Call you doctor to see if you can use a prescription-grade cortisone cream like betamethasone. I really don't know if you can use it with shingles, but I get poison ivy BAD, and it's a Godsend for me.

I hope this passes soon!

No suggestions other than asking your MD, but want to say sorry for your discomfort. (Did the doctors remind you to stay away from pregnant women and un-vaccinated children until this clears up?)

I would recommend calling\seeing your doctor. He\she can give you a prescription antiviral drug like acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famcyclovir to ease the itching, pain, etc. I doubt you'll need the vaccine later. Usually, the people only suffer one round of shingles in their lifetime.

I would not forgo the vaccine as you can get shingles more than once. I've had it twice myself.

Tulsa: I think those antivirals are the ones people have to take at the first sign of shingles, and the doc said I'd waited too long. Strange thing is that my dad had shingles soon after he was diagnosed with kidney cancer, but my older sisters never told me. Plus, one of the sisters had it 4 times -- I knew about one of the instances, but not the others; one instance was when she learned she had breast cancer (she's healthy now). I've read that the shingles runs in families.

Chisue: I was aware of not being around pregnant women, but not about unvaccinated children (tho there aren't any in my house, and with my facial rash I'm not planning to be going many other places where people would get nervous or freaked out.)

Also: This situation is a big reminder to corner my sisters (again) and make sure I know EVERY medical problem they've had! They tend to "conveniently" forget things, or they tell me "I thought you knew about that!"

I switched today to putting some Benadryl itch-stopping cream behind my ears, and maybe it's just my mind working OT, but it seems to help a bit. Now if I could only catch up on sleep!

Forget the vaccine. Yes, you can get another outbreak, but you already have it, and it just remains in the body.. Unlike flu, which mutates and there are different strains every year, your shingles is not new, it's what is already there.

If the rash is all that bothers you, you're lucky. Often shingles causes deep nerve pain--much worse than the rash. It's good you don't have trigeminal neuralgia or some other nerve pain on the side of your head.

Aloe vera gel (directly from the plant) helps with herpes simplex cold sores, and since shingles is a herpes virus it might help with your rash too.

The vaccine isn't an easy yes or no. I got the vaccine after getting shingles. My second case of shingles was in a different place, and much milder. Maybe I can credit the vaccine for that, or maybe not. While it's true that the shingles virus stays in our bodies, it has been there (in the form of the varicella-zoster virus) ever since we had chicken pox, usually in childhood.

My doctor advised that one can have shingles multiple time, not just once.

As I've mentioned, the "left overs" of shingles have given me a couple of years of "picky" feelings on my scalp, eye lid and eyebrow. It is something that I have just learned to live with,as it isn't painful nor constant. Earlier when it bothered me while trying to get some sleep, my doctor advised allergy tablets, and that did help.

Anyone who has had chickpox has the Shingles virus already in them. 1/3 of those will have a shingles outbreak in their lifetime, maybe more.

I take 1 Valacyclovir daily and haven't had an outbreak since. Get the vaccine if you can, that is my next step. STAY OUT OF THE SUN!!! This is one of the worse agravaters for shingles.

I took an anti viral and it helped so much. My shingles were extremely painful and left scars. If all you have is itching, you have been spared.

pammyfay - I broke out on Good Friday, 7 weeks ago now. At first I was sicker than a dog with flu like symptoms. I had one on my cornea that gave me blurred vision and that is mostly gone, but still acts up from time to time. I have tried absolutely every cream and ointment that anyone recommends. Like schoolhouse's friend, the itching wakes me up at night. It is so intense sometimes. I pray I'm not like Phyllis and that this lasts for years!!!

Oh my gosh, Julie! On your cornea! That would have freaked me out. I had only a cold the first week (tho I put that down to my immune system being dominated by the shingles), and so far the Benadryl cream and the anti-itch gel from CVS are giving me some relief. I have a doctor's appt at the end of the month, so if my facial rash doesn't heal fast enough, I might ask him for a prescription-strength cortisone cream (Thanks for that idea, Mimi!) or something to ward off scarring.

One thing I forgot to mention is coconut oil. I slather it on my forehead and it does give some relief. It's also supposed to help prevent scarring. Last night was the first night in a very long time that I didn't wake up at 3:00 itching like crazy. But, I was so tired I probably didn't feel it. lol

I have had dozens of outbreaks, all on my waist on my back, both left and right sides. I feel flu symptoms when one is coming on and take 2 Valacyclovir, then the length is much shorter. I get a patch of blisters (DO NOT pop, the pus in the blisters is contagious) and put a big patch bandage over it with anti-itch cortosone cream to keep it from itching so I have no chance of it getting on my clothes or sheets.

I went off Valacyclovir earlier this month and BAM, one starts up. They never leave a scar which is very odd for me, I can still see scars from just a scratch from a shrub years ago to a cut needing 2 tiny stitches on my chin to a knee surgery that the scars made my knee look like Frankenstein! Apparently my skin stretches and what should be a hairline scar is about 3/4" wide. The shingles leave no trace they were even there, which confused me at first, I swore the first one had been on my right side but now it was starting on the left side.

I went to the doctor too late, you have to go while there is still pus in the blister so they can get a sample.

Pammyfay, a simple hydrocortizone cream like Neosporin WITH pain reliever helps, try to put a bandaid on it if you can.

I just started using Gold Bond Intensive Healing anti-itch cream -- I think it's really making the red blotchiness go away. During winter, when my hands start showing little cuts because they're so dry, I reach for either Working Hands (in the tube) or the Neosporin w/pain reliever -- those really work well for me.

Cornsnake_lover, Neosporin is an antibiotic ointment, not a hydrocortisone ointment.

Topical anesthetics that contain benzocaine usually are quite helpful and can be found in several OTC pain ointments. Some people find that calamine lotion helps stop the itching and acetaminophen or ibuprofen eases the pain. If the pain is so severe that it is not relieved by any of the above mentioned, ask your doctor to write a script for a stronger pain reliever.

gmatx, You're correct; typically, neosporin is an antibiotic ointment. They do also make a hydrocortisone ointment. Maybe that's what corn meant? I found it when I was looking for a good cream to stop an itch, saw it and thought, "That's a brand I trust!" is how I know ;)

Rob is right, I use the hydrocortizone ointment for my excema as well. Thanks Rob! I had to go take another look at the tube! We also have Neosporin antibiotic ointment that comes with pain reliever but you can get it without, we use that for cuts or scratches.

And only use the cream/ointment and a bandage the first few days, then take it off so it can dry out and the scab can heal.

Hydrocodone/Vicodin helps with the pain, if you don't already take it ask your doctor. Like has been mentioned above, they can be the most painful and uncomfortable things you have ever felt. I take it sporadically for knee pain (the surgery also uncovered arthritis that gets worse the older I get) so I always have some, but you can get some relief if you want something stronger than a Tylenol.