I am a 53 year old white female. I was diagnosed with shingles Oct 5, 2012 on forehead and scalp; left eye swollen hideously. I was put on acyclovir and a round of steroids prescribed by ER physician. The actual crusting and healing of those lesions occurred within 3-4 weeks. After that I itched so severely on my scalp that I broke down in frustration and scratched vigorously to the point of making sores. I found a primary dr that I could barely afford and was given another round of acyclovir and 100 mg neurontin orally every 8 hrs. The sores on scalp have yet to go away. Once the scabs get so dry they itch and scratching causes the scabs to break loose along their edges. I tried keeping antibiotic ointment on the scabs so they didn't dry to the point of itching, but all that happened was that large, moist edges pulled free and because it never quits itching I end up scratching off most of the scabs, leaving sores that will be more scabs - a vicious cycle. This has gone on for 5+ months now and there is no relief in sight. I now take 100mg neurontin every 6 hrs and the doctor said there's a good chance I will have to take neurontin for the rest of my life. I'm afraid I'm going to get an infection from these sores never healing. HELP! What should I do?
PHN on scalp causes severe itching resulting in sores that never heal?
Question posted by Royce Jean on 2 April 2013
Last updated on 28 July 2021 by Gerald Maze
6 Answers
I have a similar condition but mine causes severe pain. I have been using 150 MG lyrica 3 times a day along with 10 MG nortriptyline hcl and percocet 4 times a day. I understand your frustration. I found ice packs were helpful especially at night which is when flare-ups usually occurs. I hope this helps.
I have had Prurigo Nodularis (autoimmune disease) which makes my skin
itch, including sores that get worse from scratching. I tried a doctor; and 3
different dermatologists. The dermatologist I go to now put me on Gabapentin
and today I went to him - he says my sores are healing - however my back
broke out two weeks ago and itches like crazy - for this he prescribed a
stronger steroid cream. I have another cream that works well, but it takes
time. My scalp has been a mess of itching sores, which I have picked and picked - and it feels like blood vessels coming to the surface, driving me
nuts. My dermatologist gave me some samples of a shampoo which is
called - DHS Clear Shampoo. I haven't had time to try it, but I am passing
on this information to you Royce Jean in hopes that it will work for you.
I will get back to you when I use it and what happens. I know the agony
you are in - as I am suffering with all of this - AND I just had a corneal transplant a month ago and am going through the recovery of this, which
only adds to my awful discomfort. Some days I wonder, what the heck is
happening to my body. I am 73 years old, a young 73, and I am a published writer, to give you some of my background. I am praying that this shampoo
works, if it does I will happily let you know. Knock on wood. And good luck to
you, my dear. Bless you. Trish
Trish, I have been diagnosed with prurigo nodularis about 3 years ago. I have same symptoms that already have been discussed and a pharmacist recommended DHS Tar Shampoo, 2.95 % Solubilized Coal Tar Extract,.5% Coal Tar. It has a tolerable, unique fragrance and have used it for only 1.5 days but I have experienced inprovement with itching and other symptoms described in some.online pamplets..I have also wanted help with my symptoms as they too have become quite bothersome!. I am having some luck with the various responses though I just started querying. I will keep in contact if I feel I am having any luck with my responses or through my own experiences with the DHS Tar Shampoo..
Sincerely, Jonathon I,
The Gabepentin is working, very slowly on my sores from Prurigo Nodularis. The shampoo the dermatologist gave me was NOT a TAR shampoo - it is a DHS Clear Shampoo,
no fragrances, no nothing, and it did the trick on my scalp itching and sores. My body
is taking longer to heal, many of them go away and then I get new ones. I have much
less sores and itching than I did a year ago, and some cortisone cream helps them,
but also a new AVEENO cream is doing my sores good - I have learned to treat
the PN in the past two years, and I'm doing much better, but the sores will return, for
sure, as they don't know what causes this autoimmune disease and they have no cure
for it. Perhaps it will get to be less and less, hopefully.
Good luck to you.
