  |
|
|
|
Does Pain Have You Tied Down?Read the article this discussion is about
This archived discussion is "read only". » Barbara Nicholson Bell - Shingles Virginia, are you aware of any special or new treatments for the pain associated with shingles? This seems to be something that is running in our family, and now my younger sister (50) is suffering - a year after the shingles originally appeared. Nothing seems to help.-- posted by Barbara Nicholson Bell » Fairdinkum - Re: Shingles In response to Shingles posted by bici:Herpes Zoster better known as shingles...and from what I read today, most cases occur over the age of 50. Can't yet find anything more recent..time constraints..but here's an extract from a 2002 medical journal article, hotlinked below: "Herpes zoster: Valaciclovir and famciclovir are superior to aciclovir in reducing the incidence and duration of postherpetic neuralgia. The addition of corticosteroids is of no advantage in preventing postherpetic neuralgia. The pain associated with zoster should be treated aggressively with agents such as opioids and topical lignocaine and may require early referral to a pain clinic." Hope this helps. Maybe a broader search will find something more. Jeff -- posted by Fairdinkum » Dubh_Sidhe - Re: Shingles In response to Shingles posted by bici:Sorry I am late answering, Barbara. I am having a terrible time with error messages where ever and whenever I click. A year post-shingles is a long time. Shingles is a very strange condition and different people seem to react differently. I have seen patients with shingles and virtually pain free, although that is an exception rather than the rule. Pain control is very difficult, and is mostly from neuralgia type pain--very difficult to control. The standard reply from most doctors is that nothing will help, but there has been success using the antidepressant--Nortriptyline. With the advent of Herpes II, the anti-Herpes drugs offer relief for some sufferers. That is Acyclovir, famciclovir, and valacyclovir. The former has to be taken 5X a day, and the latter 2 taken 3X a day. I am big on the TENS Unit for chronic pain. Whether or not it would be helpful for this, I am not sure. A doctor or physical therapist would know. But if there is no contraindication, I would certainly try the TENS Unit. I have an article telling about it. I forget the pub date. I will go ahead and publish it now for you. Nerve block were used a lot some years ago with fairly good results, and there is a topical lidocaine for surface pain relief. My doctor I know uses Prednisone, and my mom used it when she had shingles. It helped against the intense itching. The shingles virus lives in nerve tissue along the spinal cord and affects only one side of the body at a time. The old wives tale says if it circles the waist and meets it will kill you! There is one more treatment and that is that difficult to pronounce Capsaicin that you see advertised on TV. I would say check out a TENS Unit!! Hope this helps. virginia -- posted by Dubh_Sidhe » Dubh_Sidhe - Re: Re: Shingles In response to Re: Shingles posted by Fairdinkum:Hi Jeff. I have to disagree on using any narcotic pain relievers. They are too easily addictive, especially for a non-terminal condition and a relatively young person. -- posted by Dubh_Sidhe » Barbara Nicholson Bell - Re: Re: Re: Shingles In response to Re: Re: Shingles posted by Dubh_Sidhe:Thanks, Virginia and Jeff. I know my sister was on Prednisone and treatments for the itching when the shingles first appeared last year. While the rash went away rather quickly, the pain has not. It is debilitating, and she has tried antidepressants, as well as acupuncture, in desperation. I think she has gotten more used to the pain, rather than the pain diminishing, so that she copes on a daily basis. She continues to work fulltime, travel, play golf, garden...so I am not sure an opioid would be good for her lifestyle, but if it got worse I think she would not hesitate. -- posted by Barbara Nicholson Bell » Dubh_Sidhe - Re: Re: Re: Re: Shingles In response to Re: Re: Re: Shingles posted by bici:Well, the important thing, Barbara, is that she is functioning in work and play, so she is not giving in to the pain. Then, too, women are able to deal with pain better than men. Most men have a terribly poor pain threshold. I am sorry your sister is plagued with this. I will add her to my prayer list. v -- posted by Dubh_Sidhe Please follow the guidelines set forth in the Suite101 Posting Etiquette when adding to the discussion. |
|
|
|
