Shingles

Shingles is a skin rash, the rash usually appears around the abdomen and the waist. Shingles is caused by the chicken pox virus. After you had chicken pox in childhood, the virus (varicella zoster virus) always stays in your body. If your immune system is down, the virus could flare up and spread along nerve endings. Shingles usually only occur after 50 years of age.

The symptoms of the illness are very annoying. You could experience itching on the rash and a (severe) burning or stinging pain. Complaints like fever, a feeling of malaise and a painful swelling of the lymph glands are also common. You will get blistery red spots that can ooze fluids. The fluid in those blisters is very contagious.

Shingles is uncomfortable and painful, but fortunately there are treatments. Shingles usually heals in 2 to 4 weeks. Because the pain of shingles is quite heavy, it is sensible to control it Usually it starts with taking paracetamol, but that does not work well for all shingles patients.

Antiviral drugs do help alleviating symptoms. There are medications that can help in the treatment of shingles such as aciclovir, famciclovir and Zelitrex (valaciclovir). These medications are available for you to purchase online.