Treatment and Medication of Ramsay Hunt Syndrome

Treatment and Medication – Ramsay Hunt syndrome (herpes zoster oticus) occurs when a shingles infection affects the facial nerve near one of your ears. In addition to the painful shingles rash, Ramsay Hunt syndrome can cause facial paralysis and hearing loss in the affected ear.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. After chickenpox heals, the virus lies dormant in your nerves. Years later, it may reactivate. If the virus reactivates and affects your facial nerve, the result is Ramsay Hunt syndrome. High doses of antiviral medications and corticosteroids are used to treat Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Prompt treatment can reduce your risk of complications, which can include permanent facial muscle weakness and deafness.

Causes of Ramsay Hunt Syndrome

Ramsay Hunt syndrome occurs in people who have had chickenpox. Once you recover from chickenpox, that virus can lie dormant in your body for years — sometimes reactivating in later years to cause shingles, a painful rash with fluid-filled blisters.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a shingles outbreak that affects the facial nerve near one of your ears. It typically also causes varying degrees of one-sided facial paralysis and hearing loss.

Symptoms of Ramsay Hunt Syndrome

The two main signs of Ramsay Hunt syndrome are:

A painful red rash with fluid-filled blisters on, in and around one ear
Facial weakness or paralysis on the same side as the affected ear

Usually, the rash and the facial paralysis develop at the same time. But in some cases, the rash will occur before the facial paralysis, or the paralysis before the rash. Sometimes, the rash never materializes.

The Treatment and Medication

Prompt treatment of Ramsay Hunt syndrome can ease pain and decrease your risk of long-term complications. Medications may include:

Antiviral drugs. Medications such as acyclovir (Zovirax), famciclovir (Famvir) or valacyclovir (Valtrex) often help combat the chickenpox virus.
Corticosteroids. A short regimen of high-dose prednisone appears to boost the effect of antiviral drugs in Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
Anti-anxiety medications. Drugs like diazepam (Valium) can help relieve vertigo.
Pain relievers. The pain associated with Ramsay Hunt syndrome can be severe. Narcotic drugs — such as those containing oxycodone (Percocet, Oxycontin, others) or hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab, others) — may be needed.