How Long Is Shingles Contagious and How Is It Treated?

Shingles blisters usually scab over in seven to 10 days, at which point they are no longer contagious. If you do get shingles, there are options for medications as well as at-home care to help address symptoms.

Shingles is an itchy, painful rash that usually occurs on one side of your body and/or face. Approximately one in every three people will get shingles in their lifetime. Shingles is contagious to people who have not had chickenpox and have not been vaccinated for the chickenpox virus. 

Shingles blisters usually scab over in seven to 10 days, at which point they are no longer contagious. Shingles will usually clear up in two to four weeks. It’s a good idea to keep shingles blisters covered until they are completely healed because it is possible to transmit the virus through fluid from the rash. 

People who get infected by a person with shingles will get chickenpox, not shingles, but may get shingles later.

The varicella zoster virus first causes chickenpox. Then, it stays dormant in the body in nerve cells. For unknown reasons, the virus can later become reactivated as shingles. 

The main symptoms of shingles include:

• A rash on the skin
• Red blisters filled with fluid
• Stabbing or shooting pain 
• Itching and redness
• Upset stomach or nausea
• Fever
• Chills
• Headache 

To avoid passing the virus to others, cover the rash and avoid touching it. Wash your hands often. Avoid people with weakened immune systems and people who are pregnant until your rash has healed.

A licensed health care professional can diagnose whether you have shingles by examining you and asking about your medical history. Other skin conditions — such as impetigo (a bacterial infection), insect bites, and contact dermatitis (another type of rash) — can also resemble shingles. 

Doctors do not often test for shingles, but they might if it could cause complications, such as when you have a weakened immune system, for example. 

For healthy people age 50 and older, the recombinant zoster vaccine, called Shingrix, is recommended to prevent shingles. The shingles vaccine is not recommended for people younger than 50. 

If you do get shingles, there are options for medications as well as at-home care to help address symptoms. 

Medications

Your doctor will likely administer an antiviral medication if you get shingles. These work best if you take them within three days of the start of the rash. They include:

• Acyclovir (Zovirax)
• Famciclovir (Famvir)
• Valacyclovir (Valtrex)

Ask your doctor or pharmacist about possible side effects associated with these medications.

Painkillers that could help reduce pain from shingles inflammation include:

• Acetaminophen
• Ibuprofen
• Naproxen

Tricyclic antidepressants may also help ease the pain. These drugs include amitriptyline (Elavil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), imipramine (Tofranil), and desipramine (Norpramin).

Home care

Treatments to help ease the itchy, painful symptoms at home include: 

• Resisting the urge to scratch or pick at the blisters
• Wet compress
• Calamine lotion
• Oatmeal bath 

Alternative therapies

Some alternative therapies, such as acupuncture, may help ease shingles symptoms. One recent study looked at treating pain that lasts past the outbreak, called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), with acupuncture and found that it might be effective in relieving pain for people with PHN. Make sure you visit a professional.

Manuka and clover honey have antiviral properties that may help when applied to the rash. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) can help relieve pain by delivering a small electrical current through electrodes attached to the skin.

Stress can exacerbate a shingles outbreak, so try to find ways to stay mellow, including talking with a therapist.

Shingles can cause vision loss if it affects the eye, or hearing loss if it affects the ear. It can also cause facial paralysis, called Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Another possible complication is pain that lasts past the outbreak.