Herpes zoster. The treatment and prevention of neuralgia with adenosine monophosphate.

Thirty-two adults were enrolled in a randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind trial of intramuscular injections of gel-sustained adenosine monophosphate (AMP) given three times a week for up to four weeks for acute herpes zoster. Adenosine monophosphate moderately reduced the pain soon after the start of treatment, decreased desquamation time, and promoted faster healing of the skin than placebo treatment. Adenosine monophosphate treatment reduced virus shedding and cleared the virus faster than in placebo-treated subjects. At the end of the initial four-week treatment period, 88% of AMP-treated patients were pain free, as opposed to only 43% in the placebo group. After four weeks, all patients who had not recovered from pain started receiving AMP treatment without breaking the code. All these patients recovered from pain within three weeks after initiation of treatment. No recurrence of pain or lesions was experienced from three to 18 months after the end of treatment. Adenosine monophosphate, a natural cellular metabolite, showed no side effects or toxicity during and after the treatment.