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Permanent itching after shingles

Posted , 26 users are following.

Jane1618
Jane1618

it is over a year ago that I had shingles and the itching all around my eye and forehead has never gone away. I was told a few times at the eye clinic, that it takes time, but has anyone else suffered with this for so long??!! I use antihistamine cream and eye drops, but I think I have this awful problem forever! Luckily it isn't all day long but it IS every singfle day and makes life fairly miserable a lot of the time!

4 likes, 53 replies

53 Replies

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  • lesli71991
    lesli71991 Jane1618

    Posted

    Try toothpaste for itching
    • allidalli
      allidalli lesli71991

      Posted

      Absolutely!  It is the only thing that helps me at the moment, although I've been told I'll ruin my skin with it.  Don't care - I can't stand the itching all the time on my cheek.

    • allidalli
      allidalli lesli71991

      Posted

      Absolutely! Better than all the different remedies altogether.
  • yvonne87819
    yvonne87819 Jane1618

    Posted

    I had shingles almost 2 years ago on the back and sides of my scalp.  That part of my scalp has itched ever since.  It seems to get better and worse, but never goes away.  I still get little stabs of pain in the epicenter of the  itchy areas a couple of times a day.  I believe stress has alot to do with the better/worse part of it.  Does anyone know of anything to help with the itching of the scalp?  I have rather thick, medium length hair.  I can't seem to get ointment in the right spots on my scalp since it's on the back of my head and under all the hair!

    • Guest
      Guest yvonne87819

      Posted

      Hello

      Finally hear about someone who got shingles on the scalp like me!  I got shingles almost 4 months ago and I am clear but the itching and the pain is almost everyday!  Last night I felt a little blister and got scared!  Asked my daughter to check it out and told me that it was a little one!  I hope it’s not another bout of shingles again!  I couldn’t handle another case!  This morning I washed my hair and my daughter said it was no longer there!!  So it was a relief!  But the stabbing pain and needles are almost daily,  the itch is less though!  Thx for answering ❤️

    • joseph34465
      joseph34465 Guest

      Posted

      You should find out about the shingles vaccine. I use Diclofenac Sodium Topical Gel (prescription) and Biofreese ( non-prescription). They both seem to calm it down. My neurologist had some test run MRI and EEG. Tuesday I well get the results. He wanted to find out how much damage to shingles did.
  • allidalli
    allidalli Jane1618

    Posted

    Hi Jane, I just had Shingles in my face too and while that went about 3 weeks ago I am plagued with itchiness in my face like you.  I scratch all day and night and am ruining my skin but I can't stop.  It is so sore.  I have used the capsacin cream, the expensive Lidocaine cream and various other ointments but nothing works.  Toothpaste helps a bit. And my eyes are so sore and red these days I can hardly blink but I've been told there's nothing wrong with them except dryness. And I can't sleep so I'm constantly exhausted! Please tell me you don't still have this itchiness.  Will it ever end?   Alli 

    • Jane1618
      Jane1618 allidalli

      Posted

      Hi,

      Sadly I do still have awful itching in and around my eye,  it drives me mead especially in the evening and first thing in the morning , so eyelid is sore from rubbing it now, I spent £30 on two different creams/gel  but even these don't work so I end up putting the cheapest cream on my eyelid, sudocrem!! I don't notice it  as much when I am keeping busy  but  do still have the problem every day,  and this has been going on for almost 2 years now! I am going to try taking amitriptyline to see if that helps, as I took it during shingles and if nothing else it really did help me to sleep well.

      I recently asked my Dr if it would be worth having the vaccination (I am 65 so would have to pay) She said it  isn't really beneficial unless you have never had shingles, so I wont waste my money!

      I continue to try and find things that stop the awful itching and would like to hear from anyone who has had any luck with this!!

       

    • april66508
      april66508 Jane1618

      Posted

      agh I'm 26 years old. I had a horrible bout of shingles (my first bout) in August.. roughly 8 months ago. It was on my right side of my face, on my scalp and in my right eye. I lost my vision for 3 months (photophobia) and had to drop out of college. I couldn't drive and had to sit in my bedroom for months because the light was too painful for my eye! Thankfully my eye healed, and I am able to see and am back in college BUT i still have CHRONIC itching every.single.day. The longest I've went without scratching is 4 days and i have scabs on my scalp that bleed everytime I scratch them. Once I scratch it and it bleeds. the itch goes away. ITS an awful cycle. My eyebrow also itches, and its scarred and doesn't grow back. Because I am 26 they will not give me the shingrex shot.

      Ice packs helps..but it doesn't make the itch completely go away. 

      It is AWFUL

  • toni47595
    toni47595 Jane1618

    Posted

    Hello and I’m sad to say I had eye shingles while in my eighth month of pregnancy it was horrifying. A real horror. Anyway I digress. That’s been seven months ago and daily my eye hurts and itches relentlessly in the evening strangely enough. Other times it’s irritated by the sun.  Around my eyes are dark from constant rubbing the skin trying to get rid of the itch. Sorry others are also dealing with it too. 
  • toni47595
    toni47595 Jane1618

    Posted

    Some of my routines that were soothing included cold packs or cold water immersion and a lot of prayer! 
  • patrick46972
    patrick46972 Jane1618

    Posted

    Couple of comments - first off I had shingles in my right eye and right side of face you would recognize me in a crowd as I'm the fellow with mostly just one eyebrow my right eyebrow doesn't grow because I can't stop scratching it especially at night.  

    Jane your doctor gave you bad advice look into Shingrix it is so much better than Zostavax and while it will not help the itching it will prevent a further outbreak of Shingles and that is definitely worth the cost.

    I lost significant vision from the scarring in my right eye it would be wonderful to get some real relief from the itching I have not found anything that works well although I have found some temporary relief using LivRelief Nerve Pain

     

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  • yvonne87819
    yvonne87819 Jane1618

    Posted

    Apparently I have eczema on the back of my scalp.  It seems to me that the shingles I had on the back of my scalp 2 years ago most likely triggered the eczema, since the itching never really stopped.  I now have very short hair so I can use the prescription lotion that my doctor prescribed.  The medication seems to be helping.
    • allidalli
      allidalli yvonne87819

      Posted

      Definitely is triggered by the Shingles.  After the spots went, I got a nasty skin infection all over my legs and the GP said it was a streptococchyl eczema infection which was a side effect of shingles.  Oh joy!  Isn't the body a strange thing that it does this to us.  One day, perhaps they'll understand why!   The itching for me is only very slight now thank God.  Hope yours gets better too.

    • yvonne87819
      yvonne87819 allidalli

      Posted

      Our body attacking itself seems to be stress related, as if the stress wasn't enough!  Mine is getting better, but I guess I'll be dealing with this for years to come.....Good luck to you and everyone with this problem.

    • Guest
      Guest yvonne87819

      Posted

      Hello

      It’s been almost five months since I got shingles!  The itch is everyday on my scalp!  They say that itch is really pain!  The only relief from the itch is washing my hair every other day with cold water!  

      Since it’s in the scalp I can’t reallt apply anything because if my hair!  I just hope it goes away!  At 64 I don’t want to live with this!  I want to live my life

      Peacefully 

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