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What Causes Shingles On Left Leg?

Posted on Sat, 5 Apr 2014

Question: I am 26 year old female and got shingles on my left leg. I am now taking acycovir 800mg 5 times a day for 1 week. Will my shingles clear in 1 week or would it still be there even after I am done with my treatment? How long does it normally take for shingles to clear up. I also have a bit of a sore throat 2 days after being on meds. Do you think its because of the meds. I Also take zolpidem 10mg. Thanks for your help.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Acyclovir 800mg, 5 times a day for 7 days Detailed Answer: Hello and welcome to healthcaremagic I am Dr, Kakkar. I have gone through your query and I have understood your concern Shingles or herpes zoster is caused by reactivation of Herpes Zoster Virus. Herpes zoster virus lies dormant in the spinal root ganglion and can sometimes multiply and travel along the nerves route, giving rise to grouped vesicular/fluid filled lesions, usually arranged in a stripe like patter, with a sharp cut off at the midline. Treatment is oral antivirals like acyclovir 800mg 5 times a day for 7 days, which is usually sufficient. Treatment can be extended for 2-3 more days if needed. I also advice in my patients of herpes zoster to apply a topical antibacterial ointment e.g 2% mupirocin twice daily, so as to prevent secondary bacterial infection. An episode of Herpes Zoster can be associated with mild constitutional symptoms of fever, sorethroat, malaise etc which is self limiting and requires no intervention other than the antiviral for herpes. However this not the case mostly and sore throat could also be unrelated to it. I hope this answers your query. regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Kakkar (21 hours later)

Thank you! How long does shingles usually takes to clear up? Since I been on this med for shingles, I get dizzy and blood pressure goes up to 130/100 sometimes which scares me and then I catch a panic attack thinking dyin because of how dizzy I feel. I don't suffer from blood pressure but this med causes it to get a bit higher. Is this normal. I started taking 4 pills within 24 hrs period instead of 5 times a day because I am so scare of these side effects.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (19 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Shingles dries up in a week Detailed Answer: Hi. Shingles usually dries up in about a week's time, while on acyclovir. Taking acyclovir 4 times a day is fine. It can have mild side effects like nausea, dizziness/light headedness, headache, but they are temporary and mild. So you have nothing to worry about. Raised BP is not a side effect of acyclovir. May be you should seek an opinion from an Internal medicine specialist for your raised BP. It could be because of anxiety but an internal medicine specialist would guide you better regarding it. regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Kakkar (3 hours later)

Thanks for your quick response!

Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (3 minutes later)

Brief Answer: You are welcome Detailed Answer: Thanks for posting your concern at healthcaremagic. Wish you a faster recovery from Zoster Regards take care

Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar