Shingles
Shingles
Understanding pain and symptoms after shingles
Nearly 1 million Americans get shingles every year. And nearly 1 in 3 people over the age of 60 will get shingles in their lifetime. Shingles symptoms start with a blistering painful rash. This rash usually forms on the chest or back. The rash will go away in time.
Shingles can cause long-lasting pain
But once it is gone, you may still experience pain. Common symptoms include:
+ Burning pain
+ Stabbing pain
+ Pain that feels like an electric shock
+ Shooting pain where the shingles rash used to be
+ Pain from the light touch of clothing or bed sheets
When the pain doesn’t go away
When that pain persists for more than 3 months after the rash is gone, it’s called pain after shingles, or postherpetic neuralgia. In certain severe cases, this pain can lead to insomnia, weight loss, depression, and disability. About 20% of people who get shingles will experience long-lasting pain afterwards.
We can Help
At the Center for Brain and Neuro Care, we offer effective therapy for pain after shingles with medicines such as:
+ Horizant, a gabapentin encarbil extended-release tablet
+ Lyrica (I think you mean Lyrica, not Larica)
+ Gralise
Prevent and treat shingles
If you never had shingles, keep in mind that shingles can be treated or even prevented. There are vaccines that may prevent shingles. And if you get shingles, antiviral drug treatments may shorten the span of the rash.