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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Crawling Sensation At The Site Of Shingles Scab?

I am recovering from the shingles, three weeks now - forehead, left scalp, ear and eye. I have gone through two rounds of antivirus and still in lots of pain. My sores have mostly healed and the scabs have fallen off. However, in all of the areas where I had scabs I have this intense crawling sensation. Keeps me awake and is very distracting at work. I was looking through some body washes and come across Aveeno - Skin Gentle Scent Body Wash with Oat and Chamomile. Would this harm the areas that feel like raw meat and crawling bugs? I am in need of some relief!!!!
Tue, 29 Jan 2019
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello,

What you are describing is called post-herpetic neuralgia. Some people get this after shingles. The actual shingles lesions are completely gone but nerve-related symptoms continue.

People often get relief from 1 of 2 oral medications that act at nerve junctions: one is amitriptyline which is a tricyclic antidepressant that has a good history of treating neuropathic pain.

The other is gabapentin. Gabapentin is a more popular drug it seems, but I have had good success with patients taking a low dose of amitriptyline. So there is hope.

You can try the Aveeno although I think anything with scent might be a little irritating. Aveeno makes some unscented fragrance free products too. However, at this point, you may want to opt for medications.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Take care

Regards,
Dr Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician
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What Causes Crawling Sensation At The Site Of Shingles Scab?

Hello, What you are describing is called post-herpetic neuralgia. Some people get this after shingles. The actual shingles lesions are completely gone but nerve-related symptoms continue. People often get relief from 1 of 2 oral medications that act at nerve junctions: one is amitriptyline which is a tricyclic antidepressant that has a good history of treating neuropathic pain. The other is gabapentin. Gabapentin is a more popular drug it seems, but I have had good success with patients taking a low dose of amitriptyline. So there is hope. You can try the Aveeno although I think anything with scent might be a little irritating. Aveeno makes some unscented fragrance free products too. However, at this point, you may want to opt for medications. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Take care Regards, Dr Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician