ArticleTrials2020
Effect of duloxetine premedication for postherpetic neuralgia within 72 h of herpes zoster reactivation [PROCESS]: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
Article in Trials, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04313335 (Prophylactic Duloxetine Administration During Acute Herpes Zoster Prevents Postherpetic Neuralgia), which is not on this map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Prophylactic Duloxetine Administration During Acute Herpes Zoster Prevents Postherpetic Neuralgia
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparison of Duloxetine Supplemented With Pregabalin and Amitriptyline Supplemented With Pregabalin for the Treatment of Postherpetic Neuralgia: A Double-Blind, Randomized Crossover Trial.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2025Trial
- Pregabalin and Duloxetine in Patients with Non-Nociceptive Pain: A Narrative Review Exploring the Pharmacological Effects of This Combination.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Effective Pain Management of Postherpetic Neuralgia Using a Combination of Analgesics and Conservative Measures.Cureus · 2024Article
- Therapeutic Strategies for Postherpetic Neuralgia: Mechanisms, Treatments, and Perspectives.Current pain and headache reports · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPostherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication attributed to herpes zoster, which involves the reactivation of residual varicella zoster virus. It has been reported previously that pre-emptive amitriptyline following acute herpes zoster has shown latent positive effects in the prevention of PHN. In this study, by interfering with the same targets, norepinephrine and serotonin, we aim to evaluate whether pre-emptive duloxetine may proactively prevent PHN development.
methodsThis is a nationwide multicentric, randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint study that will recruit 750 participants from 18 primary centres in China. Patients aged more than 50 years who are diagnosed with uncomplicated HZ, present with vesicles within 72 h of their emergence, and have an average pain score of at least 40/100 mm on a visual analogue scale (VAS, 0 mm = no pain, 100 mm = worst possible pain, at opposite ends of a 100-mm line) will be recruited for this study. Participants will be randomized into a duloxetine arm and a control arm. Participants allocated to the duloxetine arm will be given antivirals, analgesics and duloxetine, while those allocated to the control arm will receive antivirals and analgesics but no duloxetine. The primary outcome of this study is preventive efficacy against PHN, which will be evaluated based on a 100 mm VAS. Any pain scores other than 0 mm on the VAS 12 weeks after HZ onset will be defined as PHN. The secondary outcomes will consist of the average weekly VAS score, the average weekly consumption of each analgesic, weekly feature of the pain, patients' quality of life based on the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey, Patient Global Impression of Change Scale, sleep quality as evaluated by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and adverse events during the study period. DISCUSSION: This study will investigate a prophylactic approach for reducing the prevalence of postherpetic neuralgia with duloxetine and will add significant new knowledge on the preventive effects of duloxetine on PHN.
trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT04313335 . Registered on 18 March 2020.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.