This page contains some affiliate links. Please review my disclosure policy.
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…
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
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…
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.
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!
DON'T WANT TO MISS A LIFE UPDATE? Join the THM Community!
Join 10,000+ members of the THM Community to stay up to date on the latest life happenings and behind-the-scenes of The Healthy Maven!
Thank you so much for this article! I wish I had found it sooner.. in 38 and went to 4 emergency room visits before being diagnosed properly as having shingles. I too thought it was an ear infection, but was diagnosed with a pulled jaw muscle, ear infection, and finally the shingles. It started exactly as you said, like you were reading my mind! I’m grateful I do a majority of the tips you have listed, I got a couple new ones too. Thank you for giving me hope about this clearing up on my face, I feel like people look at me like I’m a freak.
Hi … I live in the UK and was diagnosed with Shingles by my GP 10 days ago. I had to e-mail him photos of my rash. Initially I thought I had pulled a muscle in my right rib cage as I had lots of pain in this area. I began to feel quite ill, high temperature etc, My husband looked at the site of the pain and noticed a rash, The Dr prescribed a course of Aclovir and I continued to use paracetomol and ibuprofen. I am now 10 days in and have decided that the paracetomol has no effect but the ibuprofen works. I have started to take vitamin B complex and was already taking Vitamins C & D. I have to say the pain is worse than a broken arm and giving birth. It peaks at tea time and I feel dreadful. I am not sleeping very well but not happy about taking prescribed anti-depressants. This is definitely stress related as 6 weeks ago my 79yr old Mum collapsed and was unable to care for herself. and we picked her up from hospital and brought her here. It has been a very stressful time taking care of her but she gets better every day. Thanks for all the tips and I shall try the olive oil extract and the lemon balm. I wish you all well and I sympathise with every single one of you. By the way I am 59 years old and have always been fit and healthy.
Hi all Im 2 weeks into shingles diagnosis. It started with excruciating pain in my back with no sleep for 2 nights, the following morning a pimply rash appeared on my chest. I was straight onto my GP as although Id never had shingles, my daughter had and I recognised the symptoms. I am immune suppressed so was immediately prescribed 10 day course of Aciclovir anti-viral medication and Amitriptyline which is supposed to target the nerve pain. I was also prescribed Codeine. I have to say the pain is like nothing I have experienced before – it wakes me up in the middle of the night and as everyone has said the creeping feelings, stabbing pain and sensitivity to everything – hot, cold, wind, rain or anything touching me. I am now managing taking a combination of Codeine and Ibuprofen 3 x in 24 hours. The worst part apart form the pain is how fatigued and debilitating this illness is. It is made worse by the fact that I am currently shielded due to Covid 19 and can’t live a normal life. I am hoping he pain subsides in time but so far its much the same even though the rash has begun to crust over and fade. Good luck to you all and I seriously would consider this the worst illness ever and I have had a stem cell transplant, and chemo treatment etc.
Hi. I’m 60 years old. I’m 10 days into the shingles. There is still no relieve from the excruciating pain. My rash is from the right shoulder back to the front of my torso. Took valtrex and taking painkillers but no relieve from the pain. It’s causing a lot of anxiety. The blisters are oozing just waiting to be dried. Has anyone had such severe pain. Going crazy
Hi there, When I had shingles a couple of years they were the most painful thing I had ever experienced and the only thing that gave relief was taking a couple of drops of Vit B 12 and a high dose of powdered Vit C in a little water. I would take it throughout the day.I have since discovered that Vit B 12 at a high dose is recommended as nerve support for shingles and help with pain. Hope that is helpful. ?
I am not sure that I started the antiviral within 72 hours but I am now on it as well as a cream to address the rash. I thought it was shingles by the location of the rash. It is like someone drew a line at mid chest level and put the rash along the line. The six rash spots are more or less along the line although a lot of the skin is sensitive to touch and raising my arms is painful.
The kicker is I was vaccinated with Shingrix 2 years ago. That apparently saved me from a more severe case.
