This question concerns post-herpetic neuralgia.
Lidocaine (Lidoderm) patches are to be worn for 12 hours on, 12 hours off. This will pose a problem for me when I take a 9 hour flight to a time zone 6 hours ahead of my own. Normally, I wear 3 patches from about 9 AM to 9 PM. My flight leaves the East Coast of the U.S. at 5 PM and arrives in central Europe at 7:45 AM local time, which is 1:45 AM U.S. Eastern Daylight Time.
My goals: (1) Be as comfortable as possible during the flight. (2) Be able to go immediately on a schedule in Europe in which I wear the patches during the daytime. These 2 goals would appear to be not easily compatible.
If I were to follow my US schedule, I would wear the patches during the first 4 hours of the flight, then remove them, and not re-apply them until 3 PM in Europe. Then I would wear them for 6 hours, removing them at 9 PM. The second day in Europe, I would be back on a 9 AM to 9 PM schedule. This may in fact be the best solution.
Were I to wear the patches for the entire 9-hour flight, I would need to make a schedule adjustment on the day prior to the flight, which is something I could consider doing. But I would then, upon arriving in Europe at 7:45 AM, be nearly 12 hours away from my normal schedule. In other words, I would have to be keep the patches off all day on the first day. Then I would have to keep them off all night, too. On my second day, I could get back on my regular schedule.
I should state that, without the patches, I need either to wear no shirt or to hold my shirt away from my chest on the left side. I sleep without the patches; lying on my back and not wearing a pajama top, the pain is muted enough (thanks to Neurontin: 600 mg morning dose, 600 mg afternoon dose, 900 mg night-time dose) that I am able to sleep. Without patches, I doubt I can sleep well during the flight. Ergo: I probably will need to wear the patches in flight for at least a substantial part of the trip.
Have any of you confronted this problem? I would be very interested to know how you dealt with it.
I'm also interested in any advice concerning the management of the Neurontin during the flight.
Thanks in advance.
BaltimoreOriole