Shingles Pain And The Elderly
Even if you had chicken pox as a child, chances are you will not develop shingles disease until you are in your 60's. Unfortunately, as people continue to age, shingles pain becomes more of a crucial concern. Irregardless of the stage of the disease, effective management and recognition of symptoms is crucial to personal comfort and well being. As you may be aware, pain, or stinging sensations may herald an impending outbreak of shingles. This is very important to consider if you are elderly, or taking care of someone that may not have access to this information. The older an individual gets, the more important it is to limit damage to the nervous system as much as possible. Because shingles pain tends to become more severe with age, obtaining anti-viral medication is crucial to preventing long term damage. Depending on the severity of shingles pain, a doctor might recommend any number of medications. In some cases, they might prescribe morphine, or other pain killers that are considered addictive. Unfortunately, for someone that is advanced in years, these may be the only medications that will stop shingles pain. That said, there is ongoing research that offers the promise of utilizing vaccinations to reduce shingles out breaks in the elderly. While vaccines are considered preventative medicine only, people that do wind up with shingles disease may still have some reduction in the severity of their symptoms. One of the most common complications of shingles disease is postherpetic neuralgia. Basically, even after the rash and blisters are gone, an individual might continue to experience shingles pain. The tendency for this to happen appears to increase with age. As may be expected, along with the regular pain killers, doctors have successfully used other types of medications. These include amitriptyline and nortriptyline (antidepressants), and anti seizure medications. It is thought these help control shingles pain because they are used to suppress the nervous system in medical conditions where over activity causes other kinds of problems. Irregardless of the mental capacity or life situation of an elderly person, management of shingles pain is very important. Even an otherwise healthy person might wind up not taking proper care of themselves, or developing other health problems. As an example, elderly people with shingles pain may become depressed, or stop eating. For those in a nursing home, behavioral observations may be crucial alert that can help with heading off an outbreak before it has a chance to cause debilitating shingles pain. Many people that have had chicken pox may be surprised to learn that shingles pain is very common. Because shingles disease affects the nervous system to a greater extent, pain management is a crucial consideration. Unfortunately, as we age, tolerance to pain, as well a the ability to cope with it are reduced. Considering the advanced years that people are reaching, it is very important to teach elderly people about the prevalence of shingles pain, especially as a precursor to an outbreak of the disease.
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