Shingles - How Long?

Psamathe
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Re: Shingles - How Long?

Post by Psamathe »

Don't seem to be improving but what's been bad for the last few days is the fatigue/tiredness - something most reputable web sites don't mention (but Mum's Net does!).

Chance the medication may be contributing to this as listed in side effects are "feeling tired" (common, 1 in 10) as well as "feeling unusually sleepy or drowsy" (very rare, 1 in 10,000). But I'm generally unsure about putting things down to side effects, particularly as I have no other side effects from the medication.

Pain seems worse in areas outside rash e.g. rash on across back and a few small areas on same "band" on side and onto front and worse pain between bits on side and front.

Still, only a week and a half into it and because of doing other things and being away from home I was at least 5 days before starting medication and everywhere says medication should be started and most effective if started within 3 days of condition.

Ian
ANTONISH
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Re: Shingles - How Long?

Post by ANTONISH »

I had it about ten years ago - I thought it was insect bites around my shoulders.
I felt ok otherwise and went on a club run.
The GP said it was too late to treat but gave me some medication (now out of date) in case it returned.
It seems very variable - I've heard of some serious effects from it.
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andrew_s
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Re: Shingles - How Long?

Post by andrew_s »

About 3 weeks in my case, between noticing the first signs and it clearing up.
Like Antonish, by the time I'd worked out what the rash round my ribs was and consulted the GP, I was told it was too late for antivirals, and it was mild enough that I declined anything else, and more or less ignored it.
briansnail
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Re: Shingles - How Long?

Post by briansnail »

Thanks for posting.See notice on surgery encouraging people to take Shingles vaccine.This will make people take note.
Psamathe
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Re: Shingles - How Long?

Post by Psamathe »

briansnail wrote: 19 Jun 2022, 3:04pm Thanks for posting.See notice on surgery encouraging people to take Shingles vaccine.This will make people take note.
The age constraints for getting the vaccine under the NHS are "limiting". I don't qualify for a vaccine (mid-60's is too young). Having had it I've come across a lot of people around my age group who have had it.

Shingles vaccination had been on my "list" for some time but privately it's an expensive one and not available to me yet under NHS so no way to get it.

My younger brother was vaccinated several years ago (he was then living in a country whose health service had a wider age range on Shingles vaccine).

Ian
Psamathe
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Re: Shingles - How Long?

Post by Psamathe »

Over the last week or so I've seen several TV ads from NHS for Shinges vaccine and has some photos of the rash it causes. From my own experience they are showing really minor cases or rather small ares covered by rash. In my case the pain extended beyond the area of the rash but a bit surprised smaller extent used in TV ads.

Ian
ThePinkOne
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Re: Shingles - How Long?

Post by ThePinkOne »

Something that may help topically is an ointment containing St Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum). I use the Weleda "Hypercal" wound salve on cold sores (currently got a nasty batch from working out in a field in the sun for a couple of days last week). I find it helps with the pain and the sores seem to heal more quickly. As shingles is a similar virus maybe it will help? (St Johns Wort is reputed to help with nerve pain, be antiviral/antibacterial and to promote healing).

I obtain the salve online: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weleda-Hyperca ... C90&sr=8-1

not sure where else one might get it.

TPO
a.twiddler
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Re: Shingles - How Long?

Post by a.twiddler »

The link posted by jdsk tells you pretty much what you need to know about Shingles.

As far as complementary medicine/herbal creams are concerned, for the average person it would be better to take advice from a pharmacist as to what properly regulated preparations might be effective. The one recommended by The Pink One using St Johns Wort may well be effective, but it may also have interactions with a lot of medications which your pharmacist would know about. The strengths in different herbal brands may also be very variable. Although applied to the skin, it can still be absorbed into the system.

I had a shingles jab a week ago. No obvious side effects at all such as inflammation of the injection site, achy arm, flu type symptoms.
My father had shingles in his seventies and though the rash cleared up within weeks, the pain lasted months. So when I had the opportunity to have the vaccination, I leapt at it. Life is hard enough.
Psamathe
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Re: Shingles - How Long?

Post by Psamathe »

a.twiddler wrote: 27 Jun 2022, 1:04am ...
My father had shingles in his seventies and though the rash cleared up within weeks, the pain lasted months....
I had similar experience. During the infection pain more widespread than the rash and although couple of months later I still have some (minor) scars from the rash, the pain lasted a lot lot longer than the blistering/rash.

Ian
Jdsk
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Re: Shingles - How Long?

