Suggest Treatment For Shingles

Posted on Tue, 16 May 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 16 May 2017 Answered on

Wed, 7 Jun 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : Mom has had pain from Shingles since November. She's 88 years old and she says her pain is excruciating. What would you recommend for the pain?

Answered by Dr. Ivo Ditah (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Has she tried amitriptyline?

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thanks so much for this query.

I am so sorry to hear about your mother's pain. I have reviewed her information fully. Lidocaine and gabapentin are good drugs for treatment of post herpetic neuralgia. However, the response might vary from one person to anotherIt appears not to be very effective in her case. I will suggest that she tries amitriptyline to see if this makes a different.

amitriptyline requires a script for dispensation. I will suggest that you ask her treating doctor for a script. Let me know her she responds to this treatment.

I wish her a speedy recovery. Keep me updated and feel free to ask for more details and clarifications if need be.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar