Shingles

Shingles is an infection that causes a painful rash. Get advice from a pharmacist or NHS 111 as soon as possible if you think you have it.

Symptoms of shingles

The first signs of shingles can be:

• a tingling or painful feeling in an area of skin

• a headache or feeling generally unwell

A rash will usually appear a few days later. In rare cases shingles can cause pain without a rash.

Usually you get the shingles rash on your chest and tummy, but it can appear anywhere on your body including on your face, eyes and genitals.

The rash appears as blotches on your skin, on 1 side of your body only. A rash on both the left and right of your body is unlikely to be shingles.

The blotches become itchy blisters that ooze fluid. A few days later, the blisters dry out and scab.

The rash can be red, but this can be harder to see on brown and black skin.

The rash can form a cluster that only appears on 1 side of your body. The skin remains painful until after the rash has gone.

The rash may be in and around your eye, making it sore and red. It can affect your sight or hearing and make it hard to move 1 side of your face.

See a pharmacist if:

• you have symptoms of shingles and you're 18 years old or older

Try to see a pharmacist within 3 days of the rash appearing. If you need medicine, it can help to speed up your recovery and avoid longer-lasting problems.

A pharmacist can give the same antiviral medicines as a GP. They can also give advice or direct you to other medical help, if needed.