Postherpetic Neuralgia (Shingles) nerve damage

<p>Severe scalp/face/eye itching + eye burning from shingles 8 yrs ago. Slight relief with gabapentin & ice packs nightly. Is there anyone who can offer further help?</p>

The medication Lyrica or Savella may help. Sometimes Cymbalta works too.

Welcome @1977lizzy. I'm also tagging @oranbaughn and @jmney who wrote about managing postherpetic neuralgia a while back.

Thanks for jumping in @sek9853e and welcome. Have you had postherpetic neuralgia?

Thanks much for your input. I took Lyrica & Savella for some time with limited effect plus side effects. I do take an SSRI.

Has your neuralgia diminished???

Definitley sounds like its autoimmune related but I can only suggest from experience as you may want to visit http://www.aarda.org for a complete list of diseaes that are related and Shingles and dry eyes are just a few.

No, it has not. i have just learned to live with the burning, itching, stinging and pain. i have tried everything that i have been able to come across that might have helped. The condition is still very distracting and i loose focus quite bit. I do not do drugs. If there is anyone who has anything that will help, I would like to know about it.

My physician is looking into whether a Pain clinic will consider radio frequency ablation for my issues. A friend has had it done twice and it helped for six months. Will keep you posted.

So sorry that you are still experiencing pain; I understand how distracting this can be. I was diagnosed w/in 24 hours of symptom onset, by an exceptional dermatologist, and my eye doctor became a part of my treatment team. Even so, the neuralgia eventually spread from the upper right quadrant (eye, forehead) to the left, altho never to the extent on the second side as on the first. My worst symptoms declined w/in a year, but I continued to experience mild symptoms for as long as three years, and most recently as I write to advise you that you are not alone. Much less than a mosquito bite, but it is still there.

Perhaps, as my immune system declines with age, PHN will be an issue again. For your own treatment, I encourage you to pursue the treatment that worked for your friend, and to investigate medical trials, as well as to seek more than medical support for your pain. Upon referral from my dermatologist, I consulted a psychiatrist, and found that medications to reduce anxiety did not address the underlying cause of the neuralgia, but they did help me to sleep. This was discontinued when my symptoms ceased, but I recommend that you keep an open mind about the relationship of sleep to both pain and anxiety about pain.

Consulting a psychiatrist, especially one experienced in PHN, is suggested as one approach to benefit from a broader view of medications that may improve your quality of life, and also provide information about other medical trials for which you may be qualified.

Being clear about your wellness objectives is an important first step that you have already taken. I wish for you, wellness. I wish you well.

You are very kind to respond in detail. I do take stress Rx and Gabapentin which helps a bit, but with side effects. My M.D. is checking with pain clinic in nearby university medical center regarding the possibility of radio frequency ablation being used for trigeminal nerves. I was in hospital four days before being diagnosed & then given Valtrex in large doses. The blistering on my forehead/eye/scalp didn't pop out until days of severe unilateral headache. I was on IV Demerol but my family asked for an ophthalmologist consult because I kept saying my eye was the problem. He diagnosed me the minute he saw me. Then I was moved to isolation. My eye wasn't dilating properly for months so I could not tolerate light.......and driving! I consulted a neurosurgeon who offered an experimental brain surgery. I declined that !! I take Rx for sleeping and use frozen gel pack on my head at night or any time itching/pain gets out of control.