West of England shingles patients needed for new treatment trial

Patients who have recently been diagnosed with shingles are being sought for a new study into the long term effects of the infection.

Scientists from the University of Bristol are researching to see if the anti-depressant amitriptyline can prevent post-herpetic neuralgia, a condition which causes continuous or intermittent nerve pain in an area of skin previously affected by shingles.

The researchers, who are funded by NIHR Health Technology Assessment and assisted by doctors and researchers at the universities of Southampton, Warwick and Oxford, are hoping to recruit 850 patients to take part in the trial.

Half of the patients will be given amitriptyline each night for ten weeks, a drug which has been prescribed since the 1960s and was originally given in high doses to treat depression but recently has been used at a low dose to treat nerve pain.  The other half will receive ‘dummy’ tablets.

Dr Matthew Ridd, GP and professor of Primary Health Care at the University of Bristol, said there has been some evidence shown from a small trial conducted in the 1990s that the drug reduced the prevalence of pain at three and six months.  He added that if starting amitriptyline early on does help, the cheap medicine would prevent prolonged pain for thousands of people.

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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