EPIDURAL MORPHINE FOR POSTHERPETIC NEURALGIA

Eleven patients with established postherpetic neuralgia, unresponsive to antidepressant therapy, entered this single-blind, placebo-controll ed study to assess the effectiveness of epidural morphine in the contr ol of the pain of postherpetic neuralgia. Two patients obtained a redu ction in pain of greater than 50% following morphine 0.5 mg. The durat ion of this pain relief was 36 h in one patient and 72 h in the other. Repeated doses, however, were ineffective in one patient and resulted in intolerable side effects in the other. The other six patients who received morphine developed opioid-related side effects without pain r elief. Three patients did not receive morphine as they gained signific ant, long-lasting pain relief from placebo. Two retained that benefit for mole than 6 months. Epidural morphine is more likely to produce si de effects than pain relief when administered to patients with posther petic neuralgia.