The shingles virus causes a whole set of symptoms, one of which is pain. Although many over the counter pain medications are available, recent research shows that one ranks above the rest. This may surprise you. Read here to find out more.

Here is the research abstract from PubMed:

SOURCE: Prescrire Int. 2010 Apr;19(106):72-3.

TITLE: Varicella, herpes zoster and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: serious cutaneous complications.

ABSTRACT: Varicella and herpes zoster are due to varicella-zoster virus. Outcome of both infections is generally favourable. The most frequent severe complications are invasive streptococcal and staphylococcal superinfections, especially in children. A nested case-control study conducted within a British cohort showed a statistically significant increase in the risk of severe cutaneous complications in patients with varicella or herpes zoster who took nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). No such increase was reported in patients who took paracetamol. These findings are in keeping with previously published data. In practice, fever and pain associated with varicella or herpes zoster should be treated with paracetamol, not a NSAID.

What Is Paracetamol?

The surprise is that paracetamol is another name for acetaminophen (i.e., Tylenol). Here is a link to Wikipedia that gives you all the details: Paracetamol.

Paracetamol/acetaminophen is one of the NSAIDS, although it has different side effects in treating a shingles virus infection. For my money, it is still better to use omega-3 fatty acids for treating pain and inflammation. They offer a more balanced natural way to influence the inflammatory hormone cascade than any kind of NSAID.

All the best for treating the shingles virus,

Dr. D