Gabapentin for the management of intractable postherpetic neuralgia: Report of 4 cases

Author： On-Nin Wong John Tan Thomas Dou-Moo Leung Pak-On Tseng Kin-Fui Cheu Ning-Wei Tzeng Chia-Chih

ISSN： 1568-5691

Source： The Pain Clinic, Vol.13, Iss.3, 2001-09, pp. : 277-283

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Abstract

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is an intractable neuropathic pain which occurs following acute herpes zoster (HZ) infection, and is often difficult to treat.We report four Chinese patients with chronic PHN and severe intractable neuropathic pain in the head, chest, back or abdominal area who were treated with Gabapentin for pain relief.The response to treatment was evaluated using a verbal ranking scale including a 0-10 pain intensity scale, profile of mood state, quality of sleep and activity status; this evaluation was assessed before and after each treatment. Adverse effects and satisfaction were also recorded.The measurements of pain as well as mood status, sleep and activity showed improvement with a high degree of satisfaction and without significant adverse effects in all four patients during Gabapentin treatment at the daily dose of 600-900 mg. This response persisted for more than 4-6 months in our cases.The results of these four cases suggest that Gabapentin is effective in the treatment of some chronic intractable neuropathic pain associated with PHN.