Shingles

Home Treatment

You may reduce the duration and pain of shingles by:

• Taking good care of skin sores, such as not scratching blisters and keeping your skin clean.
• Using medicines as prescribed to treat shingles or postherpetic neuralgia, which is pain that lasts for at least 30 days after the shingles rash heals.
• Using nonprescription pain medicines, such as acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen, to help reduce pain during an attack of shingles or pain caused by postherpetic neuralgia.

If home treatment does not reduce postherpetic neuralgia pain, talk with your doctor about what you can do to control the pain.

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Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS	Last Updated: March 9, 2009
Medical Review:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Alexander H. Murray, MD, FRCPC - Dermatology
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