HEALTH TOPICS 
Ask the doctor: What to take for shingles pain
 Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D.
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Q. I've been diagnosed with shingles. Is there anything I can take for the pain?
A. If you're over age 50 and you've had the shingles pain for less than three days, the current recommendation is that you take a medicine that kills the virus that causes shingles—varicella-zoster virus. The two medicines recommended most often are famciclovir and valacyclovir.
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