Postherpetic Neuralgia

[Robs11]

I am a 52 year old female who had shingles in the groin area on my left leg, and on my left thigh about 8 months ago.  I had little pain at the time of the outbreak however, I developed pain on the same side as the shingles outbreak, like electric shocks, which shoot from my groin to my knee.  My knee will burn with prolonged standing, and after sitting for prolonged periods, I can hardly walk when I get up.  My Neurologist thinks the pain may be coming from the root ganglia, and has prescribed Gabapentin (Neurontin) 400 MG, 4 times a day, which does seem to take the edge off, but the pain never completely goes away.  Could I have nerve damage as a result of shingles, and if so, how debilitating can it get, and will it get better?  I welcome all replies.  Thank you.

[Robs11]

Thank you for your response to my question regarding PHN.  I am currently under the care of a Neurologist, who has prescribed 400 MG Gabapentin (Neurontin), 1 tablet 4 times a day, and Lortab 5/500, 1 tablet every 4 hours.  I have been taking the Gabapentin as prescribed however, I only take the Lortab at bedtime.  After one week, the Neurontin seems to be helping the frequency of the electric shocks that shoot from my groin to my knee, but my knee is still irritated, and will sporadically burn while resting, and when standing in one place.  My concern at the moment is how debilitating can PHN get?  Thank you!

[Dr. A. Srivastava]

Hi, Thank you very much for your question. Post herpetic neuralgia appears at skin after the outbreak of shingles (herpes). It starts when herpes crusted over and in fact it may even appear after absence of herpes virus. It will be best that you consult a neurologist and treatment options could be anticonvulsants such as gabapentin, antideprassants and topical lidocaine lotion. Now a day, few recent treatments could be rhizotomy (cutting the affected nerve to relieve pain) and TENS (a electrical pulse therapy). Hope this helps.