I woke up Thursday with an odd patch above my right eyebrow.
Thursday night/Friday morning my lymph nodes in front of my Right ear were HUGE and SO SORE. Saturday morning the lymphs on the right side of my throat we’re HUGE and even moving my neck is sore. Saturday morning I noticed the patch above my right eye isn’t “zits” and is definitely odd. I contacted a doctor and determined it’s the beginning of shingles. I started Valtrex Saturday and between yesterday and today (Sunday) I’ve had shooting pain up into my scalp and tingling/burning sensation. I had a terrible headache yesterday. Hard to sleep due to my lymph nodes being so swollen. Praying they don’t spread as I started meds early. Thankful for this blog. I ordered L-lysine and I use CBD daily. I will be using bone broth tomorrow.
Thank you for this post, I just ordered a lot of the natural remedies you mentioned. A couple night before I noticed the rash on my upper back, I had an anxiety attack and which is super rare for me. It happened again a week later (I’ve been on Valtrex for 6 days now and was using lidocaine as well) and am curious if anyone has experienced emotional and physical symptoms of this nature, like panic/anxiety attacks. Although the shingles is on my back, I’ve been feeling sensitivity on my chest on the same side which I’m assuming is normal? Is it common for shingles to make neighboring areas of your body uncomfortable with similar pain but the rash only isolated to one area?
Thank you for all the stories, it’s been super helpful and comforting to read especially as this pain is extremely hard to endure. I hope everyone on here has recovered or is on the road to recovery!
Ellie! I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Shingles sucks and I can so relate to your pain. My anxiety totally flared during this time. I typically don’t require medication for my anxiety but during this time I ended up taking some as my anxiety was at an all time high. As for the referred pain, I am not a doctor so I can’t say for certain but I’d guess it likely is the pain from your back making your way to your chest. Shingles targets a single nerve center but referral pain is quite common. Thinking of you and hoping you have a speedy recovery!
It’s day 4 into shingles and no other symptoms. On day one my am felt like it was sun burnt and rash appeared a day later. The pain and fatigue everyone on here experiences, does it start at a later stage of infection? Was prescribed anti-viral and using calamine lotion.
I’ve never had chickenpox or any pox, but now i suffer shingles. It’s on the upper of my left back, straight to my left chest. I’m 4 days in. They start blistering.
On the first day, my back hurt. I thought it was due to too much sleep. Second day, my chest also hurt. So i lifted my shirt and i was shocked. I didn’t even know what that is. I did some research on the internet then i suspected shingles. Later on, my doctor diagnosed me with shingles.
I’m 17 years 11 months old.
Elizabeth, hang in there! I have to admit that it is extremely comforting to know that there are others going through this right now too. I just started back to work on Monday and I am so exhausted with the headaches and all. Maintaining stress these days is so difficult!
I can relate to your post. I was diagnosed with Shingles on April 6. Two days prior I felt a tingling sensation on my forehead, I immediately thought…Shingles..only because my brother had it on his face years ago. The next day the rash appeared, and I knew for sure then. I called my doctor the next day, because of the shut down, I couldn’t see her in person, diagnosed me over the phone. Got me started on anti-viral meds immediately. She told me the pain will be debilitating..I had not idea how bad it could get. I immediately stopped watching the news, because I was trying to keep my stress level down. My doctor told me to go to emergency is it goes into my eye. Well..the last place I want to be right now is in emergency. After a week I started to feel better. Called my optometrist & asked if she could look at my eye. She wouldn’t see me in person either, but said it sounds like it’s healing fine, but to call her if my vision goes blurry. The reason I’m on here today, I was feeling much better..it’s been 3 weeks..but the extreme fatigue came back a few days ago. I was wondering if this is normal. But it seems to be, from what I’ve read. Shingles is horrible at any time, but those of us going through it right now, during a pandemic have an added stress. I also live alone, with no family nearby. Like you said, stress is the enemy if you have Shingles, and also..who wants to hear right now that they have a weakened immune system. Hang in there and know you’re not alone.