While it's imperative that you see your doctor if you suspect you have shingles, you may also want to try some of the following home remedies to ease the pain.
Cool the pain. Cold packs can help relieve the pain from hot, blistered skin. Gently place a cold cloth on the blisters or wrap a towel around the affected area and pour ice water on it. Apply for 20 minutes, then leave off for 20 minutes, and repeat until the pain decreases. You can also try a cold milk compress in the same manner.
Stay in bed. Rest will help your body's defenses come to your rescue.
Take an anti-inflammatory drug. Ibuprofen helps reduce inflammation and is the first line of defense in fighting the pain. Aspirin may be another option. If you are allergic to ibuprofen and aspirin, take over-the-counter (OTC) acetaminophen (it can help relieve pain, although it doesn't fight inflammation). If these don't help, ask your doctor to prescribe something for the pain. Codeine or other mild narcotics can help reduce the pain in the early phase of shingles. For a list of precautions to take when using over-the-counter analgesics, click here.
Rub on relief. Your doctor may recommend or prescribe a topical local anesthetic cream to be used on your blistered skin. Be leery of OTC topical products that contain diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or any ingredient ending in -caine, however; these can cause an allergic reaction and thus may worsen the situation.
Don't pop the blisters. The temptation may be unbearable, but you will only prolong healing time and open the door to scarring and secondary infection.
Don't spread them. Although it won't bring relief to you, stay away from people who are at risk: Avoid people with any sort of immune problem, such as transplant or cancer patients and children who haven't yet been exposed to chicken pox.
Consider a hot-pepper fix. If the blisters have healed, but the pain persists, what options do you have? Apply hot peppers? Not exactly.
But applying an OTC cream (such as Zostrix) that contains capsaicin,
which is derived from hot peppers, may help. However, many doctors don't recommend capsaicin therapy since it may actually worsen pain for the first two or three days. If you're really suffering, ask your doctor for advice on trying this remedy.
Try to relax. For lingering discomfort from shingles (or from any type of chronic pain, really), consider learning self-hypnosis, imagery, or meditation or engaging in some other activity that can help you relax. Coping with pain is stressful, and stress, in turn, may increase pain perception. Finding a reliable home remedy to calm yourself certainly won't hurt you, and it may help you deal more effectively with the pain.
Try TENS. You may be able to relieve the symptoms of shingles with a TENS (which stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) device. In theory, TENS blocks pain signals from reaching the brain with a weak electrical current (which is painless, though you will feel a tingling sensation). You can purchase a TENS unit to use at home for around $100. Your doctor's office or local hospital may be able to give you information on where to purchase one of these.
Consider an antidepressant. Some studies have shown that low doses of antidepressant medications help relieve shingles-related pain, even in patients who are not suffering from depression. How? Some antidepressants block the removal of a neurotransmitter called serotonin. Extra amounts of circulating serotonin may keep pain signals from reaching the brain. Talk it over with your doctor to determine if an antidepressant might help you cope with continuing pain following a shingles outbreak.
From relaxation techniques to antidepressants, the home treatment options to ease the pain of shingles are varied. The good news is one of the home remedies just might work!
Lingering Pain From Shingles
After the blisters have healed, the pain may persist. It's unsettling and even frustrating; there's nothing on the surface of the skin to indicate it should hurt, but it does. And according to shingles sufferers, the pain can be excruciating.
One alternative is to seek relief at a pain clinic. Pain clinics specialize in treating the kind of stubborn, chronic discomfort that can accompany or result from an injury or from an illness such as shingles. (Your regular doctor may be able to provide recommendations.)
Pain clinics come in all varieties; some rely largely on a single type of therapy, while others offer a range of treatments -- the so-called "team," or multidisciplinary approach. You may be more likely to find relief at the latter, since no single approach, technique, or drug has yet been proven in studies to clearly and consistently reduce the pain after shingles.
The multidisciplinary approach to pain treatment may include drugs or even surgery but may also include physical therapy, relaxation and stress-management techniques, and other less-traditional treatments. Indeed, doctors generally recommend the trial of less drastic therapies during the first months following an outbreak of shingles before more dramatic and dangerous surgical treatments are even considered. That's the most sensible approach considering that in many cases the pain of shingles subsides on its own.
But if all other steps have failed to provide sufficient relief for chronic, debilitating pain, your pain-treatment team may suggest a more drastic measure known as a nerve block, in which a local anesthetic is injected directly into a nerve or into the spinal cord to block the pain. Although the use of nerve blocks for shingles pain remains controversial, some preliminary evidence suggests they may help some patients.
Another risky measure is surgery in which the nerves carrying the pain are actually cut, although the procedure often fails to relieve pain. No matter what therapy is suggested, however, be sure you get a thorough, understandable explanation of it and that you are clear about the potential benefits and risks before you consent.
