I just wanted to add to this as I had facial shingles earlier this year and developed PHN and have burning, itching and pin prick pain at random intervals. I've found several solutions.
1. Capcaisin cream which contains chillies. This is a burning sensation at first and I use this for extreme times.
2. Tiger Balm. I use the white one but recently learned that they do a red one too. Not tried that but might be similar to the capsaicin cream.
3. Emla numbing cream. Mostly for the itching and non pain times.

All in all I'd say give tiger balm a try.

I have experienced this condition for the last three weeks and just found this site Here it is the fall of 2019 and no one seems to have found an answer to this condition. Evidently there are not enough of us that have the condition to make it worthwhile to research. It is comforting to know that others have experienced the situation.
I have found cold gel packs are about the only help. Gabapentin is still the Rx prescribed. At the age of 85 it looks like i will leave this world taking pain killers and of course "keep scratching".

@lynellb2 Hi I'm sorry for anyone that has shingles so far I have excapsed this but have you tried to use oatmeal soap it is very smoothing for the itch , I use to have to give patients an oatmeal bath that had this itching all the time. Now they have the soap and Aveeno has a lotion I think its Aveeno . Good luck

When I developed Adhesive Arachnoiditis I realized that I had horrible pain in the same places I had Shingles. I thought I would never have that kind of pain again but the pain of AA is much worse. My family dr said that a lot of his elderly patients like me get PHN pain again. AA is caused from spine surgeries and dyes but it’s strange that the pain follows the same route as my Shingles pain. I take Percocet to no avail. Had bad side effects to nerve meds.

My pain is over the eye and the itching it also there and on the eyelid. I haven't found anything that i can use in the eye for pain and the itching.

Have you tried a CBD salve? Maybe you could use it lightly on the eye area. I have a great salve I use for neuropathy in my feet. Get it at anandahemp.com It is 24 dollars, and they have only one salve. I find this salve works even better than compounding cream my neurologist made for me. Good luck…God Bless. Lori Renee

Thanks for the info on the CBD salve; probably worth a try. What was the compounding cream your neurologist prescribed? The one with ketamine, amiltrypline, and lidocaine?

73-yr-old F in good health. Shingles started 6/27/19 with terrible headache on L which I thought was sinus. Blisters 2-3 days later. Treated with Valycylovir. Extremely ill, threw up first two pills and was basically down for 2 weeks. Crushed the big purple things into applesauce to tolerate. The only thing that relieved the head pain was hydrocodone QID which I used for 5 days. Gel packs wer useful and I heat severa in freezer and used during day and got up for new packs during the night. Wobbly for another 6 weeks and severe eye pain, scratchness. Symptoms abated by end of August but on 8/25, I woke up with blurred vision in L eye but no pain. Appointment in 2 days with ophthalmologist and he said the shingles had come back in the L eye. Treated again with Valycyclovir. Treated again, as first time, with prednisone forte and told to return in a week. In a visit or two he put a plug in the tear duct and almost immediately it was as if I had a terrible cold on the L. Don’t know if it was coincidence or caused by the plug. Had the plug taken out 6 days later and symptoms mostly resolved although I still have congestion on left and faint “sinus” headache. Eye dry so use non preservative eye drops frequently during the day and night. Vision stil blurred and forehead and left side of head in hair is itchy but not as terrible as some previous posters. I think my vision in that eye was 20/40 at last measurement and figure I may be stuck with it. Any advice would be appreciated. Another appointment 11/15 with ophthalmologist. Think highly of Mayo as 3 m3mbers of my family have been treated there with good result. Rochester and Phoenix. Thank you.

I have had the same post herpetic neuralgia (PHN) nerve pain in the right side of my lower back for nearly two years now. One of my doctors says it will go away in time and the other says it won't! I've tried gabapentin, opioids, TENS, acupuncture, cannabis (CBD), massage, heat and cold, physical therapy, lidocaine, and acetaminophen. Nothing has helped so far. I even did a trial of spinal cord stimulation (SCS). It may have helped a bit; however, when I read online all the pros and cons of SRS, I decided against the permanent version in which leads are inserted along your spinal cord and a battery under your skin. Also, it apparently isn't a permanent solution in which the nerves are healed – it just blocks the nerve signals to the brain.

Like you, I would love to hear from others that have experienced PHN if they ever got over it or if they found a way to relieve the pain.

Bill

I tried all those things also except SCS. The lidocaine cream helps a little bit. Like you I am so discussed. My doctor says it will eventually but after 3 1/2 years I am thinking not.

A friend had shingles in early 2018. It has left awful pain in her hand. Lyrica helps her she is still limited in how she can use her hand.

Lyrica did nothing for me. Gabapentin worked a little better. I figure I have to live with it