Neuralgia patients only: What treatment options have you tried for Trigeminal and/or Occipital Neuralgias?

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I tried Tegretol XR, Neurontin, Lyrica, and finally microvascular decompression surgery for Trigeminal Neuralgia. I needed two more surgeries last year because the titanium plate they put in my head kept shifting. I then developed Occipital Neuralgia from the other surgeries. I recently had the Occipital nerve severed to take away the pain. I continue to have extreme pain in my eye and I'm told that the first surgery may only work for 3-5 years.
Go to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Mn. My father had TN and he would get "blocks" (not too much worse than a shot) periodically. They would work for a while (years), but every time he went back they had a newer treatment, that was not that traumatic (nothing like severing the nerve) The side effects were very minor. Also, they are probably cheaper than your local hospital and doctors.

He was treated there for 20 years before he passed away at 93.

P.S. Tegretol and Neurontin can cause lupus type side effects which will report positive for lupus even though you do not have the disease. I thought they were harmful.  (+ info)

Trigeminal Neuralgia - Does anyone know anything about this diagnosis?

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I have been having a lot of pain in the right side of my face from the temple to the mid jaw. I have been to a dentist and had a tooth pulled. The pain comes and goes.
What is Trigeminal Neuralgia?
Trigeminal neuralgia, also called tic douloureux, is a condition that affects the trigeminal nerve (the 5th cranial nerve), one of the largest nerves in the head. The trigeminal nerve is responsible for sending impulses of touch, pain, pressure, and temperature to the brain from the face, jaw, gums, forehead, and around the eyes. Trigeminal neuralgia is characterized by a sudden, severe, electric shock-like or stabbing pain typically felt on one side of the jaw or cheek. The disorder is more common in women than in men and rarely affects anyone younger than 50. The attacks of pain, which generally last several seconds and may be repeated one after the other, may be triggered by talking, brushing teeth, touching the face, chewing, or swallowing. The attacks may come and go throughout the day and last for days, weeks, or months at a time, and then disappear for months or years.

Is there any treatment?
Treatment for trigeminal neuralgia typically includes anticonvulsant medications such as carbamazepine or phenytoin. Baclofen, clonazepam, gabapentin, and valproic acid may also be effective and may be used in combination to achieve pain relief. If medication fails to relieve pain, surgical treatment may be recommended.

What is the prognosis?
The disorder is characterized by recurrences and remissions, and successive recurrences may incapacitate the patient. Due to the intensity of the pain, even the fear of an impending attack may prevent activity. Trigeminal neuralgia is not fatal.

Hope this is helpful!  (+ info)

What is the best thing to take for Trigeminal Neuralgia?

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I work up this morning with this painful condition. My left jaw is in sheer agony. I use to suffer from this a lot when I was younger but it is back again. I am after taking some disprin, the ones you disolve in water to try and get them to work quick. What else can I do?

http://www.themcfox.com/health/trigeminal-neuralgia/trigeminal-neuralgia.htm
Errrrrr poor you, why not get some strong pain relief from the doctor, such as codeine, they work really quick. If you get them in the dissolvable form, they work quicker - good luck :)  (+ info)

What treatment options do I have for trigeminal neuralgia?

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There are five main groups of medication that is used in Trigeminal Neuralgia treatment and similar disorders

• Anticonvulsants (antiepileptic drugs)
• Antidepressants
• Anti-spastic
• Painkillers
• Experimental Drugs

Over period of time when pain becomes greater than the current dosage can control, or when severe side effects are unacceptable, surgery is considered.

http://tinyurl.com/2vyujr  (+ info)

I'm trying to find some help on trigeminal neuralgia?

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If you have any tips for dealing with this disease please let me know. Things that work for you. Things to avoid. Anything. If it's helped you please let me know.
I don't know about your feeling regarding drugs, but I've read that smoking marijuana can be very beneficial for trigeminal neuralgia. It helps relax the nerve. I have it and it gets better with that, but most people aren't comfortable doing it.  (+ info)

My father in law is suffering from left trigeminal neuralgia,Please suggest?

