Treatment of postherpetic neuralgia: focus on pregabalin

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a devastating, chronic pain syndrome that can develop following an outbreak of herpes zoster and becomes increasingly common as patients age. PHN can be difficult to treat and often requires trials of multiple agents to achieve significant pain relief. Pregabalin is the newest agent to gain approval for PHN. Data suggest efficacy for relief of pain and sleep disturbance secondary to PHN in affected patients. Although there are no head-to-head comparisons, pregabalin appears comparable to gabapentin and other first-line agents for treating PHN.