How long does a shingles outbreak last with medication?
Valtrex is an antiviral medication that can help stop the shingles virus from replicating. The symptoms of shingles can last anywhere between 3 and 5 weeks . Valtrex doesn't cure shingles, but it helps to keep the virus from multiplying.
How do you know when you are healed from shingles?
The blisters will scab over and begin to heal, which takes from 1 to 3 weeks, unless the rash is on your scalp in which case it can take several months. As they heal, the blisters become smaller and less painful, generally over a period of 3 to 5 weeks.
How long does each stage of shingles last?
1–5 days: A person may experience tingling sensations on one side of the body or head. 1–5 days: Areas of tingling may become painful or flushed in appearance. The next 7–10 days: A person experiences painful blisters. Within 5 weeks: The blisters and pain typically resolve.
Can shingles flare up after treatment?
After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus remains inactive in their body. Stress, some medications, and certain health conditions can reactivate the virus and trigger the symptoms of shingles. When shingles occurs more than once, doctors refer to it as recurrent shingles.
What is the most painful stage of shingles?
Typically, the peak pain of shingles is felt within 4 or 5 days after the first symptoms develop, and it comes along with a blistering rash. As the blisters scab over, the pain usually starts to disappear. In some cases, the pain does not go away. This is known as a condition called postherpetic neuralgia.
How painful is shingles on a scale of 1 to 10?
“Shingles is extremely painful," Wigand-Bolling said. “On a scale from one to 10, most patients will say the pain ranges from six to 10.” Between 1 and 5 days after the first symptoms occur, a rash will develop in the affected area.
What are the 4 stages of shingles?
The 4 stages of shingles and how the condition progressesThe stages of shingles are tingling pain, followed by a burning feeling and a red rash, then blistering, and finally the blisters will crust over.You will typically develop a rash about 1-5 days after you feel numbness or tingling pain.More items...•
Can you spread shingles to other parts of your body?
In very rare cases, the blisters spread to nearby areas of skin or even over the whole body. This may happen if the immune system is very weak, for instance due to a serious disease like cancer or AIDS. Under those circumstances, shingles can be life-threatening.
Can shingles reoccur within weeks?
Yes: although it's uncommon, you can get shingles multiple times. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is the same virus that causes chickenpox. The virus sticks around in your body after chickenpox symptoms go away, lying dormant in your nerves, held in check by your immune system.
Can shingles come back in the same spot?
Recurring shingles has the same symptoms, and often the outbreak occurs in the same place. In about 45 percent of cases, the shingles outbreak was in a different place.
Can shingles come back after antiviral?
Why? Because shingles can strike twice, or rarely, even a third time. A shingles vaccine can reduce the chances of a recurrence. There's some disagreement about how often recurrence occurs.
Is your immune system weaker after shingles?
Weakened Immune System There is a clear association between shingles and weakened immunity to infection.
What are the after effects of shingles?
Complications from shingles can include:Postherpetic neuralgia. For some people, shingles pain continues long after the blisters have cleared. ... Vision loss. Shingles in or around an eye (ophthalmic shingles) can cause painful eye infections that may result in vision loss.Neurological problems. ... Skin infections.