Hi I am a 54 year old male and had a shingles outbreak a month ago. My rash has gotten crunched over and I took Valtrex for 7 days. It is day 30 since I had shingles. But pain in my right rib will not go away. I have been taking 300mg x 6 gabapentin ever since. My pain is so severe gabapentin gaba will not do much. I heard from someone Botox may help. Do doctors poke injections directly on the affected area? In my case it is my ribs. Is it safe?
October 29, 2024
Answer: Botox may not be helpful for post herpetic neuralgia. I am not aware of Botox as being helpful for pain after shingles. If you are taking 1800 mg of Gabapentin daily, that is a sizable dose. Since shingles pain is a type of nerve pain, please consider meeting with a reputable neurologist or pain management specialist for help moving forward. The good news is that this pain will eventually dissipate, but some people, it can take up to a year. If readers of this post are eligible, please get the Shingrix vaccine. Thank you.
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October 29, 2024
Answer: Botox may not be helpful for post herpetic neuralgia. I am not aware of Botox as being helpful for pain after shingles. If you are taking 1800 mg of Gabapentin daily, that is a sizable dose. Since shingles pain is a type of nerve pain, please consider meeting with a reputable neurologist or pain management specialist for help moving forward. The good news is that this pain will eventually dissipate, but some people, it can take up to a year. If readers of this post are eligible, please get the Shingrix vaccine. Thank you.
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October 29, 2024
Answer: Shingles needs aggressive treatments. Shingles is so severe and can have long lasting pain if not treated aggressively. Even at 1 month, you need to be treated with more valtrex such as 1-2 gms a day for 10 more days and steroids are a must. Prednisone 20 mg 3 times a day for a week then taper for another week. Steroid cream such as triamcinolone cream 0.1 % 2 times a day with an antibiotic cream 2-3 times a day. And also steroid injections along the nerve path as well once a week for a few weeks. Doubt that botox will do anything but haven't tried it.
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October 29, 2024
Answer: Shingles needs aggressive treatments. Shingles is so severe and can have long lasting pain if not treated aggressively. Even at 1 month, you need to be treated with more valtrex such as 1-2 gms a day for 10 more days and steroids are a must. Prednisone 20 mg 3 times a day for a week then taper for another week. Steroid cream such as triamcinolone cream 0.1 % 2 times a day with an antibiotic cream 2-3 times a day. And also steroid injections along the nerve path as well once a week for a few weeks. Doubt that botox will do anything but haven't tried it.
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