Shingles Treatment and Prevention Options
What is Shingles?
After you have chickenpox, the varicella zoster virus stays in your body. Years later, it can become active again in your nerve tissue and cause shingles. It causes a painful, blistering rash, usually on one side of your body or face.
It becomes far more likely as you get older or if your immune system is weakened by illness, certain medicines or other health conditions.
Signs and Symptoms of Shingles
The earlier you recognise the symptoms, the sooner you can get the right advice and treatment. Common signs include:
– Before the rash: Burning, tingling, or aching on one side of the body
– The rash itself: Red patches that turn into fluid filled blisters, usually in a band
– Alongside the rash: Itching, fever, chills, tiredness, and sometimes a headache
– Healing: Blisters crust over and generally clear within two to four weeks
Can You Pass Shingles on to Someone Else?
You can’t give someone shingles directly. What you can pass on is the virus itself, through contact with fluid from an active blister, and in someone who’s never had chickenpox, that can trigger chickenpox rather than shingles.
Keep the rash covered until it crusts over.
Pregnant women who haven’t had chickenpox should be especially careful around anyone with active shingles, as it can pose a risk during pregnancy.
How to Ease Shingles Symptoms at Home
While you wait to be seen, a few simple things can help:
– Keep the rash clean and dry
– Try a cool compress for pain and irritation
– Calamine lotion can ease the itching
– Paracetamol or ibuprofen for everyday pain
– Rest properly, your immune system needs the energy
Getting Treatment at S & S Chemists
If things aren’t settling, come and see us. Thanks to the NHS Pharmacy First service, many people with shingles can be assessed and treated by our pharmacists without needing a GP appointment.
We’re on Hillside and Harrow Road, easily reachable from Ealing, Acton, Notting Hill, Harlesden, Harrow, Wembley, Neasden, and Cricklewood.
Depending on your symptoms and individual circumstances, our pharmacists can provide advice on:
– Antiviral treatment: If appropriate, antiviral medicines such as aciclovir may be recommended, with treatment generally most effective when started early
– Pain relief: Advice on suitable pain relief to help manage discomfort
– Topical care: Advice on suitable products and dressings to help protect the affected area
– Advice based on you: Your symptoms, medical history and current medicines will be taken into account
– Shingles vaccination advice: If you’re over 50, we can advise you on whether you may be eligible for the shingles vaccine
When Should You Pop In?
Come and see us if:
– You spot early signs, especially near the eye, as this needs same day attention
– You’re over 50 or your immune system is under pressure
– The rash is widespread or the pain feels severe
– Home treatments aren’t touching it
Shingles can be miserable, but it’s very treatable, and getting help early tends to make it pass more comfortably. If you’re in Hillside, Harrow Road or anywhere nearby including Ealing, Acton, Notting Hill, Harlesden, Harrow, Wembley, Neasden and Cricklewood, drop into S&S Chemists and we’ll get you sorted.