The Overlap of Shingles and Migraine Symptoms

The Connection Between Shingles and Migraines

Shingles and migraines are two painful health conditions that have several overlapping symptoms. Understanding their relationship can better equip patients to find relief and get proper treatment when encountering symptoms.

Understanding Shingles

Shingles results from the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox. After an initial chickenpox infection, the virus lies dormant in nerve cells. As immunity declines with age or immunodeficiency, the virus can reemerge along nerve pathways, causing a painful shingles rash.

Early signs of shingles include:

• Tingling, burning, or itching under the skin
• Sensitive skin
• Stabbing pain

These early symptoms may resemble a migraine. But within a few days, a telltale shingles rash with fluid-filled blisters emerges in a single strip on one side of the face or body.

Shingles Symptoms Resembling Migraines

For the 10-30% of shingles patients who dont develop a rash, recognizing shingles can prove difficult. Symptoms like headache, sensitivity to light, nausea, vomiting, and eye pain can mirror migraine features.

Shingles inflammation affecting facial nerves near the forehead and eyes often causes symptoms overlapping with migraines or ocular migraines:

• Throbbing head pain on one side
• Pain around the eyes
• Sensitivity to light and sound
• Vision disturbances like flashing lights
• Nausea, vomiting, dizziness

How Shingles Pain Differs from Migraines

Despite some overlapping headache and eye symptoms, shingles pain presents differently than migraines in a few key ways:

• Burning, shooting nerve pain before rash onset
• Pain remaining only on one side of head/body
• Constant pain not pulsating like migraines
• Pain stemming from virus inflammation in nerve cells
• Rash outbreak a few days after initial symptoms

Getting Proper Diagnosis

Due to overlapping symptoms with migraine and other headache disorders, shingles often initially gets misdiagnosed. Patients may seek migraine treatment for several days before the telltale shingles rash emerges.

Without the rash, diagnosis requires testing blood or fluid from shingles blisters. Diagnostic clues include:

• One-sided pain following nerve paths
• Recent chickenpox or shingles infection
• Underlying immunodeficiency
• Shooting pain and skin sensitivity before rash
• No relief from usual migraine treatments

Catching shingles early allows prompt antiviral treatment to ease symptoms and reduce complications.

Can Shingles Trigger Migraines?

For those already suffering from migraines, shingles inflammation in facial nerves can trigger severe migraine attacks. The virus causes swelling and irritation of nerve cells, which can set off headaches.

Plus, fighting shingles places extra strain on the body already combating the herpes virus. Stress from illness often proves a migraine trigger as well.

In migraine sufferers with overlapping neurological symptoms, doctors should rule out shingles infection before deeming a migraine attack.

Postherpetic Neuralgia Complications

Unfortunately, the nerve pain caused by shingles can linger long after other symptoms subside. This condition is called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

Up to a third of shingles patients age 50 and older develop PHN. It involves nerve pain persisting for months or years after a shingles rash clears. This can cause severe migraine-like headaches.

Prompt shingles treatment with antivirals may reduce PHN risk. But nerve damage still can occur. Anti-seizure drugs, numbing agents, nerve blocks, and painkillers can relieve PHN pain.

Who Gets Shingles and Migraines?

Those with a prior migraine diagnosis face higher shingles risk. People able to fend off chickenpox or shingles tend to have robust immune systems. Comparatively, chronic migraines suggest immune impairment.

A 2015 study found migraine sufferers have double the risk of developing shingles compared to non-migraineurs. Impaired immunity also raises odds of PHN nerve pain complications.

Other common shingles and migraine risk factors include:

• Age over 50 years old
• Women
• Stress
• Trauma
• Sleep deprivation

Thankfully, those over age 50 can get vaccinated against shingles to reduce future complication risks.

Treatment Differences

Despite overlapping neurological symptoms, shingles and migraines require very different therapies:

• Shingles: Antiviral medications, steroids, pain medication, nerve blocks
• Migraines: Preventative medications, pain relievers, anti-nausea drugs, nerve blocks, botox

What offers migraine relief like aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen often proves ineffective for shingles pain. Always seek proper diagnosis before starting treatment when symptoms strike.

The Takeaway

Shingles should remain on the differential diagnosis list for severe one-sided headaches with nausea, light sensitivity, eye pain, and skin sensitivity. Getting an accurate diagnosis allows prompt antiviral treatment for the best prognosis.

People prone to migraines face higher odds of developing shingles too, especially complication like postherpetic neuralgia. Vaccination over age 50 provides vital protection against this painful virus.

While challenging to distinguish early on, understanding how shingles and migraine symptoms converge and diverge better prepares patients and doctors to find relief.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.