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Recommendations of pain medication

Posted , 6 users are following.

amy90536
amy90536

My partner has just been diagnosed with shingles and is in a lot of pain with the rash.  I know this should diminish in about 7-9 days as the rash goes down, but at the moment he is just on 300mg of ibuprofen, which seems rather low, has anyone had any success with anything else for the meantime?

Thank you in advances!

1 like, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • babs99203
    babs99203 amy90536

    Posted

    Unfortunately ibuprofen may not help much, particularly if he already has that much pain. Did he get antivirals in the first three days? I doubt it from what you’re saying. Also, the symptoms will usually last longer than that. If caught quickly with few symptoms, it could be 7 to 10 days.  Otherwise 4 to 8 weeks would  be more likely. Often,  gabapentin (Neurontin) is used for the nerve pain. It’s a very strong medication, with side effects that can be hard to deal with. Where is shingles? Rest is very important. The virus affects the whole body. He may have fatigue which can last a while, headaches, nausea and other symptoms. Many doctors aren’t familiar with shingles, there is also a lot of misinformation.  You’ve come to a good place for info and support.

     

    • colin1147
      colin1147 babs99203

      Posted

      3 weeks in for me; Rash/blisters/crusts have gone. Mine was around eye socket and nose, cheek, forehead. I was sent to the local main Hospital for an eyeball check, thankfully OK. Prescribed Aciclovir anti viral, Co-Codamol 30/500 strength for pain, in conjunction with Amitriptylene 10 mg. Some excruciating head ache pain in week 2, as I came off Aciclovir. Weekly check ups by the Docs. Still have some residual pain underneath eye; also taut red skin, a bit itchy, with a background headache. This is one nasty ailment.
  • usmc1963
    usmc1963 amy90536

    Posted

    Keep researching, there is no way to predict the path it will take. Shingles does not have a sunset provision. 7 to 9 days on the blisters is optimistic. Shingles = pain. Good luck!!
  • tay56201
    tay56201 amy90536

    Posted

    Tramodol and Lidocaine patches, are very helpful.

    After the blisters dried out "immediately" use good quality moisture oil or cream to help healing the scars. (At least 3-4 times daily)

    Best wishes

  • beth97678
    beth97678 amy90536

    Posted

    Oh,I'm sorry your partner has got this pain.I'm at the post-pain intense itch stage now,but it's taken 5-6 months to get here.The nerve meds were the best,ie: pregabalin(the modern gabapentin with fewer side effects) or maybe Tegretol (carbamazepine) ,or a mixture of both.Your partner may need some Tramadol too..Amitriptyline is strong stuff,usually taken at bedtime,cos it makes you quite drowsy-but it's useful as part of the cocktail that will help.Merry is very knowledgeable in the Shingles field.I'm sure she'll be along shortly to offer advice.I must say,of all the things that you can buy over the internet,L-Lysine helped me ,but this was after weeks of using the nerve meds.I used it in conjunction with the strong prescription stuff.Tell partner to stay off the chocolate and the nuts ,it makes the shingles worse.And also the booze-as the pills will make the sufferer woozy enough.Stress is a factor in how much the pain impacts on your life too.So be kind.For the amount of rash ,or marks that you see do not give any indication of the pain involved It IS an excruciating  and debilitating pain.I hope, this helps a bit.=Beth x

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