One minute you’re a healthy and active 50-something-year-old, and the next minute you’re battling shingles. As if the painful shingle virus isn’t bad enough, you might have been dealt the unlucky hand of having to deal with post-herpetic neuralgia. On top of an agonizing rash for weeks on end due to shingles, you now have to manage debilitating nerve issues that could last for months, if not more. If you recently had the shingle virus and are still suffering from pain symptoms, medical attention is necessary for helping you to heal. The Texas Pain Care team in the Sugar Land, Missouri City and Houston areas can help you find relief and help you get back to enjoying your daily life. Get relief from post-herpetic neuralgia in Houston, Texas with our expert team.
Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a complication of the shingles virus, which is also known as herpes zoster. Shingles is a virus infection that is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. Adults who had chickenpox as a child, or those who never received the chickenpox vaccination, are highly at risk for experiencing shingles later in life. Shingles appears as a painful rash, generally on one side of the body, which turns into blisters. After the rash/blisters are treated, pain could still be present. This condition is post-herpetic neuralgia, which is a life-altering pain.
Post-herpetic neuralgia generally occurs in the same general area where the shingles outbreak manifested. While the most common symptom is burning pain, additional symptoms can include:
Similar to shingles, some people might experience mild symptoms while others might experience severe symptoms. The common factor is that post-herpetic neuralgia is far more painful and more life changing than shingles.
Post-herpetic neuralgia is a result of nerve damage during a shingle infection. Depending on the severity of the shingles rash, it could damage nerve fibers in the skin where the rash occurs. The damage causes the nerves to become confused, so they send exaggerated pain signals to the brain. This means that even the slightest touch can cause excruciating pain.
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is the same virus that causes chickenpox. Once you’ve had chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in the body. If the virus becomes active, it causes shingles. About 10% to 20% of people who experience shingles will also develop post-herpetic neuralgia.
Early treatment is crucial to avoiding post-herpetic neuralgia. Patients who seeked medical care once they first noticed (within three days) the signs and symptoms of the shingles virus and who began treatment were half as likely to develop post-herpetic neuralgia.
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The most common symptoms of post-herpetic neuralgia include:
Post-herpetic neuralgia pain could last, on average, anywhere from three months after the shingles rash has healed, but could last for a year or longer. For most people, pain symptoms are resolved within one to three months.
In addition to the painful symptoms, patients who experience post-herpetic neuralgia also report feelings of tiredness, insomnia, poor concentration and decreased appetite. Depression can also be a complication, as a patient is dealing with uncontrollable pain for an extended period of time, which interrupts daily activities and lifestyle.
The good news is that post-herpetic neuralgia can be prevented by receiving the shingles virus. Almost every American adult over the age of 40 has the dormant chickenpox virus inside them, which makes vaccination so important.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that the first shingles vaccine, Zostavax, in a clinical trial given to thousands of 60-year-old or older adults reduced the risk of shingles by half and the risk of post-herpetic neuralgia by 67%.
Zostavax still remains as an effective way to prevent both shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia, with protection that lasts up to five years. An added bonus is that it also helps to decrease the risk of stroke.
There is a newer vaccination, Shingrix, that has proven more effective in clinical trials, but does pose more side effects. The best way to determine which vaccination option is best for you is to ask your pain management specialist.
There is no standard treatment for post-herpetic neuralgia, as the treatment depends on the severity of the pain symptoms. Post-herpetic neuralgia is difficult to treat, and the best outcomes are generally achieved when multiple treatment options are utilized. Most treatment methods include medications (antidepressants, anticonvulsants, pain-relieving skin patches, capsaicin creams, etc.) and pain-relief therapies all help to provide relief.
The best way to treat post-herpetic neuralgia is to prevent it from happening in the first place. This means taking advantage of the vaccine if you are at risk for developing the shingles virus. Those who never had chickenpox aren’t at risk for developing post-herpetic neuralgia. The vaccine is recommended for people at least 50 years or older, especially if you’ve had shingles, you’re not sure if you’ve had shingles, and you’ve already had the Zostavax vaccine.
That being said, there is no clear-cut way to treat post-herpetic neuralgia. Some providers might recommend multiple medications at the same time. The best way to treat this painful condition is to partner with a pain management specialist who can expertly treat the symptoms and minimize the painful effects of post-herpetic neuralgia as quickly and efficiently as possible.
If you recently had the shingles virus and are still feeling painful effects, please reach out to the Texas Pain Care team in the Sugar Land, Missouri City and Houston areas so that we can properly diagnose and treat your post-herpetic neuralgia condition so that you can get back to enjoying an ideal and pain-free quality of life.
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