Had Shingles On Left Shoulder. Itching, Burning And Pain On The Same Area. What Should I Do?

Posted on Tue, 29 Oct 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 29 Oct 2013 Answered on

Mon, 18 Nov 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I had shingles on my left shoulder side 4 years ago. from that time whenever I have a half an hour activity like walking on tread meal or running or weight lifting I feel same itching, burning and pain on my left shoulder area. recently I got some sore cold on my lip area that my Dr said it is shingles as well. what should I do?

Answered by Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Anti-viral drug / Neurologist opinion help

Detailed Answer:
Hi friend,
Welcome to Health Care Magic

A course of antiviral drugs (like acyclovir, valacyclovir) can shorten the duration…
Local anesthetic applications like Lidocaine may help
The course can be repeated for recurrences, which are unfortunately common…

For the pain –
Over The Counter (OTC) Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID) will be useful for short term relief of pain in the meanwhile...
Anti-depressant drugs (SSRI or SNRI class) and/or anti-epileptics (like gabapentin) raise the pain threshold, irrespective of the cause and can be helpful
A neurologist may needed for further assessment and assistance
Discuss with your doctor…

Take care
Wishing all well
God bless
Good luck

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad