Shingles: When To Call A Doctor

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When To Call a Doctor

Call your health professional immediately if:

• Any sign of shingles develops (such as pain or changes in vision) on or in the area of your forehead, nose, eye, or eyelid.
• Any symptoms of shingles develop (such as headache, stiff neck, dizziness, weakness, hearing loss, or changes in your thinking and reasoning abilities) that affect your central nervous system.
• Skin sores spread to parts of your body beyond the original area of the rash .
• You think you have a bacterial skin infection in the same area as the shingles rash, or your rash has not healed in 2 to 4 weeks.
• You develop pain in your face or are unable to move muscles in your face.

Call your health professional today if:

• You suspect you might have shingles. There are medications that can limit your pain and rash. The earlier you start treatment for shingles, the better the results.

Watchful Waiting

If you think you have shingles, see a health professional as soon as possible. Early treatment with antiviral medications may help decrease pain and prevent complications of shingles, such as disseminated zoster or postherpetic neuralgia.

If intense pain persists for more than 1 month after the skin heals, see your health professional to determine whether you have postherpetic neuralgia.

Who To See

• Family medicine physician
• Internist
• Dermatologist
• Physician assistant
• Nurse practitioner
• Neurologist, for central nervous system complications of shingles

To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment.

Last updated:	March 21, 2007
Author:	Debby Golonka, MPH
Reviewed By:	Wajeeh E. Nasser, MD - Family Medicine, Randall D. Burr, MD - Dermatology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC