Can stress trigger shingles? How to treat?

Search for shingles on this site for discussions about what people suggest.

Amitriptyline seems to be cv prescribed for many conditions of people and their pets. My cat was prescribed it for years for idiopathic cystitis. It helped her a lot.

a dear friend of mine was in excruciating pain for about a week. Her dr prescribed very high doses of anti-viral drugs

I was just diagnosed with shingles this week after finding out that my sacralilac was out of whack ..had no idea I had shingles until the doctor saw my rash on my right side of my back ..and what made it worse the rash is located where my fatty tissue are between my ribs. So it is still not scabbing over .I gained weight over the past year because of depression..I also have it on my stomach but it is scabbing over a bit. Doctor said since it has been over a week since we realized it was shingles that it would be no use in taking prescription meds other than Tylenol/ibuprofen...so they started me on gabapentin at low dose..not helping much tho for nerve pain ..I do not wish this pain on anyone...how do you dry out so the infection scabs up???? Thanks prayers for all who are suffering like myself.

I am so sorry for you. I would not wish shingles pain on my worst enemy. I am still dealing with postherpetic neuralgia 8 months after having shingles. At times, the shooting pains stop me in my tracks. The itching can also be extreme. At the beginning, I put calamine lotion on the blisters/scabs multiple times a day to dry them up. Then I started using coconut oil because as they dried, they got itchier. It was a vicious circle. Ibuprofen helped some. I tried Gabapentin unsuccessfully (nasty side effects) and had a little more success with Lyrica. I wish I could say time heals all wounds, but my neurologist said it’s possible the pain will never go away because of my age (73). I’m trying alpha lipoic acid supplements at his suggestion and may or may not notice some difference. I hope you have better success than I have had. I truly wish you well.

Im sorry you have been going through this as well...you wouldn't think at our age this could happen..I'm turning 69 next month and this has been the worse journey of my life it seems ..even my sciatica didn't last this long . I too have been using alpha lipoic acid for the pain but very little relief .I'm not crazy about gabapentin either but I also have fibromyalgia so this is the only thing my doctor offered for it at this point. Taking Tylenol and ibuprofen doesn't help but a bit and I'm not a person who likes to rely on meds either. When you and I were younger there were no vaccines for chicken pox so that leaves us open to many childhood disease affects...it is sad we have to deal with these issues at our age..I pray you get relief soon as I'm praying for us all myself included...🙏🙏healing for us both take care my dear

I'm three weeks into shingles, 62yo and work full time.

The shingles begin just to the right of my sternum, go immediately under (and on the lower portion of) the right breast and around to within a couple inches of my spine. The rash is almost entirely within the bra area, especially the band area, so wearing a bra is not an option. I thought I was pretty clever by molding a "bra cup" around my breasts with KT tape in order to allow air flow to the rash, and it did help tremendously. But, I'm 62 yo and gravity works, so the tape pulled on the skin of my upper chest, causing some nasty blisters. That is no longer an option.

I'm now in my second day of wearing a camisole with a built in shelf bra (i.e. no elastic band, just a stretchy seam between the upper and lower portions of the cami) + cup inserts from a sports bra + a soft cloth under the breast to wick away moisture. However, I am in constant pain from having the camisole against my skin, and the lack of air flow under the breast is causing the rash there to look red and angry again... not infected, but quite irritated. I have to wear *something* for support during work hours, as I am unable to work remotely.

My question is, does anyone know of a means of supporting the breast without having something tight against the rash? At this point I am nearing desperation. Advil/Tylenol only help so much. If I could just get the rash to heal up more quickly, I feel like it wouldn't be so bad... yes the nerve pain, but not the added pain of clothing rubbing and pressing on the sores, which is a hindrance to to the healing process.

Ramona, are you feeling better now? You wrote in November, and I am wondering if the shingle pain is gone!

How nice of you to inquire! I wish I had better news. After a year plus of doctors’ visits of all kinds, acupuncture, chiropractics, medications, I still have issues. Gratefully, the pain is not as intense as it once was, but I still have nerve damage, numbness, tingling, itchiness and at times stop me in my tracks pain. I’m resigned to living with it with a gratitude that I am blessed as I know that there are others who have it so much worse than I do. Thanks again for asking.