![]() ![]() A dry mouth is another common side-effect. To try to avoid drowsiness, a low dose is usually started at first and then built up gradually if needed. Tricyclic antidepressants sometimes cause drowsiness. You should re-start the antidepressant quickly if the pain returns. After this, the dose is gradually reduced and then stopped. If an antidepressant works, it is usual to take it for a further month after the pain has gone or eased. It is best to persevere for at least 4-6 weeks to see how well the antidepressant is working. Some people give up on their treatment too early. It can take several weeks before you have maximum benefit. Nortriptyline is the other tricyclic antidepressant that is sometimes used to treat PHN.Ī tricyclic antidepressant will usually ease the pain within a few days however, it may take 2-3 weeks. ![]() Pain is stopped, or greatly eased, in up to 8 in 10 cases of PHN treated with amitriptyline. However, amitriptyline is the one commonly used for nerve pain. ![]() There are several tricyclic antidepressants. Tricyclic antidepressants ease nerve pain (neuralgia) separately to their action on depression. Antidepressant medicinesĪn antidepressant medicine in the tricyclic group is a common treatment for PHN. However, these are unlikely to ease PHN very much in most cases. You may have already tried traditional painkillers such as paracetamol that you can buy from pharmacies. This allows clothes to slide over the skin without irritating. Some people find that putting several layers of 'cling film' over the affected area of skin helps. Pain may be eased by cooling the affected area with ice cubes (wrapped in a plastic bag), or by having a cool bath. Loose-fitting cotton clothes are best to reduce irritation of the affected area of skin. Postherpetic neuralgia treatment? General measures A small number of people do not have any improvement over time without any treatment. Some people have a slow improvement over a long period of time. However, without treatment, about 3 in 10 people with PHN still have pain after a year. In about 5 in 10 people with PHN, symptoms are gone by three months. Without treatment, PHN typically eases gradually and goes. Having this pain can lead to symptoms of depression occurring in some people. Many people find that their sleep is disturbed. You may also have reduced sensation to touch and be itchy over the affected area. Even slight touch may cause pain, such as the rubbing of clothes or a draught of air on the affected area. The affected area of skin is often very sensitive. In addition to, or instead of this, you may have sharp or stabbing pains that come and go. The pain is usually a constant burning or gnawing pain. However, the pain is severe in some cases. The pain is mild or moderate in most cases. PHN causes pain on and around the area of your skin that was affected by the shingles rash. It is also more common in those people who have had more severe shingles. The older you are, the more likely it is that it will occur. About 1 in 4 people aged over 60 who have shingles develop PHN that lasts more than 30 days. PHN is more likely to develop and is more likely to be severe in people aged over 60. PHN is unusual in people aged under 50 and if it does occur it tends to be mild. ![]()
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