<human>: I had right mid-back pain, front rlq pain, and skin in those areas sensitive to touch. Diagnosed with shingles. No rash for 3 days, still pain. Do you thing diagnosis is correct? Taking Famciclovir, nothing for pain. Should I take Acetiminphen or Ibuprofen for the pain and discomfort? Which would help better
<bot>: Hello, shingles can be very irritating to the patient. Having only pain and sensitivity to the skin are the usual first symptoms. The rash may appear even after more than 3 days. So the answer is that your symptoms can be shingles, but nobody could tell any diagnosis for sure without even examining a patient. You have to know that shingles require prior exposure to varicella zoster virus. This condition may recur from time to time. I suggest acetaminophen to my patients as a first measure against pain because it's easier to use and has less side effects (if not abused) than ibuprofen or similar Chat Doctor.  Ibuprofen will prove to be a much more effective analgesic particularly if you take it along with acetaminophen. If your pain is severe enough then stronger analgesics should be used (opioids). I hope that's not your case! Good luck!