Post-herpetic neuralgias

- BORLAND Douglas M.

There is another group of conditions of the same type, the post-herpetic neuralgias, which are sometimes very troublesome. You know the ordinary shingles neuralgia where the patient comes with acute burning pain along the course of the intercostal nerve and gives a history that he has had a small crop of shingles, very often so light that he paid little or no attention to it. Well, if you can get the same modalities as you got in the facial neuralgias under Mag. Phos., that remedy will often relieve. Much more commonly you find that these post-herpetic cases respond to Ranunculus. The particular features for this drug are the history of herpes, the very sharp shooting pains extending along the course of the intercostal nerve, that the painful area is very sensitive to touch, that the pain is induced or aggravated by it, and you may get the statement that the patient is extremely conscious of any weather change because it will cause a return of the neuralgia again. Well, that type of case responds in almost every instance to Ranunculus.
 You will get a few of these cases which have not responded to Ranunculus, with much the same distribution of pain, and the same modalities, but without the marked aggravation in wet weather, where the affected area is extremely sensitive to any cold draught, particularly sensitive to any bathing with cold water, and where the pains are likely to be very troublesome at night, and with a marked hyperaesthesia over the affected area. And these cases usually respond to Mezereum.