Post by Jdsk »

ThePinkOne wrote: 26 Jun 2022, 7:28pm Something that may help topically is an ointment containing St Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum). I use the Weleda "Hypercal" wound salve on cold sores (currently got a nasty batch from working out in a field in the sun for a couple of days last week). I find it helps with the pain and the sores seem to heal more quickly. As shingles is a similar virus maybe it will help? (St Johns Wort is reputed to help with nerve pain, be antiviral/antibacterial and to promote healing).

I obtain the salve online: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weleda-Hyperca ... C90&sr=8-1

not sure where else one might get it.
Is there any evidence of efficacy of St John's wort in either shingles or cold sores?

The product information for Weleda Hypercal doesn't include any evidence and doesn't claim efficacy.

Thanks

Jonathan
Last edited by Jdsk on 27 Jun 2022, 11:18am, edited 2 times in total.
Jdsk
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Re: Shingles - How Long?

Post by Jdsk »

a.twiddler wrote: 27 Jun 2022, 1:04amAs far as complementary medicine/herbal creams are concerned, for the average person it would be better to take advice from a pharmacist as to what properly regulated preparations might be effective. The one recommended by The Pink One using St Johns Wort may well be effective, but it may also have interactions with a lot of medications which your pharmacist would know about. The strengths in different herbal brands may also be very variable. Although applied to the skin, it can still be absorbed into the system.
And as well as those interactions it has its own side-effects:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypericum ... de_effects

Jonathan
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Shingles - How Long?

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Ho,
Psamathe wrote: 27 Jun 2022, 11:08am
a.twiddler wrote: 27 Jun 2022, 1:04am ...
My father had shingles in his seventies and though the rash cleared up within weeks, the pain lasted months....
I had similar experience. During the infection pain more widespread than the rash and although couple of months later I still have some (minor) scars from the rash, the pain lasted a lot lot longer than the blistering/rash.

Ian
Similar experience, the rash came later and disappeared slowly, though it was more scab than coloured.
Biggest problem was nagging pain in the armpit which was there for at least three months and meant I couldn't sleep easily.
As it's meant to be nerve related, no amount of medications seem to do anything, although without medication its possible would've been worse.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
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Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
Jdsk
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Re: Shingles - How Long?

Post by Jdsk »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote: 27 Jun 2022, 11:20amAs it's meant to be nerve related, no amount of medications seem to do anything, although without medication its possible would've been worse.
It doesn't follow from the pain being related to nerves that medications can't work.

The NICE Guidance for the public:
"Neuropathic pain in adults: pharmacological management in non-specialist settings":
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg173/ ... nformation

And the current evidence for many interventions can be found in the Cochrane Library:
https://www.cochranelibrary.com/search
and search for shingles and pain.

Jonathan
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Shingles - How Long?

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
Thanks Jonathan.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
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ThePinkOne
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Re: Shingles - How Long?

Post by ThePinkOne »

Jdsk wrote: 27 Jun 2022, 11:12am
a.twiddler wrote: 27 Jun 2022, 1:04amAs far as complementary medicine/herbal creams are concerned, for the average person it would be better to take advice from a pharmacist as to what properly regulated preparations might be effective. The one recommended by The Pink One using St Johns Wort may well be effective, but it may also have interactions with a lot of medications which your pharmacist would know about. The strengths in different herbal brands may also be very variable. Although applied to the skin, it can still be absorbed into the system.
And as well as those interactions it has its own side-effects:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypericum ... de_effects

Jonathan
A lot of "conventional" medications also have side effects (and often have different impacts on women to men), but the studies don't always cover that........ Ben Goldacre has some good books.

The "standard" treatments recommended by "proper" medical people for my eczema over the years made it worse. I have permanently damaged skin from steroid creams (and damaged teeth from the tetracycline antibiotics fed to me as toddler). I also recognise that plants are nature's chemical warfare experts- I am no "everything natural is good" person- just as well as I am allergic to falcarinol (in the sap of ivy, fatsia japonica and a few other things) and I know what tomatine can do on skin in the sun (itch like ****).

St Johns Wort does indeed interact with medicines if taken internally (which I am not suggesting); but then so does grapefruit juice https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questi ... -medicine/........

Equally, some plant-based balms can be very soothing when used externally.

I wonder if you can still get Calamine Lotion? That was what the chickenpox sores were liberally dabbed with when I was a bairn. I suppose that now chickenpox is no longer a common childhood illness, Calamine lotion is not so easily available.


TPO
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