Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-vvkck Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-27T21:58:44.287Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Post-herpetic neuralgia

from Chief complaints and diagnoses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2009

Stephen H. Thomas
Affiliation:
Harvard Medical School
Get access

Summary

This chapter discusses the role of Tricyclic antidepressants, Anticonvulsants, Opioids, Local anesthetics, Capsaicin, and Ketamine in post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). PHN is one of the more commonly encountered manifestations of neuropathic pain. Post-herpetic neuralgia is one of the many neuropathies for which tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are useful. A placebo-controlled trial testing the anticonvulsant gabapentin found that one patient in three achieved significant pain relief. Multicenter trial of pregabalin found this agent to be useful for PHN, with a response rate of approximately one in three patients. Local anesthetics such as lidocaine may be efficacious when used for peripheral nerve blockade. Meta-analysis has been conducted to assess and compare some of the many treatments for PHN. Available data from RCT data for PHN show that roughly half of patients respond to TCAs or oxycodone, one in three improves with gabapentin, and approximately one in five achieves significant relief with capsaicin.
Type
Chapter
Information
Emergency Department Analgesia
An Evidence-Based Guide
, pp. 354 - 358
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×