Suggest Treatment For Painful Shingles Infection

Posted on Sat, 25 Apr 2015

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

Sat, 25 Apr 2015 Answered on

Fri, 15 May 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi, I am a female, 81 years of age. 4 weeks ago I came down with shingles which has been very painful, particularly at night affecting my sleep. After the first 3 days I took a 7 day anti-viral med. I have had nurmerous pain meds which I'm now going to discontinue because of possible adverse affects on my liver and bleeding in the stomach. My question is: How long do you think this will last? I'm hoping it will be gone by 6 weeks.

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (10 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
It's unpredictable

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

unfortunately this is unpredictable. Typically the usual recovery time is 2-4 weeks but some patients may have post-herpetic neuralgia (which means pain after the shingles attack) that may last even for years! Since using a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for years is not recommended because of its side-effects, you should consult your doctor for alternative choices depending on your symptoms and medical history.

I hope I've not scared you by mentioning the highest possible duration. Many patients recover in much shorter times (a few weeks more than the usual recovery time).

Kind Regards!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar