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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Ways To Manage Pain Due To Shingles

How soon can you begin taking a drug like horizant or any other like drug for extreme, and I mean extreme, pain from shingles. I have only a few small sores. Never got many. The pain level is unbelievable. Loss of sleep and may have a frozen shoulder. MISERABLE!
Wed, 17 Aug 2016
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Shingles is characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters involving a localized area. It is caused by varicella zoster virus. Shingles occurs when viral antibody titer and cellular immunity decline to levels that allow viral reactivation. Predisposing factors are old age, immune-compromised patients such as HIV infection, patients on chronic steroid and chemotherapy. Shingles resolves within 3–5 weeks, but secondary bacterial infection and chronic pain due to post – herpetic neuralgia may occur. Duration of recovery from post – herpetic neuralgia is uncertain and variable.
Advice
1.     You can take Zostavax vaccine under medical supervision if your age is more than 50 years
2.     Gabapentin 100 mg three times daily for 10 days
3.     Methylcobalamin500 mcg daily per oral for 1 month
4.     Do not take mental stress as it aggravates shingles

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Suggest Ways To Manage Pain Due To Shingles

Shingles is characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters involving a localized area. It is caused by varicella zoster virus. Shingles occurs when viral antibody titer and cellular immunity decline to levels that allow viral reactivation. Predisposing factors are old age, immune-compromised patients such as HIV infection, patients on chronic steroid and chemotherapy. Shingles resolves within 3–5 weeks, but secondary bacterial infection and chronic pain due to post – herpetic neuralgia may occur. Duration of recovery from post – herpetic neuralgia is uncertain and variable. Advice 1. You can take Zostavax vaccine under medical supervision if your age is more than 50 years 2. Gabapentin 100 mg three times daily for 10 days 3. Methylcobalamin500 mcg daily per oral for 1 month 4. Do not take mental stress as it aggravates shingles Thanks