take off from work. Sleep more than usual. Don't do anything physically straining while you are working to get the virus under control. Your body needs to put all it's energy and resources into fighting off the shingles virus.

Wash the rash and blisters:

Make sure you are keeping the affected area clean, cool and moist. Often times a cool bath is suggested. Regular soap, without perfumes and special additives is best. You might want to follow up a washing with some sort of topical cream. Your doctor can help you decide which cream would be best for shingles and provide the best soothing relief.

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As you may be aware, shingles is caused by a virus, the same one that causes chickenpox. Basically it is a re-emergence of the chickenpox virus. The virus is usually contained to an area of skin called a dermatome. This is the descriptive name for an area of skin supplied by a particular group of nerves. While the rash you have might spread along this dermatome, it almost never crosses into another one. This means that if it isn't already on your face, it won't go there. Stress won't spread the virus, but being stressed will affect your immune system. The medicine your doctor gave you is almost certainly aciclovir, which is an anti-viral drug taken up to 5 times a day. This must be started as soon as possible and should not be stopped mid-way through the course of else it will not be as effective. Unfortunately this is the only medical way to treat a virus. The only other option is that painkillers which may be needed. The rash should subside by the end of the course. You should be aware that some patients experience persisting pain after the rash has gone, occasionally for up to 6 months. This can be treated readily with painkillers and neurotransmitter drugs such as gabapentin and you should see your doctor if you are worried about this.

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Unconfirmed Home Remedy

Find some Mountain Laurel tree (evergreen shrub). Take the leaves and boil them. Put the liquid in a spray bottle and spray the rash. My grandmother was cured from shingles after one month of application of this plant.

Yes, shingles can recur. Shingles is a herpesvirus, specifically herpes zoster - the chickenpox virus. After a person is infected with chickenpox - usually as a child, the virus regresses to the nerve ganglia (groups of nerve cell bodies). It cannot be completely cured.

During times of stress or illness, the virus may re-activate, causing a rash usually preceded for several days by burning pain. The pain and rash is usually one sided and follows one dermatome (nerve distribution). The rash may last for up to a week before it subsides again. Typically, after the first episode, the pain and rash do not last as long as the first episode, however this may be variable.

Treatment is available. Antiviral medications, such as valacyclovir (Valtrex) have been proven to decrease the length of time of outbreaks. It does not prevent outbreaks, however.

Long time complications of shingles may include persistent pain in a dermatomal distribution. If the rash occurs on the face or near the eyes, you should be checked immediately. This condition is called zoster ophthalmicus, and may result in permanent blindness.

Yes, shingles, which is the adult version of chicken pox, is quite dangerous.
Shingles is contagious to people who have not had chicken pox. They continue to be contagious until the blisters have scabbed over, having diabetes does not make it worse or more dangerous. See related links.
Not to anyone who has had their bout of Chickenpox.
Type your answer here... ONLY IN THE FIRST 7 DAYS WHILE THEY ARE STILL CONTAGIOUS AND YOU TOUCH AREAS.
Shingle or herpes is contagious.
Nope.
After you have chickenpox (usually as a child), the virus that causes it stays inactive in your body inside certain nerve cells. Most of the time your immune system keeps the virus in these cells. So if you had the virus as a child it is very unlikely that you will develop shingles.

However, if you have never had the virus, there is a very high chance that you may develop it.
I believe a child who has not had chickenpox could get the chickenpox (not shingles) from someone who has shingles. The shingles would need to be blistered with some drainage, which is why it is recommended that those areas be covered until they are scabbed over. Covering the areas and using good handwashing technique should make all the difference in preventing the spread of the illness to others.
no- you get shingles from your own chicken pox virus. However, a person who has not had chicken pox can get chicken pox from a person with shingles.
Shingles are reactivated chickenpox virus someone who never had chickenpox could catch it but usually would need close comtact. Most worrying would be a person with a lowered immune system like someone on cancer treatment.

The short answer is yes. Shingles are brought on by the chicken pox virus (Herpes Zoster), which lodge in the nerve bundles of the spine after a person has the pox. Shingles are brought on in adults by conditions in the body that are still being studied, but stress is thought to be a primary catalyst.

Once a person experiences shingles, which are very painful, I'm sure they hope they will never get another attack, but it is possible. Some people also report that they have continued nerve sensitivity (neuropathy) for up to a year (or more) after recovering from shingles.
Yes you can. The cases can vary in severity. If you are over 50 you may be able to get the shingles vaccine, which can cut the chances of recurrence..