God bless,
Trish
Joan , I also Had and still have a similar lingering annoyance from Shingles , outbreak July 2013 , it evolved into PHN post herpetic neuralgia , it is / has been slowly lessening . I've tried the Acyclovir , Famciclovir ( spelling ? ) , Aquphor , Euricen , Capzasin ( at first that stuff was agony but I hung in and can easily tolerate it now after perhaps 3-4 applications you should as well , wash hands after using , first use sparingly then accordingly ) I had also used Lidoderm / Lidocaine patches , they are Good but expensive , I was able to cut 3 patches out of 1 parch , after cutting new patch , put remainder back in envelope and seal w/ scotch tape ) I also used an Ice Bag at night ( you know why / numbing effect ) or a Gel Pak , if using Ice Bag , line with plastic produce bag to avert weeping of H2o from bag and Refrigerate .
I sense I'm nearing the end of the torturous trail and am applying Calamine Lotion onto scalp area and forehead area affected after a cool rinsing . Seemingly Good Ol' Calamine is working the best along w/ the OTC Capzasin and ice bag / gel pak when needed ( store gel pak in freezer ) . Fortunately I also have Epilepsy ( 45 years now ) and the Phoenytoin ( spelling ? ) DILANTIN helps quell the Neuronal Synaptic Activity , chances are our Myeline Sheaths ( Nerve Coatings ) get damaged somewhat from illness onset thus causing a lengthy healing process ( analogous to that of scabbing on the Epidermis , however internal healing in some cases , Nerves / Nerve Fibers can be very delicate ) . One Positive thing is you still have " pain " , an indication Nerves / Fibers are still sending signals . Rest head on side not affected , I'm sure you know by now and try to maintain a " cool composure " ( that helps me BP , Inflammation etc. ) . Every day your dealing with this is one step closer to not having to . Hang in there Joe .
I use a Calamine Lotion that is formulated with ZINC . Zinc relieves itching , try it out if you want a nights rest . May need to reapply 6-8 hours , you'll see .
I've been the Gauntlet with Med's , Cremes , Patches etc. along w/ gabapentin but my DILANTIN phenytoin works better for me than Gaba .
My Shingles was also on my forehead and into my eye. It all started in July and I had it twice within 3 weeks. The PHN itching is still going on and it is November. On my forehead, the thing that makes it stop is Vick's Vapor rub. Not sure what it is about the menthol, but it works! Sometimes getting it as close to your hairline without getting it into your hair will help with the scalp itching too. I'm glad to know this wasn't just my imagination and others can relate. I hope we all get relief soon.
I am 47 have had shingles on scalp for 3 months & was misdiagnosed with dermatitis. Until I saw a dermatologist by then mine got infected & biopsy done still waiting 8 days later no results I broke out again in different part of scalp the itching the second time was so intense I was gonna shave my hair off! I found relief with a rx called Mometasone Furoate topical Solution it does burn very bad for 5 mins but takes away the itch right after for hours along with apple cider vinegar to the sores helps them heal faster. & Benyrdryl. I now have headaches all the time with face numbness it's PHN damage to nerves not given medicine for it but it is scary I also still have swollen glands & fevers & sweats all day still not 100% yet praying it goes away soon as I am sick of being sick. So I feel your pain. Age 47 as soon as I get a break in them I am getting the shot praying they never come back. Hope this helped?
Hopefully, you have already found relief or it has gone away! Since you can't soak that part of your body, cold cotton cloth compresses can help with the itching and keep things softened. You might try to find a way to add finely ground oatmeal to the compress. Calamine lotion, antihistamines, or aloe vera gel are the most common things to lessen itching in general. In your case, maybe the aloe vera gel to help with healing. Sometimes your doc might prescribe a corticosteroid instead of the home remedies. Some people recommend wearing those white cotton gloves when going through the shingles itches and blisters to remind you not to scratch and to help prevent scratching as severe when sleeping.
You can try taking an antihistamine and if an otc one doesn't help ask your doc for vistaril or periactin. They often help for itching. You've been thru the wringer. My bf had shingles in the same place and he itched too.
Related topics
pruritus, herpes zoster, acyclovir, postherpetic neuralgia, steroid, female, scalp
Further information
- Acyclovir uses and safety info
- Acyclovir prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Acyclovir (detailed)
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