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How to Get Rid of Shingles FAST!

September 12, 2023

Remember that time I got shingles on the face? I know I won’t be forgetting that experience anytime soon…For anyone who has had or currently has shingles, you know this is a pain you won’t soon forget. They call it adult chickenpox, but I can assure you it’s far worse than chickenpox ever was (some of us actually got chickenpox pre chickenpox vaccine!).

I’m going to skip over the whole medical diagnosis part since your doctor should probably be the one doing that but instead describe my personal experience with shingles i.e. herpes zoster or varicella zoster virus and how to recover from shingles quickly.

The first thing I did when I got diagnosed, was immediately take to the internet to see if anyone had helpful tips for healing shingles fast. I read a lot of shingles horror stories, some not-so-horror stories but also some really productive tips. I’m hoping this post can be that for some of you. Or if you have a friend or family member suffering, feel free to pass onto them. We got this!

So, first things first…

Trigeminal Nerve Shingles and healing shingles naturally

SHINGLES DIAGNOSIS

A couple days before the infamous shingles rash appeared, my lymph nodes on the left side of my neck and ear were super inflamed and I felt like I had a fever. I then developed a lot of pain in my ear with a monstrous headache, so the next day I went to the doctor to see if I had an ear infection. That morning I noticed two huge zits on my forehead which I thought was strange (because I never breakout on my forehead) but they didn’t occur to me as anything but zits. You know those huge underground zits you get? They looked and felt like those.

My doctor looked in my ear, felt my lymph nodes and informed me I did not have an ear infection but likely some kind of virus that my body was trying to fight. Neither of us thought anything of the zits and I went home feeling pretty crappy but relieved it wasn’t an ear infection.

Over the next few hours is when the rash really started to develop. A few more bumps on my forehead, one on my eyebrow and those big “zits” also known as “shingles blisters” started to become really painful. The pain I felt in my ear started moving into my head and my swollen lymph nodes made it difficult to turn my neck. I later found out that the pain in my ear was likely caused by the fact that the shingles on my face developed in my trigeminal nerve which is right next to your middle ear.

I knew pretty much as soon as the pain migrated to my forehead that I had shingles. People have been shocked to discover that you can a) get shingles under the age of 60 and b) get shingles on your face. I knew both were possible because my Mom had them on her face when I was really young. Thankfully that situation clued me into what was happening with my own body but for any of you out there who don’t know this, you can get shingles at any age and they can happen at any nerve root in your body, including your face!

Shingles recovery and tips and tricks for how to heal your body when diagnosed with shingles

SHINGLES RECOVERY

Because I pretty quickly tuned into what was happening, I was able to get started with my shingles recovery fairly quickly. According to the CDC, if you manage to diagnose shingles within 72 hours of the blisters appearing, the antiviral medications (typically acyclovir, valacyclovir/valtrex, and famciclovir) are most effective.

I’m lucky I caught it within that window and am certain I was able to recover from shingles fast because of this. Of course, not everyone will know right away, but if you have a gut feeling or any of the symptoms I described above, go to your doctor!

Besides my antiviral 3x a day I was also prescribed pain meds, which I honestly didn’t end up taking. Heavy pain meds make me feel sick and groggy so except for the first two days when the pain was pretty excruciating, I used advil/motrin (ibuprofen) and tylenol (acetaminophen) to help manage the pain.

Eventually the pain dissipated and was followed by itching as the scabs dried and healed over. This is the typical course of shingles in which it starts with pain + tingling and then the rash appears. Once the rash scabs over you are no longer contagious.

Of course, I also turned to diet and lifestyle choices to also help manage the symptoms. I’m fairly confident that in addition to the antivirals, these choices helped to decrease the span of my shingles experience. So let’s get into that…

Healing shingles through supplements, diet and lifestyle changes - these are the best tips for healing your shingles and aiding in shingles recovery

HOW TO RECOVER FROM SHINGLES QUICKLY

I think the most important piece of this post is this section. Of course, catching it early and taking the antivirals helps a ton but shingles is so much more than just popping some pills and hoping for the best. I’m not here to throw conventional medicine under the rug. I don’t think I’d have had such a quick turnaround if it hadn’t been for the full course of antivirals I took, but there are a lot of home remedies you can incorporate to also help speed up the process and the pain and itchiness that typically ensues.

