Ask Me Help Desk - Shingles... is there any relief?

Shingles... is there any relief?

I have recently found out that I have shingles. The doctor said it was most likely activated by stress. It is on the side of my neck and the back of my head, so the ointments are hard to get on the rash in my hair. The doctor said I'm looking at 4 to 6 weeks of symptoms, as mine is kind of severe. I don't take pain medications, so I don't have many options. I can't sleep more than a few hours at a time because I wake up from the pain. The ONLY relief I get is to drink alcohol. I don't like doing this, but the pain is so severe. But I wake up after 2 to 3 hours and have to drink again to relieve the pain enough to sleep. I need some help because I don't want to use drinking as an excuse, but I can't find any relief. And drinking on antibiotics is NOT good at all. But honestly, I am in so much pain, its hard to care about my health. I know how that sounds, but I just want enough relief to not continuously scratch my head and actually get some sleep. If anyone knows of any home remedies that would be great. I have tried hydrocortisone cream, as well as a prescribed cream, but it gets only about 10% better when I use it. The doctor told me there is really nothing I can do besides take the antibiotics and ride it out. But there has to be something to at least relieve the pain.

I also want to add, due to the expensive cost of the medications I was prescribed, my pharmacist had to find me a better option. Instead of one acyclovir (or something like that) 800 mg, 4 times daily, she had to put me on 200 mg, 5 pills, 4 times a day. That is 20 pills a day. She said that is no worse for me than the originally prescribed, but with the pain being so severe, and the only relief being alcohol, I absolutely cannot continue that for a few more weeks. I am also prescribed sleeping pills, which I will take and still not sleep. It's really affecting my day and getting things done. And the alcohol, sleeping pills, and antibiotics are not a good combination. I know I'm really testing my health here, but like I said, no sleep, no relief, I'm at the point of I don't care.

Why don't you take pain meds? Alcohol is worse on your liver than pain meds are.

As for shingles... I don't know why you are on antibiotics as antibiotics cure bacterial infections and shingles is a viral infection. Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus. The same virus that causes chicken pox. In essence, you had chicken pox as a child and now that virus as reared it's ugly head again in the form of shingles. Antibiotics won't help with this.

You can try using Benadryl, cool moist compresses, and lotions such as Calamine lotion after your skin has dried from the cool compress.

You should only be using antibiotics if the skin has become infected.

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the only relief being alcohol

This is a sign of an alcoholic. There are many options available aside from alcohol.

BTW, Acyclovir is not an antibiotic, it is an antiviral and is appropriate medication for shingles.

Okay an antiviral... excuse me. Call me an alcoholic.. sure. I'll agree. But at least I'm putting it out there and saying I want some help. I don't want to be drinking like this, but I want some relief.

And I also cannot take Benodryl because I also have pretty severe RLS, which benadryl makes a lot worse. I don't take pain meds due to addiction.

I understand your pain. However, you can take Motrin or Tylenol for the pain. Shingles is painful, I know that and I get that, but there is other relief out there aside from alcohol. Benadryl works as well.

I just don't understand why you refuse to take pain meds.

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I don't take pain meds due to addiction

But you drink alcohol? That's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one.

Tylenol or Motrin are not addictive. Alcohol is.

I have a very bad history with addiction. As the reason the for the alcohol. If pain meds were my only option, I would just suffer through it because the addiction issues are much worse than the pain. I actually recently came of methadone, which caused severe RLS, so I'm still going through a few withdrawals, one being the insomnia. I can't take benadryl because it makes the RLS worse. I believe the shingles had a lot to do with the withdrawals and the stress of trying to get sober. Which clearly I'm not because of the alcohol. I can't even get help, because the shingles is so bad I can't even sit through an AA meeting. But anyway, off my addiction, I just need something to help relief the pain so I can at least sleep at night. I can't sit still, I can't do school work or anything because the pain is so severe its all I can think about

Well I tried aspirin and it didn't do much

I'm so sorry you are going through so much, but you are missing the easy relief of pain.

Calamine lotion.

Cold compresses.

Motrin.

Tylenol.

Cornstarch or Baking Soda compresses.

Oatmeal bath compresses.

Those are all acceptable forms of relief that aren't addictive.

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Well I tried aspirin and it didn't do much

Aspirin will do nothing.

I read online that Listerine was very effective for many people. I didn't know if that was true or not. But thank you for the help. I will try some of those.

I haven't heard of Listerine. You might want to look here. This is a very reliable source.

Shingles Home Treatment and Remedies for Pain and Itching

Thank you a lot for your help. I know there is nothing that will take the pain away completely, but if I can find some relief with some of these things, that would be great. Thank you.

Try something that is non-addictive, like tylenol, motrin, calamine, etc. Alcohol is only going to increase your stress levels, thus increasing your pain.

I know its not really helping, but the stress of withdrawals and not sleeping, now this, alcohol seems to be the only way to get some relief from all that

Do I just apply the baking soda directly onto the affected areas?

WOW, baking soda being the only thing I have on hand at the moment, I put some on a wet cloth and applied it to the areas... almost immediate relief! Thank you! It's a little hard to get to some of the spots, being in my hair, but for the spots on my neck, it worked great!