Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) refers to a painful condition that persists for 4 weeks after the rash of shingles has gone away.The incidence of PHN is age-related.PHN may feel like a burning pain,electric shock,knifelike pain,paresthesia,etc.It often affects the quality of life of patients from the aspects of sleep,emotion,and so on.Pregabalin,a new type of gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor agonist,can control PHN via binding to the calcium channel alpha 2-delta type 1 subunit in the central nervous system,altering the conformation of alpha 2-delta subunit,and thereby restoring the calcium channel to nearly normal level.Both flexible- and fixed-dose of pregabalin for 4 to 12 weeks have been reported to be markedly effective for the control of PHN and improvement of patients' quality of life.Long-term pregabalin exhibits good tolerability and few drug interactions. Key words: Pregabalin; Neuralgia, postherpetic; Research