CBD/THC

In addition to OTC pain meds, I used CBD and THC to help manage the pain. I’ve been playing around with different types of CBD and found the Calm pen from Dosist to be most effective. For THC I used topical salve on the rash itself and it was literally a godsend to help manage the pain. It was basically like a more effective calamine lotion.

BONE BROTH

There’s a reason your body craves broth when you’re sick. Bone broth is super anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting. It contains vitamins and minerals that help support gut health and reduce pain and inflammation. Generally a good idea to consume bone broth with a weakened immune system.

I’ve had two cups of bone broth every single day for the last two weeks. Currently obsessed with Kettle and Fire and especially their mushroom and chicken broth! Use code THEHEALTHYMAVEN to save 20% off your first order.

KOMBUCHA/PROBIOTICS

When they say “it all starts in your gut”, they’re not kidding! After my bout with SIBO I had to eliminate and then slowly add in fermented foods and probiotics. It’s been almost 6 months since then and I am now happily back to taking my daily probiotic and guzzling my Healthade kombucha. 5:00 PM became my “kombucha happy hour”.

SUPPLEMENTS

Pretty much everyone under the sun will recommend a different supplement to you when they hear you have shingles. Truthfully, there are many MANY out there that could benefit you, shingles or not. I decided to stick with what I had from my Care/of packs and add in one that was consensus amongst everyone, L-Lysine.

Zinc – supports immune function and has an antiviral effect

L-lysine – an amino acid that helps reduce the spread of the shingles virus

Rhodiola – an adaptogenic herb that’s shown stress relieving properties

Astragalus – another herb that helps support immune function and has an antiviral effect

LEMON BALM

I wasn’t sure which category to put this under, so instead it gets a category of it’s own. Lemon Balm is an herb that is known to help reduce pain from shingles specifically, both internally and topically. I pretty much got all my hydration from drinking 6-8 cups of Lemon Balm Tea a day and once the initial couple of days of pain went down, I used a topical lemon balm cream to help reduce inflammation, reduce pain and help promote healing.

Someone on Instagram told me to order this Lemon Balm Salve from Amazon and it was literally the best advice I got from everyone. It’s kind of like one of those thick lotions that you put over the fluid-filled blisters. Within a week the rash had gone done and had begun healing. Some people swear by capsaicin cream but I haven’t tried it.

DIET

I am a true believer in the healing power of food. Now I don’t think eating perfectly “clean” replaces other lifestyle habits or conventional medicine, but it is a great tertiary care to support your body. And truthfully, when you’re sick (at least when I’m sick), I’m not craving the same foods I normally do. I think when you really tap in and listen you’ll realize that the foods you crave like bone broth and vegetables are actually your body’s way of supporting you.

In my case I literally wanted all the warm, green veggies in broth. Particularly kale and bok choy. Interestingly my acupuncturist told me that bok choy is a common healing and cooling food in Traditional Chinese Medicine and that because shingles is excessive heat in your body, bok choy was a great cooling choice. Our bodies are crazy!

In addition to plenty of veggies, I also found myself gravitating towards antioxidant fruits like berries and lots of bananas. I didn’t intentionally do it, but I pretty much ate zero refined sugar for a week. As I started to feel better I was like “give me the brownies!!!” but while I was still heavy in the pain-zone I didn’t want any of it.

I also consumed more turmeric that I ever thought I could and especially loved it in my morning Matcha and Turmeric Latte. My body was NOT craving coffee so my morning matcha really did the trick.

ESSENTIAL OILS

I’ll be honest, when I’m sick I often turn to essential oils for primary support, but for shingles they definitely played second fiddle. I rubbed fortify on my chest and neck lymph nodes to support my immune system and diffused grounding and soothing blends like unwind, spa spirit and tranquility to help stay calm and promote self-care and relaxation.

I personally didn’t do this because I had shingles on my face but if you have shingles on the side of the body (the most common) or somewhere you can soak in a bath, people swear by oatmeal baths to help relieve pain and improve symptoms as well as using a cool compress to provide some relief.

