800 doctors webmdHow long does the pain of shingles last after finishing acyclovir meds, begun immediately after rash appeared?

I'm a 51 year-old male. I saw a doctor, was diagnosed with shingles the same day that the rash appeared and began taking 800 mg of acyclovir 5X/day that same afternoon. The rash began to heal visibly within one week, but I still have some pain when my shirt touches the areas of the rash, and also some deep, lower back pain, especially late at night and when I first wake up. I've been taking Ibuprofen for the pain when necessary and the pain isn't as severe as it was the first ten days, but I'm wondering how much longer it may last. My doctor told me on the phone today (day # 11) that I am experiencing post herpetic neuralgia and that she could order shots of Vitamin B12 if the pain persists for another week. My research (on the WebMD site) tells me that post herpetic neuralgia is what occ800 doctors webmdurs when you either a.) don't seek treatment and begin anti-viral meds for shingles within 72 hours of onset, or b.) your body doesn't respond to the medication. Is it possible for my doctor to know whether I have post herpetic neuralgia without examining me in person? (The doctor did NOT see me today, we only talked on the phone.) And can I expect the pain to go away completely reasonably soon?
In the majority of cases post herpetic neuralgia slowly improves, but can take up to five years and is occasionally on on-going problem. The history is usually sufficient to diagnose PHN - there is usually nothing to see by this stage on the skin other than possibly healing vesicles or scars. I have never used B12 for PHN - perhaps your GP knows something I don't - classic treatments inclu800 doctors webmdde the antidepressant Amitryptilline, the anticonvulsant Gabapentin and its newer analogue Pregabalin. Some patients find Lidocaine infiltrated skin patches effective. Be careful with anti-inflammatories - always take with food and discontinue immediately if you see blood in stool or dark brown/black tarry stool. They can also cause problems with your kidneys. To be honest, PHN is difficult to treat and often requires patients to cycle through several drugs to find the most helpful agent, so I am a little surprised your GP has not asked to see you sooner in order to help you get relief. Antivirals reduce risk of PHN but unfortunately don't reduce risk to zero. Hope this helps and that you feel better soon.