Ever heard of or suffered from shingles (also known as herpes zoster) or genital herpes ?  They are painful conditions and are contagious to others .  Read on to learn more about shingles and genital herpes and become informed on the facts and treatments .

Shingles is a skin rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox.  This virus is called the Varicella zoster virus (VZV) and is in the herpes family of viruses. After a person has chickenpox, this virus lives dormant in the nervous system and is never totally cleared from the body. Under certain circumstances, such as emotional stress, immune deficiency (from AIDS or chemotherapy), or with cancer, the virus reactivates and causes shingles. Anyone who has ever had chickenpox is at risk for the development of shingles, although it occurs most commonly in people over the age of 60 . It has been estimated that up to 1,000,000 cases of shingles occur each year in the U.S.

Shingles and chickenpox are caused by a different virus than the one that causes genital herpes or herpes mouth sores .

The first sign is usually several days to a week of burning pain and sensitive skin before a rash becomes visible . When the characteristic rash is not yet visible , it may be difficult to determine the cause of the often severe pain. Shingles rash starts as small blisters on a red base, with new blisters continuing to form for three to five days. The blisters follow the path of individual nerves that come out of the spinal cord in a specific “ray-like” distribution (called a dermatomal pattern) and appear in a band-like pattern on an area of skin. The entire path of the affected nerve may be involved, or there may be areas in the distribution of the nerve with blisters and areas without blisters. Generally, only one nerve level is involved. In a rare case, more than one nerve will be involved. Eventually, the blisters pop, and the area starts to drain . The affected areas will then crust over and heal. The duration of the outbreak may take three to four weeks from beginning to finish . On occasion, the pain will be present but the blisters may never be visible . This can be a very confusing cause of local pain.

Is shingles contagious? Yes, shingles is contagious. Those who have not had chickenpox are at risk for developing shingles .

Genital herpes is a common, highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It is transmitted from one person to another during sexual activity . Genital herpes causes blisters or groups of small ulcers (open sores) on and around the genitals in both men and women. Genital herpes cannot be cured;  however, there are medications that can be prescribed to treat outbreaks and minimize the symptoms .

Signs of genital herpes often develop within three to seven days of skin-to-skin contact with an infected person. Genital herpes infections look like small blisters or ulcers (round areas of broken skin) on the genitals. Each blister or ulcer is typically only 1 to 3 millimeters (1/32 inch to 1/8th inch) in size, and the blisters or ulcers are often grouped into “crops.” Usually the blisters form first, then soon open to form ulcers. Herpes infections may be painless or slightly tender. In some people, however, the blisters or ulcers can be very tender and painful.

Location of genital herpes

• In men, genital herpes sores (lesions) usually appear on or around the penis.
• In women, the lesions may be visible outside the vagina but they commonly occur inside the vagina where they can cause discomfort  or vaginal discharge but cannot be seen except during a physician’s examination.

Living with shingles and genital herpes can be a hassle. When you have an outbreak, it can feel like it takes days out of your life but there is relief with a prescription medication called Valtrex (Valacyclovir).

Valtrex (Valacyclovir) is used to treat shingles (herpes zoster), genital herpes and cold sores. It does not cure shingles or herpes infections but decreases pain and itching, helps sores to heal, and prevents new ones from forming .  It is an antiviral drug. It reduces the growth and spread of shingles and the herpes virus so that the body can fight off the infection. Valtrex will not cure shingles or herpes, but it can lessen the symptoms of the infection.

Valtrex (Valacyclovir) comes as a tablet to take orally . It is usually taken every 8 hours (three times a day) for 7 days to treat shingles. To treat genital herpes it is usually taken twice daily for 5 days. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

Once-daily Valtrex (Valacyclovir), when taken daily as prescribed and used with safer sex practices, is the only medication proven to reduce that risk.

To learn more about prescription Valtrex (Valacyclovir) visit 24hrpharmacies.net and get relief from shingles, cold sores or genital herpes today.