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Shingles - Evidence
Evidence on analgesia
CKS found no good-quality evidence on the use of paracetamol, codeine, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesia for the pain of acute herpes zoster.
- A double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial (n = 72) studied the effectiveness of amitriptyline 25 mg daily in reducing pain prevalence at 6 months (i.e. pre-emptive treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia) in people older than 60 years of age with herpes zoster [Bowsher, 1997]. Pain prevalence at 6 months was reduced in the amitriptyline group by more than one half (OR 2.9, p < 0.05).
- The trial's borderline significant results, potential lack of blinding, and lack of intent-to-treat analysis, all complicate interpretation of the results [Wareham, 2006].
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