"Transdermal Patch Treatment Options For Postherpetic Neuralgia" - Beth Longware Duff
Topical analgesics are often used to treat the debilitating pain of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) in patients who have experienced shingles (herpes zoster). PHN results from damage to a peripheral nerve that causes neuropathic pain that persists for more than 90 days after an outbreak of shingles. A transdermal patch is a convenient local anesthetic delivery system. In the United States, two very different patches are approved by the FDA for treatment of PHN. “Lidocaine is actually a numbing medication,” said David Simpson, MD, professor of neurology, neuromuscular diseases, director of clinical neurophysiology laboratories, neuromuscular division, and neuro-AIDS program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “By its label, the lidocaine patch is indicated to be put 12 hours on the skin and removed for 12 hours. It works only when it’s on the skin, delivering lidocaine to the area of skin to which it’s applied.”
- David Simpson, MD, Professor, Neurology, Neuromuscular Diseases, Director, Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratories, Director, Neuromuscular Division, Director, Neuro-AIDS Program, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai