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Shingles and Postherpetic Neuralgia and Pain
Has anyone suffered from LONG lasting neuropathic pain as a result of Shingles, and what treatment do you use for the pain? My daughter had shingles at 21, a spinal cord stimulator inserted and removed, many trigger point injections, all of which may have contributed to the thoracic pain she has. She is now 34, and teaches yoga, but is still on a compound prescribed by a pain management Dr. in NYC what is basically Oxy. I am paying for this, since neither she nor her husband can afford it at around $500 a month. She could not find a physician in Fl. I know who would prescribe this medication after 10 years, thus the use of an out of state physician. I do not want to see her suffer, nor can I discuss much with her since we barely speak, but this expense, coupled with paying for asthma inhalers that are expensive is becoming more and more of a strain. Any thoughts for alternatives are appreciated.
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Ohhhhhh .. well it’s still hopefull that maybe with consistent and daily dosage of the gabupentin it may help my mom.... praying the doctors will have more answers today as well 🙂
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1 ReactionSorry to hear your daughter is in so much pain. It's a living hell. I have PHN for 8 years, on my second stimulator, taken off all drugs unless needed, 800 mg gabapentin 3x daily ( useless ). On my 8th pain dr ( reside in NYC ). New dr suggest physical therapy, medical marijunana. Will try it and see what happens.
Be careful few doctors in NYC just want money.
I wish your daughter well and your a great dad. God Bless you both
Hello @jerid
As a newbie to the Shingles diagnosis, I've been really interested in any of the Connect posts about Shingles pain. It certainly is a difficult pain to deal with, isn't it? Regarding chronic PHN after Shingles, I did find an article on the WebMD website that discusses what can be used to treat this. Here is the link, just click on it and read the suggestions. https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/shingles/understanding-postherpetic-neuralgia-treatment#1
A couple of the meds listed were Gabapentin and Lyrica. Has your doctor suggested either of these or something else to deal with chronic PHN?
I was on Lyrica for several months immediately following my Shingles and I put on almost 20 pounds and had no energy. I had enough of that. I am a active person and my body loves exercise. I continue to exercise by walking 4 miles a day and during public pool summer days I swim 1 mile a day or 64 laps. The cooling of the water is the best natural pain reliever, but I can't be in a pool 24/7/ LOL I want to end the pain without drugs. I do not like the side effects that I experience from taking most drugs. I did radiofrequency ablation and it lasted for 2 weeks. The nerve must not have been burned enough. I have no idea.
Thank you for your response I will check out the web page you sent.
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1 ReactionDoes anyone here experience Shingles chronic PHN. I just don't know how to handle it anymore. If anyone has a positive answer to rid ones body of this pain, please tell me.
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2 ReactionsHi @jerid and @hopeful33250, I moved your messages to this existing discussion about Postherpetic Neuralgia and chronic pain. I did this so you can read the experiences of fellow members like @tikigod18 @gmaw4 @cdcc @patsy0315 and @paulbklyn, and connect with them.
You may also be interested in these related discussions:
- Postherpetic Neuralgia https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/post-herpetic-neuralgia-231205/
- Postherpetic Neuralgia (Shingles) nerve damage https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/postherpetic-neuralgia-shingles-nerve-damage-around-eye-eyebrow-forehead-scalp-8/
- Shingles on face and in eye https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/shingles-on-face-and-in-eye/
- Shingles https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/shingles-6/
- Recurring Shingles: Any ideas to stop them recurring? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/recurring-shingles/
As you can see, PHN is a commonly discussed topic in this community.
@jerid, I'm sorry to hear that the radiofrequency ablation was only effective for 2 weeks. Have you discussed whether doing it again might have a longer lasting effect?
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1 ReactionThank you for the info. My physician has said my insurance will only cover 2 treatments a year. My first treatment was in July so I have a long wait, but at least 2 months are behind me already. I am willing to try it again.
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1 ReactionThank you Coleen.
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1 ReactionOk
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1 Reaction@jerid I see that you did not like the side-effects of Lyrica. I'm wondering if you ever tried Gabapentin? It has worked quite nicely for me and reduced the terrible pain, especially at bedtime. Right now, I'm also using a 10-day treatment with prednisone which seems to be helping.
I also dislike taking meds, but my daily pill reminder shows a lot of meds used to treat different problems. I wish you well as you continue to deal with this unfortunate left-over of your Shingles experience. Will you continue to post as you search for answers?