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Post herpetic itch

Posted , 15 users are following.

Srini
Srini

I had shingles on my face and inside my eye (trigeminal) just over 4 wks ago. I have severe itching of eyelid, eyebrow, forehead & scalp, unbearable!

I've tried coconut oil mixed with olive oil, it felt like it actually increased the itching! I also am using lidocaine patches and Carbemazepine(tegretol) 500mg. cold ice gel packs give some relief but difficult to use it 24 × 7.

Anyone has a better solution? Please let me know. I'm almost ready to tear my skin and scalp out but try very hard not to scratch. Driving me crazy!

4 likes, 29 replies

29 Replies

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  • flo57
    flo57 Srini

    Posted

    Hi Srini, I'm sorry to hear that you are suffering from post herpetic itch.  My shingles were in the genitals and the itch  was the worst part for me. The itch was so bad it made me crazy,  I found that using ice packs along with antihistamines gave me the most relief. I got shingles in July 2016 and have been dealing with pain and itch ever since. The itch was worst in the first 5 months, now its more pain and stinging that plague me. 

    • flo57
      flo57

      Posted

      I also found that aloe gel helped, and you can use that on your scalp and it wouldn't make your hair oily, it rinses out very easily.

    • Srini
      Srini flo57

      Posted

      Thank u for ur reply Flo. OMG! What an area to have shingles! So sorry ur still suffering symptoms. Hope they calm down soon.

      I'm using ice packs and agree that is the only best relief so far! I will try antihistamines and aloe gel. I've a plant at home, I will try it fresh and c if it helps. Thank u.

  • Jane1618
    Jane1618 Srini

    Posted

    Hi Srini,

    I know what you are going through  as I had shingles over a year ago (end of March 2016) and I still have itching in the same area except for the head. I had it in my head, forehead and right eye. The worst itching is in the eye socket and even the eye itself. I have asked many times what I can do to relieve this, but without much help! The only thing that does help a little is when i put a small amount of antihistamine cream on but being careful not to get any in the eye itself! I use artificial tears (eye drops) and at night have a gel that I have to use. but this doesn't control the itching. I have always been told at the eye clinic to "give it time" but I do not feel very positive anymore that it is ever going to improve and it is still a daily problem. It might be different for you, I really hope so and wish you luck!!

    • Srini
      Srini Jane1618

      Posted

      Hi June, thank you for your reply. I completely empathise, it's a very difficult area to even scratch! I have similar symptoms on my eyelid, eyebrow & scalp. I find that itself so distressing. So sorry ur having inside ur eye. Ask ur doctor to prescribe lidocaine patches, they may protest as it is on face but pain consultants advocate that and GPs can prescribe. U can cut it to any size u want. Apply on ur forehead on the right side, 12hrs on and 12hrs off. It should help better, fingers crossed. Trigeminal nerve, supplies the forehead and a branch of it also supplies the eye, so if it is calmed down on the forehead hopefully ur eye symptoms will reduce. It may take a few weeks.

      As Flo and I have realised Ice packs work! Get some gel packs, I bought from Amazon. They help to calm itching so quickly. U can apply over closed eye. Don't give urself a frost bite though!

      If all else fails, get a referral to pain clinic because these symptoms are all classed under post herpetic neuralgia or pain.

      Good luck . Hope all of us are relieved of these dreaded symptoms soon.

    • Srini
      Srini

      Posted

      Jane *

      Sorry coz of autocorrect

  • joseph34465
    joseph34465 Srini

    Posted

    Srini, I've had this for 8 month now and the nerve pain has not got any better for the last 4 or 5 month. i haven't found much of anything that will get rid of the nerve pain. I use Diclofenac Sodium Topical Gel. It seems to releave the pain some. The big thing you need to watch out for is the depression. I an usually very active but it will slow you down so don't get discouraged it will get better even though it doesn't seem like it sometimes. I was thinking abou going to an Acupuncture Doctor. Good luck 

    • Srini
      Srini joseph34465

      Posted

      Thanx for your reply Joseph. I'm sorry it is still so prolonged for you. It's really worrying me now reading how prolonged it has been for all of you. Such a scary condition!

