1st Outbreak not sure when to stop Acyclovir

I was late going to the Immediate Care, given Acyclovir for 7 days then followed up with my doctor. Extreme pain and stabbing pains stomach and back on right side. Bottom line from my Doctor was good luck, will prescribe a narcotic only if I cannot stand the pain and discomfort. I am 9 weeks in. Age 72, very active before this. Had the vaccine. Luck to you 

Hi Ju. Sorry to hear you have shingles, it is horrible. I am now three months and just starting to feel I am coming to the end. Mine were on my back around to groin and leg. I was misdiagnosed and was told I had contact dermatitis so I was maybe late a day or two before I found out I had shingles by another doctor. She gave me famiclover ( not sure of spelling) for five days and adasol 30 for pain. I used that for a few days but had some tramadol left over from a previous ailment so I used that to help with pain. When that was gone I got by with extra strength tylonal. After two months and rash still there I went to see another doctor and she prescribed pregabalin for nerve pain which helped. I wish I had it from the beginning. I started on a good vitamin regimen of a multivitamin, 500 vit C , 2000 vit D3, 2500 vit B12  which helped me to regain my energy and feelings of depression. I am an active 75 yr women and this through me for a loop, I had been under some stress before this happened. I am now back to walking without the pain and discomfort. Still a bit of my leg feeling frozen with pins and needles but that comes and goes without a lot of discomfort. I have said a lot but that has been my journey. Hope you are feeling better soon

You need to ask the doctor, but I believe that they normally prescribe a dosage that is used in that 7-10 day window and not refilled. I'm not sure why he gave you refills. How long did he say to take it and at what dose? You could call your pharmacist, they may be able to help explain this. Remember, it is not a cure for shingles, but it can slow down or almost stop the replication of the virus if caught soon enough.

How soon after your first symptoms were you diagnosed and given the meds? It should be given within the first 72 hours to be effective. Unfortunately, the pain may last a few weeks or longer, the breakout is only one sign of the infection. The real battle is internal. You have a virus which is affecting your entire body, not just where the rash is. You may have headaches, nausea, and especially severe fatigue. REST is the mos important thing. As others mentioned, there are meds that can help with the pain. I used (and am still on one year later) Extra-Strength Tylenol 3 times a day, Aspercreme 4% Lidocaine and a previous prescription NSAID. I'm also on Neurontin/Gabapentin for pain. Other's mentioned pre-gab, also known as Lyrica. It helps with the pain as it breaks up the nerve signal, but has a lot of lousy side effects.  Rest will keep the nerves from reacting too much. Avoid anything that increases the pain--I know that's hard, but you do NOT want PHN, which is the pain due to nerve damage, which is what I have.

I agree with Bab’s suggestions on lots of rest. I forgot to mention. I was told the same rest rest and more rest which your body needs to fight off this horrible virus and if you push through it you will slow down your progress. Also question the length of time you are on the antiviral.  

Hi Ju,

I am sorry you have Herpes Zoster-Shingles.

Regarding the duration of Acyclovir, the correct dose is 800mg 5x daily for 7-10 days. The only reason to extend the medication would be if you were having a spreading or dissemination of your Herpes Zoster-Shingles or if you were immunocompromised.

As it sounds like you are beginning to heal, I would stop it after 7 -10 days.

There are some things that help to heal faster. As you probably have read from other friends on this site, you need to rest and sleep. You cannot power through this. This virus is circulating throughout your body and gives you the symptoms such as headache, aches and pains, chills and sweating, malaise, fatigue and exhaustion. Your job is to eat well and to rest and sleep.

The more active you are, the more painful, the Shingles area will become.

Ice works to soothe the area.

If you are still having pain, please see your Physician and request Gabapentin and an Opioid for the pain. If your pain is not controlled within the first month, the risk markedly increases for the development of Post Herpetic Neuralgia PHN and or recurrent Herpes Zoster-Shingles.

I am a Nurse Practitioner in the States and have had Herpes Zoster-Shingles in my right ear every twenty-one years and twice in my right eye..

I hope I have helped you.

Best Wishes

Merry Juliana