Suggest Treatment For Shingles

Posted on Tue, 21 Mar 2017

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

Tue, 21 Mar 2017 Answered on

Wed, 12 Apr 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : My wife has recently been diagnosed with shingles. It is on her right eyelid. She first noticed it 5 days ago thinking it was a spider bite. She went to her doctor today and he said there was nothing he could do for treatment. His recommendation was to take IBprofen around the clock. Her eye is now starting to swell closed and the pain is increasing. I am concerned about damage to the eye such as loss of vision. Is it still possible to take Valacyclovir even though it is past the recommended 72 hours ? Can anything be done ? Concerned and worried.
Please let me know.
Thanks,
xxxxxxx

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
if there's eye involvement the drugs have to be tried

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

the drugs are effective when started within the first 72 hours as you know. Their efficacy beyond that point has not been confirmed. If there's eye involvement though, the drugs would have to be given. You should visit an ophthalmologist for assessment, particularly if she has symptoms or findings like red eye or eye discomfort. Valacyclovir and other drugs for herpes viruses like the one causing shingles are usually well tolerated, so the risk for side effects seems to weigh less than the impact of eye damage.

Kind Regards!

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