      Sure I will keep in mind about depression and do everything to combat it.

      As I was mentioning to Jane, why don't u try lidocaine patches, for 12hrs in a day?

      Good luck with the acupuncture if u go for it. Pls keep us updated of its effects.

      Thanx

  • clive63734
    clive63734 Srini

    Posted

    I had Shinlges on my face and the back of my eye and I found E45 Anti Itch Cream to be helpful.

    I rubbed a very small amount onto my closed eyelid and rubbed it in ,it helped me a great deal but do be careful not to get any in your eye

    • Srini
      Srini clive63734

      Posted

      Thanx for ur reply and advice Clive. Will try. I'm ready to try anything!! Guess I will try on scalp too.

      Thanx

  • michelle38000
    michelle38000 Srini

    Posted

    I got Shingles in my right eye, forehead, scalp and nose on May 30th, little did I know what was to follow. The postherpetic itch in my scalp, and the tingling down my nose is terrible. Like others, i'm using the lidocaine patches, lidocaine cream, Vicks vapor rub helps sometimes and icy hot, gel packs, but the scalp is the most difficult. I've also just begin using a Homeopathic called NerveFix, just started yesterday, I'm really hoping it helps. My ophthalmologist has me on a steroid drops but he's getting ready to take me off of those shortly for my eye. I have a couple of other things that I have ordered out of desperation but have not used yet, will update after use.

    • Srini
      Srini michelle38000

      Posted

      Hi Michelle

      So sorry ur having these terrible symptoms.

      I had similar symptoms, but honestly they will subside, hang in there!

      U seem to b doing all that I tried except Lyrica.

      Try Lyrica (pregabalin) it did help me. It's almost 3 months now since I had, I still get some itching if forehead, eyebrows and eye. But honestly it gets better, it's bearable now.

      Also try Aloe Vera gel.

      Hope u get better soon

      xxx

      Srini

    • michelle38000
      michelle38000 Srini

      Posted

      Thank you Srini, just saw your response it was in my junk mail. I'm into my 4th month still dealing with the itch. I'm going to Acupuncturist now, it helps some. I'm glad Lyrica worked for you, I just prefer not to use it. I'm hoping in time the itch will subside. I'm still productive and working although at times its unbearable. 

  • adey04397
    adey04397 Srini

    Posted

    Hi Srini, sorry to here about your own issue with shingles. I had mine in September 2016, on my right forehead, and my right eye. The excruciating pains that I went through, I cannot wish them for my worst enemy, and  my Doctor, said I got the worst one ever. During that time, I was admitted into the Hospital for a week and three days. However, the crust cleared up after four weeks, but it has been a year now, and the post herpetic itch that I have been through since then both day and night, is beyond explanation. I have tried so many pills and two Doctors, none seems to be working. I have tried numerous creams on my own, there seems no improvement.  These are just few of the creams, Erythromycin Ophthalmic 5%, Cortizone.10, Lidocaine ointment 5%, Catrin powder, Itch-X Gel. For the eye, Bepreve 1,5% SOLN, Travatan Z 0.004%. Again, these were just few of the things that I have tried. Today, 8/26/2017, I was searching Stores for Itch-X, which when I applied it on my forehead and a constant pinching sport on the right side of my head, it relieved me for an hour or two, I met a lady who recommended Hydroxyzine(Vistaril) 25mg, which I would ask my Doctor to give me prescription when I see him next week. Hopefully, that would improve the itching and the pinching. I have gone to the internet so many times, but learnt that some itching takes six months or a year or years before it could totally relieved and cured, this I use as a consolation for myself, after which my Doctor told me that the itch could stay with me for the rest of my life, which I Spiritually denounced.   

    I welcome any further suggestions or comments please.

