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Shingles and Postherpetic Neuralgia and Pain

Brain & Nervous System | Last Active: May 7, 2023 | Replies (189)
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@colinshen

My wife aged 65 recently had shingles and now suffers from Postherpetic Neuralgia and Pain, this has been going on for 2 months She also suffers from dermatomyositis which only adds to ther trauma and suffering. The range of drugs she is now on is extensive (amitriptyline, gabapentine, paracetamol and capsicum cream) and worrying. She has recently been having acupuncture with some sucess but it only lasts a couple of days.

Currently I'm researching PENS (percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) and was wondering if anyone had tried this with any success?

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Replies to "My wife aged 65 recently had shingles and now suffers from Postherpetic Neuralgia and Pain, this..."
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Nov 18, 2020

Hello @colinshen and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.

I am sorry to hear about your wife's Postherpetic Neuralgia and Pain problem. I had shingles in September and I know how terrible that kind of pain is. Fortunately, after treating with Prednisone and Gabapentin I got over it.

Can your wife take Prednisone? If so, she might ask her doctor if she could try it. It was the only thing that helped me. I do realize that everyone is different and that Prednisone can have serious side effects. Has she ever tried a Tens Unit? Many of my friends praise this non-prescription item as being very helpful for nerve pain.

There certainly has been an upswing in Shingle's diagnoses lately. I even got the Shingrex shots last year and still got Shingles this year.

I hope you are able to find some help for her. Will you post again as you look for answers?

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