QUESTION: Although I have read a few of your answers concerning shingles and the pain that can remain after the rash has gone, I don't believe you ever mentioned a new treatment my doctor is trying with me.
It consists of using crushed aspirin in a lotion, that I put right on the painful area with quite some relief.
Do you know of this treatment, and what do you think of it?
ANSWER: The treatment your doctor is now trying with you is quite new, and reports of its use have only just recently appeared in the medical press. This type of pain, called posthepatic neuralgia, which follows the acute stages of herpes or shingles, occurs most frequently in older patients.
It has always been a difficult pain condition to treat, and while local application of steroid creams, and more recently a preparation derived from naturally occurring chemical in pepper plants (capsaicin, brand name Zostrix) have been used with success, some individuals were still left with continuing pain.
In the continuing search for a treatment that could offer relief to these individuals, a new technique has recently been reported from several pain management centers.
Two 350 mg aspirins are crushed to a fine powder and dissolved in some solution or lotion that makes it possible to apply the mixture directly to the painful areas.
In one study, chloroform was used as the liquid base, and in another report Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion was used.
The results seemed to indicate that most patients experienced substantial and lasting relief from the tormenting chronic pain that had persisted after the herpes infection.
While these results are certainly encouraging, I must point out that they are still preliminary, and additional large scale studies are needed to fully prove the worth of this technique. However, the use of this treatment technique, with due caution to avoid inhaling the fumes of the chloroform preparation, would seem to offer the possibility of pain relief with out posing any undue hazards for most patients.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