    • joseph34465
      joseph34465 adey04397

      Posted

      adey, I got Shingles last Labor Day on the left side of my forehead, around my eye, and in my scalp. The pain was nothing I ever felt in my life. I thought the top of my head was going to blow off. I too have taken every kind of medication and seen doctors from GP to doctors for infectious diseases and I have not found anything that will relieve the pain. The pain is not like it was when I had the Shingles but it goes from a 2 or 3 to a 5 or 6. I don't seem to have an issue of itching. Every time I think I might have found something that may be helping it seems like I have a recurrence of the pain. as far as sleep goes I get 3 maybe 4 hours of sleep off and on. I can't remember when the last time I didn't wake up every 10 or 15 minutes.

    • april66508
      april66508 joseph34465

      Posted

      I hope your pain/Itch is better:

      MyStory:

      I also had Trigeminal/Cranial/Optical shingles all at once it started August 5th.

      I'm 26 and the only thing I can think of that caused the shingles to re-activate would be my constant working-out and heavy lifting with little recovery time -caused my body tremendous amounts of stress. Because it came out of no where. The pain was like an Ice-pick stabbing behind my eye with the pain of a tooth-ache behind my eye x1000. I ended up going to the ER 3x because people thought I was drug seeking and wouldn't do anything (because I hadn't broke out in the blisters yet) No one knew what was wrong. I don't blame them. I practically passed out from the pain and they took me away in a wheel chair. They thought I had a brain tumor, or aneurysm. Thankfully that came back negative. They ended up deciding they were going to do SURGERY and find out what the problem was. 

      At that point I didn't care. They had me on dilaudid  every 3 hours for 3-4 days. and high doses of Gabapentin. The pain went away and I broke out 12 hours before they were going to start surgery!

      Thank GOODNESS. I then was diagnosed.

      I ended up losing my eyesight for almost two months (extreme photo phobia could only live in the dark, could not stand any light My eye would not open) and paralysis of the optical muscle on the right side. I was not able to drive, I dropped out of college. I lost everything so quickly.

      It has been 3 months (Nov 5th will be 3 months)

      and I am now able to see perfectly fine. Have some issues looking up at objects (trees, planes etc) when the sun is out. But I am able to drive and have my independence back. I do now have extreme Post Herpetic Itch on my scalp, and eyebrow area only. The static-electric pain is only in the morning and night-time now. It was a long road.I am still on Gabapentin 600mg 3x a day, and Acyclovir supposed to be on it for 1 year!

      What I have tried for the Itch:     (" *"  means it helped me!)

      Lidocaine Cream

      Menthol Rub

      Icy Hot *

      Cayenne Pepper Cream

      Tiger Balm

      Pure Aloe

      Apple Cider Vinegar

      Listerine Gold * (if you have scabbing)

      Anti Histamines 

      Anti-Itch/Calamine 

      Hot Pulsing Shower Head *

      Blow Dryer *

      Compression Beanie ***

    • april66508
      april66508

      Posted

      (sorry I was posting it to Srini's disscussion, but I wanted to reply to you as well since we had similar shingles! worst thing ever!!)

    • joseph34465
      joseph34465 april66508

      Posted

      April, I have read people have had the Post pain from shingles for years so I guess in my case I have only had it for 1 year. may pain is not getting better and i herd that I can get a nerve block, but being mine is in the scalp and forehead I'm not sure that's a good option. Ice and being active seems to calm it down some Good Luck

    • jim19461
      jim19461 april66508

      Posted

      Thank you for this list april. I hope you are doing better.

      I have one more suggestion for people to try for itching

      lidocaine patches

      I had success using %4 over-the-counter lidocaine patches before going to sleep to significantly reduce itching for most of the night. A hot shower and a Dimethicone lotion (Aveeno) seemed to also help reduce itchiness for a while during the day. I didn't apply lotion before applying the lidocaine patches.

    • jim19461
      jim19461

      Posted

      I am now using lyrica 75mg 2 times a day and zyrtec at night. It took around 10 days for the lyrica to really start working well. I am not certain that zyrtec helps with itchiness, but I also use it for allergies. I still can experience itchiness during the day, but I can sleep through the night. The hot pulsating shower head helps. I stopped using lidocaine patches, but they really helped get through the worst of it in the beginning.

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