Hi.I had shingles once.My doctor gave me pills for it and it went away in two weeks.There is stil a slight numbness where it had infected.

My mother-in-law has recently been suffering with shingles. She was left with post herpetic neuralgia after the lesions healed. She was taking darvocet and lidocaine patches for the pain with little relief. During her first visit with her neurologist he told her the darvocet would do no good for the pain and prescribed loritab. He also perscribed neurontin to heal the nerves. This was yesterday and today she feels no pain! She had been suffering for about 8 weeks.

I hope this info helps you find relief soon!

my mother (82) came down with shingles about 4 months ago - the blisters are gone, but she continues to suffer pain every time she eats. It feels internal, "like the shingles blisters are inside" her stomach. After she eats she burps and hiccups. She has lost weight.
She took famvir for two weeks early in the shingles episode.

Has anyone had this stomach problem? Bijoubug, is this similar to the phn your mother in law had? Has anyone experienced side effects of drugs that could explain this? Thanks!

I had shingles a 5 weeks ago and was lucky enough to get vatrax right away and it went away quickly with no real pain afterwards...However I did have some stomach problems for a for weeks...Especially bad right after the blisters started healing. I think it was do to the antiviral medicine and the pain killers (vicoden) that my doctor prescribed...But maybe not. I have never really had heartburn before all this and besides that I had some stomach pain. I took antacids for a few days and it calmed it all down...Still have some problems from time to time but it seems to be getting better. Good luck...By the way i'm only 38 and still had these side effects. I would assume someone much older would suffer worse. Hopefully it's nothing to worry about.

Yes I had a lot of burping and hiccups afterwards. A website I visited recommended eating slowly, not drinking through straws, and although you should drink a lot of water throughout the day, don't drink too much at one time. Hope it helps

I had shingles last year, I was very itch in certain areas, then a few days later the rash appeard. I went to the doctors and was told it was impotigo. I knew myself that it wasnt ive seen impotigo before and I could just tell it wasnt, so I went back to a different doctor who then told me what it really was, shingles. I was told that nothing would get rid of the pain, or quicken the healing process up. So I left the surgery empty handed. A few days passed and it really kicked in, I felt sick, dirty, and depressed! Apparently this is very common. I was just told that I could get it again ** big shock ** I wouldnt give it to my worst enemy!

Answer to anyone who has had shingles! I have then inside my head and they never came out. The first episodes lasted about a week with excrutiating pain occurring about every hour and last for about 10 minutes. Two visits to the emergency room (both times having episodes in front of the medical staff)and my family physician who gave me darvaset and finally one doctor in the er saw one pimple while he was administering a pain shot in the back of my head. He then said I had shingles. I was referred to a neurologist and have been seeing her for over a year. No more pain, just twinges once in a while, but the constant itching and sensitivity on the right sdide of my head is starting to get to me. I am currently taking klonopin which helps me sleep but I cannot take it during the day. Saw the doctor today and asked her if she had ever heard of shingles that never came out. She said it is rare but happens. I also do not remember having chicken pox. She said I probably had the same thing-no eruption just thought I had the flu and that's why it's happening this way now.
Sandy