Shingles treatment, diagnosis & prescriptions

Yes, you can. The healthcare provider will want to discuss your medical history, whether you’ve experienced chicken pox before and any symptoms or signs of shingles that you’re experiencing. They’ll want to know the timing of when your symptoms started, as this will affect the treatment options. They’ll check to see if you’re experiencing pain on one side or one part of your body, as this is a telltale sign of shingles. They’ll also want to perform a physical exam to look for telltale rashes and blisters.

Yes, our physicians can prescribe shingles medications online during your consultation. Once you accept a prescription for shingles, you’ll have the option to pick it up from any pharmacy or to have it delivered right to your door at no additional cost.

Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful, blistering rash. The same virus that causes shingles, the varicella-zoster virus, also causes chicken pox.
This condition is not life-threatening and will pass on its own. However, it can be extremely painful. Getting early treatment for shingles is important, because it can help shorten the length of the infection and reduce the chance of complications.

Shingles typically last between two to six weeks. While most people will only get shingles one time, it is possible to get it more than once. If you’re over the age of 50 you can be vaccinated against shingles, which can substantially reduce your chances of experiencing the painful condition.

At the very least, the vaccine can reduce the severity, duration of pain, and prevent complications, such as postherpetic neuralgia (pain that lasts longer than the rash).

The most commonly occurring symptoms and signs of shingles include:

• Itching
• Sensitivity to touch
• Burning, numbness, or tingling
• Moderate to severe shooting or stabbing pain (typically localized to one side of the body)
• Fluid-filled blisters, which burst and crust over
• Fatigue
• Upset stomach
• Sensitivity to light
• Headache
• Fever or chills

The same virus that causes chicken pox, the varicella-zoster virus, also causes shingles. The virus then lays dormant in nerve tissue near the spinal cord and brain. Years after experiencing chicken pox, the virus can reactivate or “wake up”, which causes shingles.

The reasons for the virus suddenly becoming active again aren’t fully understood. However, there are a number of risk factors that can increase your chances of having the virus reactivate. These include:

• Having a serious physical injury
• Severe stress levels
• Being over the age of 50
• Having experienced cancer, HIV, or another disease that affects the body’s natural defenses
• Taking medications that can weaken your immune system, such as long-term steroids

Most of the time, the healthcare provider will be able to provide a shingles diagnosis by performing a physical exam and evaluating your symptoms or signs of shingles. They’ll also want to know whether you’ve had chicken pox in the past, and whether you’ve received the shingles vaccine.

Less commonly, the doctor may suggest that a tissue scraping or culture from your blisters be tested, in order to provide a clear diagnosis.

Once the healthcare provider has given you a shingles diagnosis, they can suggest any prescription shingles medications you may need as part of your shingles treatments.

At this time, there is no cure for shingles. Therefore, the most effective shingles treatments are designed towards reducing or managing shingles symptoms, like pain or itching, and speeding the healing process.

In many cases, these shingles treatments will require antiviral prescription shingles medications, which will also reduce your chances of experiencing complications. The healthcare provider may also suggest prescription shingles medications like pain relievers or numbing agents to help you manage your pain.

If you’re beginning to show signs of shingles, it’s a good idea to talk to a healthcare provider right away. Shingles can be very painful, and you may require shingles treatments to manage your symptoms while you wait for the condition to pass.

Without treatment, shingles symptoms can feel overwhelming and the condition can lead to complications. A healthcare provider from Maple can suggest prescription shingles medications to help ease your pain, avoid complications, and speed up your recovery.

Maple is a virtual care platform that connects you with doctors and other healthcare providers via text, audio, or video. After you log in to your Maple account, you can request an online consultation.

Consultations work similarly to in-person appointments — the doctor can complete an assessment by asking questions about your symptoms, going through your health history, and determining what treatment is right for you. If they think your condition is more serious, they may tell you to go to a clinic for an in-person examination.

As a Maple member, you get 24/7 access to virtual primary care online and more. You can connect with our network of providers via text, audio, or video call within minutes.

Our membership costs $79.99/month and covers virtual care for patients and their families, including the primary account holder's spouse and any dependents.

For patients in eligible provinces, our membership includes:

• Access to daily primary care provider visits: One daily visit with a primary care provider for each family member in their household.
• Paediatric care: Covered paediatric primary care visits, available by appointment.
• Second medical opinions: access to a network of experts for a second opinion if diagnosed with a complex condition (e.g. cancer).
• Personal Health Check-Ins: A series of personalized, evidence-based proactive care screenings to maintain and improve health.
• iCBT courses: Access to iCBT (internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy) self-assessment and courses.
• Access to specialists in eligible provinces: Easy access to specialists on Maple within days, not months. No referral is needed.
• Specialist referrals in eligible provinces: Ability to be referred to a physician specialist for in-person care, if needed.
• Credit discounts: An $80 credit per month to be applied to a Maple specialist visit.

Please note that our membership cannot be combined with other offerings, such as private insurance coverage and provincial programs, where available. In some cases, membership fees can be covered by a Healthcare Spending Account (HSA) — check with your HSA provider for more details.

We accept all major credit cards, including AMEX cards, as well as Google and Apple Pay.

At Maple, we proudly prioritize privacy as a cornerstone of our virtual care services. We strictly adhere to privacy and healthcare legislation in Canada, such as PIPEDA and PHIPA regulations, to ensure patients' personal and health information remains completely private and safeguarded.

Our policies and consent processes are designed to be simple and easily understood, empowering individuals with control and a clear understanding of their healthcare journey. When using our services, a patient’s session is protected by a comprehensive security infrastructure and stringent data policies.

Patients also retain full control of their personal health information, medical records and test results at all times. Our approach is reinforced by consultations with leading experts, guaranteeing comprehensive policy frameworks that are reviewed at a regular cadence.

All providers delivering healthcare through Maple are licensed in Canada and governed by their licensing regulatory colleges, and in all instances, must act in accordance with the governing principles set out in the telemedicine policies of each medical regulator in the applicable province.

Regulators across Canada support and recognize the value of services like ours, and the way in which they can benefit patients, physicians, and Canada’s broader healthcare system by improving access to care and increasing efficiencies in the delivery of care.