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hingles

 




Ian Lloyd
Pharmacist
Peoples Pharmacy

..... This is one of the more nasty afflictions I see in my practice. The pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia (the nerve pain caused by shingles) can be excruciating and may last for months, if not years. There are effective anti-viral drugs that can help prevent the nerve damage caused by shingles, but they must be started within 24-48 hours of an outbreak. In this article, I will give details about what causes shingles and what symptoms to look for.
Almost everyone has had the chickenpox at sometime in their life. This is usually a short-lived affliction that causes a lot of skin itching and goes away after a week or two. The truly sad part is that it doesn’t really go away. It is thought that the virus that causes chickenpox (the varicella-zoster virus) is also responsible for shingles. After your body successfully fights off chickenpox, some of the virus travels up the nerve fibers and becomes dormant for many years. Later, the virus reactivates and travels down the nerve fibers to the skin surface. This causes the classic symptoms of shingles:
• Numbness, tingling, itching, or
pain in the place where the rash
is about to appear
• Fever (sometimes with chills),
nausea, or headache
• The appearance of bumps or blis-
ters that contain clear fluid appear in a band or patch on just one side of the

body (Any part of the body can be involved, includ ing the back, chest, abdomen, arms, legs, or face)
..... Remember these symptoms, it can save you a great deal of misery one day. If you do notice these symptoms, or someone you know is mentioning these symptoms, GO DIRECTLY TO A DOCTOR. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL MORNING OR A MORE CONVEnient TIME. Generally, your Physician will order a course of antiviral medications. This slows down the rapid growth of, and subsequent nerve damage caused by, the varicella-zoster virus. These medications

 help your immune system to “catch up” and fight off the virus. It is essential to start the antiviral drugs as soon as possible. Delaying treatment will not lead to a good outcome and can leave you with long lasting pain.
..... This condition sounds like a horrible state, but there are upcoming prevention options. One of the wisest choices made by the BC Government was to provide vaccinations for the chickenpox (varicella-zoster) virus. All infants are now able to get this new vaccine with their normal immunization shots. There is promising evidence that shows that people who receive the chickenpox vaccine are less likely to develop shingles when they are older.
..... But what about seniors? A recent study that showed that the same vaccine can be used on seniors and provide them with immunity against shingles. When a higher dose of the chickenpox vaccine was given to people over 60, there was a 50% reduction in the number of cases of shingles. While this vaccine is not readily available, it sounds like a very promising prevention option.
..... The most tragic after-effect of shingles is called postherpetic neuralgia. This is the medical term for shingles induced nerve damage. The pain can range from mild or slightly irritating to excruciating and unbearable. The pain can last for a few months or it can even last for years. This is why taking the
 

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