A reaction similar to this was noted in the 40+YO book Life Extension (1981) by research scientists Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw, founders of the Life Extension Foundation.
It was also noted that arginine reactivated dormant herpes 1 and 2 viruses. The hypothesis was that arginine fed these viruses what they needed to replicate. The scientists then ingested instead Lysine - another amino acid - which had the opposite effect, suppressing the viruses replication. The phenomenon was repeatable. So it was recommended that herpes sufferers use lysine instead.
This may also be true of chicken pox/shingles viruses - they may be similar enough that this occurs in the same way.
They were using these amino acids - they are not drugs - in experiments to attempt to increase the production by the pituitary gland of Human Growth Hormone in adults in order to promote weight loss. Revolutionary at the time.
Might want to check back articles of Life Extension Magazine. May help here.
Believe me, every time I think the shingles might come back, I eat a bunch of lysine.
So maybe the answer is to take both together.