Note: After about two weeks I began seeing an acupuncturist to help with some postherpetic neuralgia (post-shingles nerve pain) that remained even after the rash had healed. I highly recommend if you’re still dealing with pain but are out of the itchiness and scabbing phase.

Kombucha and how probiotics help in shingles recovery

THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP FOR SHINGLES

I know that this is a lot of information so give yourself time to take it all in. Perhaps, more importantly take this one piece of advice: RELAX. Shingles is usually brought on by stress in your life. While I didn’t think I had a lot of stress (I’ve become a lot better at managing it!), when I listed everything on my plate it’s easy to see how my body was overburdened.

The biggest lesson learned through this process is how important it is to really, truly support your body. People often mentioned how lucky I was to be able to have a job that works from home, but when you’re sick it’s easy to just reach for your phone in bed or work on a project while recovering on the couch. The boundaries are less clear. Though I did the bare minimum I needed to do, I mostly took a lot of time to rest, nap, journal, watch TV and essentially do nothing.

Acknowledging those stressors and putting in plans of action to eliminate or diffuse them is the key to getting over shingles.

And note: there’s no way to cure shingles in 3 days! Anyone who says so is lying, but hopefully using these tips you can get rid of them quickly without any complications.

* * * * *

If you’re over 60 there is a shingles vaccination (called shingrix) to help with the prevention of shingles. You can ask your doctor or healthcare provider about it if you’re interested. And yes, it’s still worth getting even if you’ve had shingles as you can get it more than once!

Have you ever had or currently have shingles? Any tips to add? Drop them below!

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  • Reply
    Kathy S
    October 28, 2021 at 6:53 pm

    Thank you so much for the list of things that may help. I’m on an antiviral and steroid steroid eye drops. My body must need more than that though to stay in remission. So thank you! I am having shingles right now. I’m 46. It started with what I thought was a sty on my eyelid. Then the eye got really red and swelling increased all around it. My older coworker said to go get tested for shingles. My doctor didn’t think it was, but tested for me anyway. Thank God we caught it kind of early. Other than the rash along my forehead, eye and nose, I’m having awful flu symptoms, raging headache and naseau. These are actually bothering me more than the rash. Has anyone had any other symptoms besides rash?

  • Reply
    LadyD
    October 6, 2021 at 10:45 pm

    i have had the shingles it has been 3 years and i still have nerve pain and real sensitive to the touch.It is horrible. I am going to try CBD either the oil or orally, i will give anything a try.

  • Reply
    Lizzie
    September 29, 2021 at 5:41 pm

    I will be eternally thankful for this blog post. Throughout the dark witching hours of my shingles I’d often find myself in a ‘rabbit hole’ on Google – not healthy. I found this post provided the most effective and positive advice. I was relieved when I came out of the most painful period to join in on the kombucha happy hours 💪🏽🥂 THANK YOU ❤️

  • Reply
    Erma
    September 11, 2021 at 12:29 pm

    I definitely was going through a lot of stress. Then, boom….rash in my forehead. Pain in the ear. The writer really made me feel better. I feel like I’m not alone. Thank you.

  • Reply
    Gerry
    August 27, 2021 at 12:29 pm

    I started out with severe back pain. Was sent for MRI showed nothing really. Rash appeared and I was given famciclovir. Day 13 the itch is relieved by way of facewasher in water. I had my second Pfizer after already having shingles. My rash still red hot and spreading. It started on right side torso now has crept over my midline. So itchy and was given phenergan as antihistamine today. Waiting for results. I have pregablin and many other pain meds trying to reduce taking many of these. Shingles is cruel. Awaiting an improvement. Good luck to you all and listen to your body and rest..

  • Reply
    Amanda
    August 26, 2021 at 10:56 pm

    Has anyone been left with scars from the Shingles scabs once it fell off? If so, how long did it take to heal? Any recommendations on helping it to recover faster? I’m trying everything I can think of under the sun…..naturally and it seems to working, but a very slow process. Although I do see improvements day by day, just wish it was a little quicker.

