Herpes zoster, also known as shingles, is a viral disease that results in a painful rash. While most cases resolve within weeks, if a shingles outbreak causes nerve damage, you may develop a complication called postherpetic neuralgia, or PHS, which can cause chronic pain for months or years. Administered in clinical settings, high doses of certain vitamins may help reduce pain caused by shingles and PHS; however, you should not try to treat shingles on your own using vitamins. Talk to your doctor before taking vitamins for shingles.
Vitamin C
Some studies suggest that high, intravenous doses of the antioxidant vitamin C may help reduce pain caused by shingles. A case study published by "The Korean Journal of Pain" in June 2011 reported that in a shingles patient who did not respond well to conventional therapy, administration of intravenous vitamin C resulted in an immediate reduction in pain. Another case study, published in "Journal of Chinese Integrative Medicine" in April 2011, concluded that 7.5 g of vitamin C, administered intravenously every other day, in combination with cantharidin, a poison secreted by the Spanish fly, resulted in a significant reduction of shingles-related pain after two weeks of treatments.
Vitamin D
Limited clinical research also indicates high doses of vitamin D may be useful in the treatment of shingles. Specifically, vitamin D, applied topically to the skin, may help prevent the development of the painful shingles complication, PHS, according to research published by "Medical Hypotheses" in December 2009. According to this research, while the exact mechanisms by which shingles sometimes results in PHS are not well-understood, high-dose topical vitamin D may help prevent this complication in shingles patients by reducing inflammation in nervous system cells and reducing the body's production of neuroexcitatory substances including nitric oxide.
Other Vitamins
According to the NYU Langone Medical Center, vitamins B-12 and E have been indicated as possible alternative therapies for PHS resulting from shingles, although evidence supporting their effectiveness is weak. According to PeaceHealth Medical Group, while some studies suggest B-12 injections help relieve pain caused by PHS, these studies did not include a control group, so the placebo effect cannot be ruled out. Some research also indicates benefits of vitamin E therapy for PHS when administered in high oral doses of 1,200 to 1,600 IU/day, or applied topically to skin in concentrations of 30 IU/g, according to PeaceHealth; however, not all studies show a benefit.
Conventional Shingles Treatments
While vitamin therapy may provide some benefits in shingles treatment if conventional treatments don't relieve symptoms, vitamins are not considered a suitable standalone replacement for conventional shingles treatments. Shingles is best treated with oral antiviral medications, administered within the first 72 hours of an outbreak. Antiviral drugs help reduce the length of an outbreak and, if taken within the first three days of developing a shingles rash, they cut your risk of developing PHS in half, according to MayoClinic.com. Your doctor may also prescribe medications including narcotics, anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants and topical numbing agents, to reduce pain from shingles.
References
- "The Korean Journal of Pain"; Administration of Vitamin C in a Patient with Herpes Zoster -- A Case Report; SH Byun, et al.; June 2011
- "Journal of Chinese Integrative Medicine"; Cantharidin Patches and Intravenous Administration of Vitamin C in the Concomitant Treatment of Herpes Zoster: A Case Report; M Schencking, et al.; April 2011
- "Medical Hypotheses"; Post Herpetic Neuralgia, Schwann Cell Activation and Vitamin D; J Bartley; December 2009
- NYU Langone Medical Center; Shingles (Herpes Zoster); February 2011
- PeaceHealth.org; Shingles and Postherpetic Neuralgia: Alternative Medicine; December 2009
