Medications

Medicines can help limit the pain and discomfort caused by shingles, shorten the time you have symptoms, and prevent the spread of the disease. Medicines also may reduce your chances of developing shingles complications, such as postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) or disseminated zoster. Early treatment of shingles is important, because the possible complications can be serious and resistant to treatment. For example, 40 to 50 out of 100 people who have PHN do not respond to treatment.³

Medication Choices

Medicines to treat shingles when the rash is present (active stage) may include:

• Over-the-counter pain medicines, such as acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen, to help reduce pain.
• Antiviral medicines, to reduce the pain and duration of shingles.
• Topical antibiotics, which are applied directly to the skin, to stop infection of the blisters.

Medicines to treat postherpetic neuralgia pain may include:

• Over-the-counter pain medicines, such as acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen.
• Tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline.
• Topical medicines, such as a lidocaine patch.
• Anticonvulsants, such as gabapentin or pregabalin.
• Corticosteroids, such as prednisone.
• Nerve block injections.
• Opioids, such as codeine, oxycodone, and morphine.

What To Think About

For some people, nonprescription pain relievers (analgesics) are enough to help control pain caused by shingles or postherpetic neuralgia. But for others, stronger medicines may be needed. And if prescription medicines don't help control your pain, you may need to see a pain specialist about other ways to treat PHN.

A prescription medicine called pregabalin (Lyrica) has been approved for the treatment of pain caused by postherpetic neuralgia. In tests, it provided rapid and long-lasting pain relief.