POST-HERPETIC NEURALGIA: TREATMENTS
The best form of treatment available for post-herpetic neuralgia is the early administration of antidepressant medication such as Prothiaden or Tolvon (particularly useful in the elderly) and Rivotril. Other anticonvulsant medications have also been successfully used.
In recent years the early administration of the anti-viral drug Zovirax also appears to reduce the severity of the rash and subsequent pain in this condition, and the related conditions of Herpes Simplex Type I causing cold sores, and Type II which causes genital herpes.
Another new medication is a cream which contains capsaicin — a derivative of chili peppers — which appears to selectively exhaust substance P, a pain-causing natural chemical in the nerve endings. This cream, known as Capsig in Australia, must be applied at least 3-4 times per day for periods of up to 3 months to be of any long term effect.
Physical therapy may be of use in the early stages of the disease. Accordingly, acupuncture and perhaps TENS may have a role in the early treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia.
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