  • Reply
    Joy Richards
    August 20, 2021 at 7:08 pm

    I too had my covid vaccine 2 weeks before I got shingles and I had it before a few years ago .This is so much worse this time I’m certainly going crazy. I thought it was getting better ,but on my 13 th day ,yesterday, was the worst ever day I have tried so many things to relieve the burning itch and pain . Mainly the cold packs help

  • Reply
    IVAN WILLIAMS
    August 18, 2021 at 1:47 am

    i am interested to read about the link with covid vax… after reading the net about autoimmune run down after vax , it helps to know it is not only i who suspects a link to Shingles via vax.
    i burst out with it 2 weeks after my 2nd jab… and wondered if the jab was a precursor ..
    i am now sure it was..
    sequence appearss to be ..get vax jab , autoimmune is activated .. get 2nd jab , still weakened autoimmune cannot hold back the activation of inherent chicken pox , shingles burst though the weakened autoimmune system ….
    the rash is still there , but a lot less than was , but the awful pain spams continue ,am taking lyrica 2x daily, which helps for a few hours …just hope mine will not be the 5month variety ,…

  • Reply
    Amanda
    August 3, 2021 at 3:46 pm

    Thank you for a wonderful & resourceful blog. It really helps to hear others currently experiencing and have overcome Shingles. Best wishes for a speedy and productive recovery. It’s interesting to read about how many of you developed Shingles not too long after getting the Covid Vaccine. A little after 2 weeks of my full dose, I was hit with Shingles for the 1st time. I’ve always been healthy and this came out of left field. It’s tough not to connect it to the Covid vaccine. I wonder if it can “trigger” something else. I find that eating lots of fruits and veggies aids in the healing process and to reduce the swelling. Cold paks are also helpful. Try to stay out of the sun and if needed, take Vitamin D instead. Resting, relaxing, taking naps and sleeping well definitely plays a key role in recouping from Shingles in a shorter time frame. Whatever it is, don’t stress. Self-love and self-care are vital to recouping from this terrible virus infection. The journey is a long one, but it does has a way of teaching patience and to destress one’s life. What doesn’t truly matter, shouldn’t matter. Take care all.

    • Reply
      Marjir
      August 14, 2021 at 10:50 pm

      Interesting you mention Shingles after the Covid Vaccine. My 1st vac was Pfizer, I received my 2nd vax, the Moderna, on June 26, however 2 weeks later my husbands cancer transformed into an aggressive cancer and became critical so I was also undergoing stress, anxiety and trauma. Aug 2nd the rash broke out which led to diagnosis but the pain started 5 days prior. Shingles is around my waist, I was not in pain during the time I was taking the antiviral but prior and once that was done the pain is back with a vengeance. BTW Hubby got aggressive chemo & is doing great.

      • Reply
        Amanda
        August 26, 2021 at 10:52 pm

        Blessings to your hubby on his road to recovery. I hope you are feeling better and the pain has subsided. I just couldn’t believe that after all that I’ve been through in my decades of living that it took a Covid vaccine to “wake” it up. Possibly?!? Please take care.

  • Reply
    Lucky
    August 1, 2021 at 8:31 pm

    Im, 33 male and I’m currently fighting the virus now. The rashes appeared on the right side of my upper wrist and few on my back. I initially thought i was just having some allergic reaction to the soap i was using so i didn’t bother rushing to the doctor. I didn’t feel any pain but the blisters are kinda itchy so i just took some antihistamine. But after 3 days i noticed that the blisters are getting worst and i was starting to feel a shooting pain on the rashes, so i immediately contacted my dermatologist to schedule an appointment. Unfortunately it was on the 4th day that i knew it was shingles as per my doctor but she still advised me to take anti viral.. Im now on my 3rd day of taking anti viral meds, and so far i think the blisters are starting to dry up. Im also loading myself up with fruits and supplements and trying my best to get enough sleep every night to help my immune system fight the virus. I just hope this won’t leave a serious scar on my skin and i hope to recover soon.

  • Reply
    Erwin
    July 31, 2021 at 2:31 am

    So how are you now? Thanks.

  • Reply
    D
    July 19, 2021 at 5:33 pm

    35 years old Male with shingles that appeared on Chest and Back 2 months after getting my first Covid Moderna shot. One of the most painful feeling ever! It’s like having your skin teared off…. That electric burning sensation is constant!!! Have been prescribed Valacyclovir and Advil to relieve the pain.

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