Shingles Treatment For Pain & Itching

While researching anti-HIV drugs, Chris McGuigan, a professor of medicinal chemistry, recently discovered a new family of compounds that can attack the shingles virus directly. “We’ve always needed a cure for shingles and when we made our discovery we were in the fortunate position of being able to not only observe it, but crucially exploit it,” McGuigan said. Despite funding setbacks because shingles isn’t a “killer” disease, McGuigan’s shingles treatment drug called Inhibitex, which is 10,000 times stronger than the present drugs being prescribed, has finally made it to clinical trials. “My inbox is swamped with mail from shingles sufferers saying life is not bearable, their pain is so bad,” he adds, pointing out the importance of developing a better treatment for this painful rash.

Once a diagnosis has been made, you will begin your shingles medication treatment with antiviral medicine that targets the root cause of your symptoms. Doctors say you should begin your treatment within two days of noticing the shingles rash to decrease your risk of developing complications like post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), which is the chronic pain that persists for weeks, months or even years after the lesions heal. If the virus is not directly attacked, then it may actually damage nerve endings, which can be very difficult to treat. In fact, it’s estimated that 40-50% of patients do not respond to treatment for PHN treatment at all.

Acyclovir (Zovirax), famciclovir (Famvir), and valacyclovir (Valtrex) are the most commonly diagnosed shingles treatment drugs. Acyclovir is the oldest and most studied of these drugs, but the drug only stays in your system for three hours before getting flushed out, so many patients find the five doses per day to be a bother. Most patients prefer Famvir and Valtrex to treat their herpes zoster. Possible side effects may include headaches, fatigue, tremors, nausea and vomiting. In very rare instances, seizures have occurred.

Some people find that they need itching relief more than anything else for their shingles treatment. If this is the case for you, then mixing 78% calamine lotion with 20% rubbing alcohol, 1% phenol and 1% menthol and applying this pharmacist-created concoction on the blisters will help considerably. Vitamin E oil, aloe vera plant and colloidal oatmeal powder have also been known to help relieve itching. Hot baths can intensify the itching, so cool baths are recommended, as unpleasant as that sounds. Sometimes antihistamines like Benadryl may calm an acute itch attack.

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