Shingles watch...

Haven't had a doctor for at least 15 years. I may see if I can get into a Doc in the box on Saturday. The local one is well thought of. 

I will ask about it. As I'm allergic to eggs I tend to avoid vaccines. 

The vaccine is not free unless you are 70 years old!

I agree, worry is not good, BUT, I am am one of the unfortunates that keeps getting shingles. Once I finally acknowledged that, at the first symptom I will start treatment, and it has helped extremely with the pain and suffering I use to put myself through.

Sadly the person at the eye clinic was perpetuating a myth. You can get shingles multiple times--it's not just people here who mention it. My husband just got it again! Second time in 4 months, 3rd time in his life. Luckily every single time (including this morning) we caught it at the very first sign of the rash, no pain this time and he got in the morning an is now on anti-virals. He's seen me suffer for almost 5 months now and wants not part of that.

The lady at the eye clinic is a specialist and sees hundreds of people every week so i think she would know!

Jane, I guess we agree to disagree on this. An eye clinic treats people with eye problems. Some people who have shingles multiple times, particularly in the eye  may not have been seen by her. My husband HAS had shingles 3 times, my sister DOES get it every year, Merry and many others here can also attest to this, as can many other health professionals. Other myths are: only old people get shingles, you have to have a compromised immune system to get shingles, you always get a bad, ugly rash with shingles etc. I know children who had shingles, I'm extremely healthy and got shingles, I had almost NO rash when I got my  shingles and there are variations of it where there is not external rash at all.

Babs is right. There are so many health professionals that are misinformed, and since they do not see much of it, they do not dive into the research.

Hi Babs and Jane, I have had shingles at least 3 times a month for over a year!! I have read up on these for a long time, as I said I have gotten so many different answers from differnt health care professionals....again, it seems like this is a new disease that many dr's are not informed. Also my dr recommended me to take these anti-viral meds every day for the rest of my life... my dr gave me valacyclovir and it makes me very sick to my stomach and dizzy, .To my understanding this is the only anti-virtal meds they have...when I told my dr they make me sick he said that was the only one they have.  But at looks as though people are taking different ones on here...Also, when you take these do you all take 2 differnt ones at that same time. I dont get any symtoms until I get the rash. I love my dr but thinking I need to see a different one or inform him....this is an awful condition..and I am so tired of feeling lathargic and exhasuted...thank you all for the comments and your input!! 

I'm sorry you get so ill from these-it must vary greatly from patient to patient. That's what my husband just started and he gets almost no side effects, but he's a 280 lb 6' 5" man. I do wonder if they ever vary the dosage. Also, maybe a different supplier of the generic may be better for you. I have problems with one generic of Gabapentin, but not the other. Who knows why, but it can happen.

I just looked at his dosage, it's a gram or 1000 milligrams, three times a day. He'll take it around breakfast, later lunch and then after dinner or around 8:00ish.

Hi Pattitracy!

Generics can vary 15 % in dosage from the brand name. They can also use different binders to hold the active ingredients together. For example, Valcyclovir 1000mg generic could conceivably contain 850 mg to 1150 mg as the generic drug industry is not that closely regulated. The brand name drugs as they are being tested and approved are closely? regulated. If you buy drugs manufactured outside the UK, the US, Switzerland, etc, you run into problems with quality control.

In the US, where many of us are from, different insurance companies will pay for different Antivirals. That being said, I know if you can't tolerate one, you can get the other one paid for in the U S.

I know Famciclovir is paid for in the UK for some people on this site. I know nothing about your National Health Insurance.

Certain Physicians can be more willing to do the work it takes to battle with insurance companies in the US. I do not know the system in the UK.

I hope this information helps you.

Try taking Valcyclovir with food.

Best regards

Merry Juliana

I hope this helps.

My dr said nothing can be gained from taking antivirals once the shingles is over with, and all I do now is use eye drops throughout the day, gel at night for my eye and I have had itching on the eyelid every day for a year now, and sometimes my eye is very sore, I think it's ridiculous that nothing has ever been looked into to help PHN!! I have no pain but  the itching drives me crazy and there seems to be nothing I can do to put an end to it!!!

Hi Merry, thanks so much for the information!!! Have a wonderful evening!!