The treatment of the Ramsay hunt syndrome depends largely on the degree of the infection that has developed in the nerves of the patient. The effectiveness of the treatment depends totally on the extent to which the varicella zoster virus has been destroyed. It is said that the timely diagnosis and treatment of this infection plays an important role in combating it completely. When patients get their treatment started within 3 days of observing the symptoms, 70% of them generally recover completely from the disorder. On the other hand, the more the time wasted in getting treatment, the more are the chances that some discomfort might become permanent. It has also been observed that children exhibit more chances of a full recovery as compared to adults.
The simplest form of treatment administered to the patients differing from the Ramsay hunt syndrome is in the form of strong drugs called steroids such as Prednisolone, which have anti-inflammatory properties. These drugs are generally prescribed for 3-5 days before reducing the dosage. However, even after taking the steroids, some patients do not get relief from the pain, because of which they have to be given strong pain killers. Some doctors also advice the patients to take antiviral medications like Famciclovir or Acyclovir for a period ranging between 7 and 10 days. For patients who suffer from weakness of the face, an eye patch is provided. This is done because the eye of the patient does not close entirely and there are strong chances of damage and injury to the cornea. Unfortunately, in some patients damage is caused due to the friction between the eyelid and the patch. In such cases, use of either eye drops or a moisture chamber is advised along with taping the eye to keep it shut at night.
Another well known line of treatment for the patients of Ramsay hunt syndrome is a combination of oral acyclovir and corticosteroids. When corticosteroids were administered in combination with intravenous acyclovir, they did not show any significant benefit over the use of corticosteroids alone.It is studied that if the release of oxycodone was controlled, it was safe for the patients and the tolerance was also good considering the fact that patients are in acute pain due to the virus. If the patient is suffering from otalgia in the external auditory canal, local application of cocaine or anesthetic can provide relief. If the vestibular symptoms observed in the patient are severe, vestibular suppressants might be used.
