Shingles Support Society

14/09/2026

Scottish Government has produced new guidelines: "Quality Prescribing in Chronic Pain" - see our infographic - or go to their website for the nuts and bolts:
(https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/advice-and-guidance/2026/03/quality-prescribing-chronic-pain-guide-improvement-2026-2029/documents/quality-prescribing-chronic-pain-guide-improvement/quality-prescribing-chronic-pain-guide-improvement/govscot%3Adocument/quality-prescribing-chronic-pain-guide-improvement.pdf)

Could it help your interaction with medics?

08/09/2026

Over 65 and living with chronic pain? Your voice could help shape better care.

Zoe Bird, a researcher from Royal Holloway, University of London is looking for volunteers aged 65 and over who have been living with chronic pain (three months or longer) to take part in a study exploring quality of life, attitudes towards ageing, loneliness and self-compassion in older adults with chronic pain.

Taking part involves completing a short online questionnaire, taking around 20–30 minutes.
Who can take part?
• Aged 65 or older
• Experiencing chronic pain (3+ months)
• Fluent in written English
Scan the QR code on the poster, or follow this link to find out more and take part: https://rhulpsychology.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eeuBzeTaF5gUvpY
This study has NHS ethical approval (IRAS ID: 370236, RHUL Ethics reference ID: 1123).

05/08/2026

Treatment for post-herpetic neuralgia!

We keep hearing from people with PHN that it is not working. The helpliner asks more questions and discovers that the doctor has given the correct starting dose. BUT it has not be raised to the expected dose that will actually help!

So if you are still on 10 mg of amitriptyline, or 300 mg of gabapentin, go back to the GP for a review of your medication.

See treatment dosages on https://shinglessupport.org.uk/frequently-asked-questions-about-post-herpetic-neuralgia-phn/

14/07/2026

Have you attended A&E seeking treatment for a flare of persistent pain?

Esh*ta Shah, a Master’s student from University College London is doing a study exploring the reasons for and experiences of people who attend A&E for flare ups of persistent pain.
She requires volunteers for her study.
The picture has further information on who can take part and will need to be done.

If interested or want more information, email the researcher Esh*ta Shah - [email protected]
Thanks.

09/07/2026

Help Get Shingles in The Public's Eye!
A leading newspaper wants to talk to a woman 30-50 who has had shingles fairly recently...
If you would like to help promote awareness of shingles by talking about your case, do send an email to [email protected] so we can put you in touch with the journalist.

07/07/2026

Not about shingles, but... Maybe this appeals to someone?

Hope Abbott, from Channel 4's What Not to Eat, says:

We're casting households of at least two people who'd like to take a look at their diet with expert guidance and support - understanding what's really in everyday food and cutting back on ultra-processed products.

Diet is not a cure for chronic pain, but I wondered if somebody in this group may still genuinely benefit.

If that sounds like you, email [email protected] with your name, age, location and a contact number.

02/07/2026

If you will be seeing health providers in the next 6 months, you can help researchers and get £10 vouchers:

See more https://qualtrics.kcl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_bQ4mjWRERLuWWtU

Thanks.

Understanding experiences of medical dismissal

28/05/2026

Not about shingles - but you might be interested:

The Patients Association is holding a focus group to understand patients’ experience of short notice cancellations of surgery.
There are many reasons why short notice cancellations occur, such as the patient decides not to have the surgery (patient choice), the necessary pre-surgery screenings and assessments (e.g., blood tests, consultation with specialists) were not done in time to clear the patient for surgery, acute medical conditions such as a respiratory infection made it too risky to do the surgery, or lack of theatre capacity (bed/staff shortage).

The online focus group will be held on June 24th. Participants will receive an £80 voucher.
If interested, fill in this form:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ShortNotice
It is open until 5th June!

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

22/04/2026

DULOXETINE?

The Guideline for GPs that we supply does not mention duloxetine, but NHS Choices does...

As we all know, treating postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is really tricky, usually relying on amitriptyline or gabapentin/pregabalin.

If you have experience of duloxetine for PHN, we would be very interested to hear about it. Email [email protected] will get to us faster than leaving a message here.