ATHENA - Shingles Study

Shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia

Some people can have “nerve pain” months after the shingles rash has gone. Called post-herpetic neuralgia, we don’t have any treatments to prevent this. Patients buy, and GPs prescribe painkillers such as paracetamol, but they often don’t help. 

Can amitriptyline prevent post-herpetic neuralgia? 

If starting amitriptyline early on does help, it is a cheap medicine that would prevent prolonged, difficult-to-treat pain for thousands of people. However, amitriptyline commonly causes side-effects such as dizziness, dry mouth and constipation. It can also cause problems when used together with some other tablets. This study is needed so we can be sure that any benefits outweigh any harms.