My husband has shingles . He started with the pain, burning and rash right after Christmas. He says the pain is getting worse. He can t lay down to sleep and has tried ice packs and heat. Nothing seems to help. He is on pain medication every 4 hours and says the pain keeps getting worse. How long can he expect to have the pain. The rash is gone for about 1 week now but the pain is still there.
Hi, Shingles is associated with pain and even after the lesions heal pain can persist indefinitely(known as post herpetic neuralgia). The treatment options available are painkillers like ibuprofen, paracetamol, tramadol. Other Chat Doctor.  Other options are TENS therapy, injection of local anesthetic in affected area and in severe cases. If he is not having pain relief, kindly contact your doctor soon, so that treatment could be revised. Take care.