What is shingles?

If you have a painful, blistering rash, visit MinuteClinic to have it evaluated. If it’s shingles, your MinuteClinic provider can create a treatment plan to reduce your discomfort and minimize any long-term problems.

1. You may have to answer a few questions about symptoms to help us prepare for your visit prior to scheduling your appointment.

2. Check-in varies depending on how you scheduled your appointment:

   If you made your appointment online:
   Check in using the email or text message we sent to confirm your appointment. If you prefer to check in using the electronic kiosk, make sure you have your confirmation code.

   If you made your appointment in the clinic:
   Sign in at the electronic kiosk.

   If you made a MinuteClinic Virtual Care^® appointment:
   To join your virtual visit, use the link in the email or text message we sent you to confirm your appointment. Please join 15 minutes before your scheduled visit time. You will need your date of birth and ZIP code to join the visit.

3. When it's time for your appointment, a provider will call your name.
4. Your provider will conduct a thorough examination based on your reason for visit, presenting symptoms and health history. Charges will be based on examination and services provided during the visit.
5. At the end of your visit, you are provided with a visit summary, receipt and educational material about your diagnosis. At your request, we can send your primary care provider information about your visit.

Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. If you’ve had chickenpox, the virus that caused chickenpox, varicella-zoster virus (VZV), remained inside your body. It can actually stay in your body forever without causing a problem, hiding in your nerves. Sometimes, as you get older, the virus wakes up and becomes active again. When this happens, you get shingles.

Even though shingles is less contagious than chickenpox, people who have blisters are still able to spread the virus. If you have shingles, you should:

• Avoid contact with young children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems
• Avoid touching the rash
• Keep the rash covered
• Wash your hands often

You can give the shingles virus to other people as long as you have the rash. Before you get the rash, you cannot give shingles to others. You also cannot give shingles to others once the rash starts to scab over.

The shingles rash usually goes away after 2 to 4 weeks but can affect some people for longer periods of time. The pain caused by shingles usually goes away as well but can last for months or even years in certain cases. Taking medication may not shorten the amount of time you have shingles, but it may reduce the pain the rash causes and make it less likely that you will have pain that lasts for months or years.

There’s no cure for shingles, but there are ways to reduce your chances of getting it in the first place. There are also medications that can reduce the severity of symptoms if you do get sick.

Talk to a MinuteClinic^® provider about the shingles vaccine (Shingrix) to see if it is right for you. If you are 60 years of age or older, getting the shingles vaccine can help to prevent an outbreak of the disease. Sometimes, the shingles vaccine is given to younger people who are at high risk of getting shingles.

If you get shingles, do not delay treatment. The sooner you get treatment and take an anti-viral medication, the quicker you will feel better and the less severe your symptoms will likely be.

MinuteClinic providers can assess your rash and get you started on anti-viral medications to reduce your symptoms, if appropriate. Remember that taking anti-viral medications can also lower your chances of having long-term pain even after your shingles rash goes away.