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My father in law is suffering from left trigeminal neuralgia, he has acute pain, while eating/drinking or doing other activities.Doctor says that surgery for the same is very dangerous. He is right now taking pain remover drugs.Please suggest if you have any idea what to do?
Okay, I was diagnosed with TN back in 98. I had surgery in 2003. I tried so many drugs, Neurontin, Tegretol, Lamictal. They worked for a while, then after a few months, became much less effective. (tegretol really had some bad side effects)

I used a heating pad constantly. I kept one on my desk at work, on the couch, near the bed. Chemical ones in my pockets. I covered my face when I went outdoors.

I had an MVD (microvascular decompression) and I was pain free for about 1 1/2 years. I ended up losing my hearing on the side of the surgery.

I think now it has changed over to atypical. I am unemployed and needless to say can not afford the doc or meds. But the pain is more like a bad burn instead of the awful pain that I before. My tolerance to pain has increased so much that I can now mask it pretty well.


In looking back, now that I have a brain that is not messed up on drugs, consider the laser surgery if he can get it done. My understanding is the results are not immediate but there is also less pain involved and fewer side effects (no hearing loss)

Go see a neurosurgeon. How old is your FIL?

Tracy, I understand your problems with the medication, Tegretol left me really messed up, I was scared to go anywhere alone, I would forget how to get home. My son was a young teen, I had to take him everywhere, I remember one time pulling over and crying, cause I could not figure out how to get home ( I was about 3 miles away) and I was still having pain. It was awful.

Look into the gamma ray surgery. The MVD was painful, and I felt exhausted for about 4 months after that. When the auditory nerve was damaged, it also affected my balance and I had about 2 months of double vision.

Good Luck. I understand how you feel, I think only those of us that have been there can truly understand it.  (+ info)

Trigeminal neuralgia - has anyone got any tips, info etc?

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My friend has many of the symptoms of this syndrome. She fits the typical patient profile and is in much pain daily, mainly in her left lower jaw and up to her left ear. She's waiting for an MRI scan for a certain diagnosis. Has anyone suffered from this and got any relevant tips/info/advice please?
By the way, we're in the Uk
Check out this web site of the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association UK- http://www.tna.org.uk/

And Wikipedia of course- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigeminal_neuralgia  (+ info)

Does Lipitor help people with Trigeminal Neuralgia?

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Just doing some research and i hope someone out there can give me there opinion and experience.
Not that I am aware of, in fact I stopped taking mine because I felt the pain from the Rheumatoid Arthritis was worse while on Lipitor. Best of Luck  (+ info)

Trigeminal Neuralgia - has anyone got a solution?

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I suffer from trigeminal neuralgia, and am on medication, but it seems to be getting worse. Is there an alternative therapy or something that works?
If treatment with medication fails persistently for four months or more, then, surgery is indicated.
The most succesful one is the #posterior fossa approach" by a vertical incisio in the back of the neck, about 6 centiometers behind the ear on the side you have the problem, and with proper instruments, to separate the trunk of the trigeminal nerve from the trigeminal artery, (leaving a small cushion of muscle or special synthetic material)
The second choice (plan B) is to coagulate the center of the ganglion by means of introducing a long needle, through your cheek under local anesthesia and sedation, to the center of the ganglion and then by an special apparat connected to it, to rise the temperature of the tip to 80 degrees centigrades, for two minutes, until the fibers that transmit tye pain are non functional...
Both proceduires are very precise, performed by a neurosurgeon and in a proper hospital  (+ info)

Is/Has anyone here ever suffered or is suffering from trigeminal neuralgia?

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My dad has it and life is really stressful at the moment, my moms on the verge of a nervous breakdown and my dads in pain alot of the time. We've had alot of complications from the doctors/hospital. Does anyone know anything that helps or would care to share their story? Thank-You.
My Dad has it, and has had it for about 8 years now. He is on many medications and is almost maxed out on the dosages. It is very, very painful. He had a procedure done about 6 years ago where they went in and numbed the nerve. It helped alot but that procedure only lasts a couple years, and he said it was so horribly painful having it done (they keep you awake during it), he won't have it done again. When he starts getting zapped, he can't shave, wash his face, get a haircut. He can hardly eat, because he can't chew without getting zapped. When this happens, the doc will up his meds and it takes about 10 days before the pain stops. It is a horribly painful thing to live with. My Dad is 80 years old. I feel so sorry for him. I don't know what to tell you to help your Dad. I wish I did. I know there are a few doctors around that specialize in this, but really, unless he has one of the procedures done, and it actually works for him, it's all about taking the meds. Is your Dad on meds for this? Best of luck to you  (+ info)

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