Drugs to treat shingles

Shingles usually occurs in people over 60 years old or young people with weakened immune systems. There is currently no specific treatment for shingles. However, your doctor may prescribe certain medications to prevent growth, reduce symptoms, and speed up wound healing.

Shingles is an infection caused by Varicella zoster, the virus that causes chickenpox. Even though a person who has had chickenpox has recovered from the disease, the Varicella virus remains latent in the body. These viruses reside in the ganglia for many years. When encountering favorable conditions such as immunodeficiency, body weakness, mental trauma, ... this virus will reactivate, multiply, and spread to nerve endings. sensory nerve damage the skin mucosa.
The characteristic sign of shingles is that it develops only on one side of the body. The most common sites of lateral appearance are the neck, shoulders, arms, around the forehead, eyes, and head. Zona can also appear from the hip to the thigh, from one chest to the back. It is very rare that the disease is bilateral or diffuse. The disease begins with burning, burning, pain, and numbness in an area of ​​the skin. Along with that, the patient may have headache, photophobia and discomfort. About half a day to a day later, on the painful skin, red patches appear, a few centimeters in diameter, higher than the surface of the skin, arranged along the nerve distribution line. Gradually these red patches join together in bands.
SEE ALSO: Signs of shingles in children
If you experience the above symptoms, go to medical facilities for examination and treatment. To control infection, reduce inflammation, relieve pain, and speed healing, your doctor may prescribe the following shingles medications:

Antiviral drugs can slow the progression of shingles, especially if given early, within the first 72 hours of symptoms. Antiviral medications also help reduce the risk of complications. Some commonly used antiviral shingles are:
Acyclovir Famciclovir Valacyclovir Antiviral drugs can be used both in oral and topical forms of shingles.

1.2. Pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs Shingles causes inflammation and pain, the doctor may prescribe the following medicines to reduce discomfort for the patient:
Paracetamol Ibuprofen Naproxen These drugs also help prevent pain. postherpetic nerve. This is a burning pain in some people after the rash and blisters of shingles go away.

If you have severe pain after the rash clears or you develop an infection during a shingles outbreak, your doctor may prescribe the following:
Topical Capsaicin: this is a topical medication containing capsaicin, an active ingredient extracted from chili peppers. A topical shingles medication that helps relieve local pain. Note that the medicine should only be applied after the wound has healed, do not apply it to the skin with ulcers or inflammation. Be careful not to get the medicine in your eyes. Local anesthetics: local anesthetics such as Lidocaine cream, patch, spray, ... can be used to relieve local pain. Antibiotics: are used in cases where bacteria enter the skin lesions, causing skin infections. Tricyclic antidepressants such as Amitriptylin, Desipramine, Nortriptyline, ... or anti-epileptic drugs such as Gabapentin, Pregabalin, ... help reduce pain lasting after the skin has healed. Oral and topical shingles medications for children can be treated with the same medications as adults. The doctor will consider the dose, choose the drug with few side effects, safe for the child.
SEE ALSO: Note when using shingles for pregnant women

Some of the following measures will help the skin lesions caused by shingles heal faster:
Keep the damaged skin area clean, dry, exposed to air as much as possible, avoid dressing the skin. The blisters can be itchy but try not to scratch or break the blisters. Ask your doctor for advice on topical creams to help relieve discomfort.

Some complementary treatments, such as acupuncture and steroid injections, can help relieve pain that persists after shingles. Please consult your doctor about performing these methods.

Shingles is not a primary disease but is derived from chickenpox. Therefore, to effectively prevent shingles, it is necessary to prevent chickenpox. Children and adults who have not had chickenpox should be vaccinated against chickenpox, to prevent chickenpox and shingles later in life. This is the most basic and effective preventive measure.
Once infected with chickenpox, the patient must accept that he will have a 10-20% risk of shingles. To prevent shingles outbreaks, there are currently two shingles vaccines in the world, Zostavax and Shingrix. These vaccines are highly effective, especially Shingrix which is more than 90% effective in preventing shingles outbreaks. However, these vaccines are not currently available in the Vietnamese market, patients need to improve their nutrition, eat enough nutrients, regularly exercise and exercise to improve immunity, prevent the risk of cancer. shingles flare-ups.
To prevent chickenpox, currently Vinmec International General Hospital has been deploying vaccination services with a variety of vaccines for different subjects, from infants, young children, people adults, women before and during pregnancy, including the chickenpox vaccine. The advantages of vaccination at Vinmec include:
Patients will be examined by specialist doctors, fully screened for physical and health problems, and advised on preventive vaccines and regimens. injecting regimen, monitoring and post-vaccination care before the appointment of vaccination according to the latest recommendations of the Ministry of Health & World Health Organization to ensure the best effectiveness and safety. The team of doctors, consultants and nurses are experienced and professional, understand psychology and apply effective pain relief during the vaccination process. 100% of vaccinated patients were monitored 30 minutes after injection and reassessed before leaving. Undertake general medical supervision before, during and after vaccination at Vinmec Health System and always have an emergency team ready to coordinate with the vaccination department to handle cases of anaphylaxis, respiratory failure - circulatory arrest, ensuring Ensure timely and correct handling when incidents occur. Vaccines are imported and stored in a modern cold storage system, with a cold chain that meets GSP standards, keeping vaccines in the best conditions to ensure quality. Vaccination with all vaccines is the most effective and cost-effective way to prevent disease. Therefore, if there is a need for vaccination against chickenpox, customers can go to Vinmec International General Hospital for service.