Tegretol For Neuralgia Posts

Tegretol For Neuralgia Facts

Questions and Answers

Help for pain from Tegretol for treatment of Tringeminal Neuralgia? I am taking Tegretol for treatment of TN. The Tegretol works for the TN, but when I take I feel this great pressure inside my head. I feel like my head is going to explode. This pressure is not pain, but it is intense. Is this a common side effect, because sometimes I don't know which is worse. If I don't take the Tegretol, I need to take Tremmil and Toradol injections. My doctor said there is a medication out, that not on the PBS health system yet. Does anyone know what this is? I have searched web sites and have found nothing. Please help! I have prevously tried, massage, Reike, and Steroid injection into a trigger point without succuss. Thanks to all who answer. Michelle

Billie77 replied: "Dear Michelle: My sympathies go out to you for having to live with Trigeminal Neuralgia. I think it's the worst condition anyone can have . You really are in a rock and a hard place on medication. I think a medication that might work for you is Lyrica. even though it is for leg pain it's a drug that treats Neuralgia. You would have to ask your doctor about this. I could be wrong. Have you tried acupuncture? I have heard of people with your condition getting some good results from acupuncture. I recommend you give it a try, you have nothing to lose and possibly something to gain. if you have any further questions please let me know , Billie77"

What really works for trigeminal neuralgia when tegretol and neurontin don't? I have had this severe pain like electric shock to the right side of my face now for 7 months. I beg God to take me. After 6 weeks of tegretol, which was working, I got pancreatitis. Now I'm taking Neurontin 2400mg a day and It worked for 3 days, now the pain is back. Stadol worked great for immediate relief for a sudden attack but doc says he will not give any more narcotics to help. I'm ok with that but what do I do now that the pain is back at full force? It's embarrassing to be in public with an attack and nothing to help. I work in the medical field and have to attend functions as well as take care of patients and my children. What do I do. Does this ever end. I cannot live like this any more. Does anyone know what to do or ask for?

The mom replied: "First, I hope your doctor is a neurologist. If not, that's really who you should be seeing. Other doctors don't tend to quite appreciate the amount of pain one of the attacks can cause. Trigeminal neuralgia runs in my family, way back to when it was called Tic Doloreux- painful tic. My mom uses Dilantin for her pain control. My brother had good relief from a procedure called gamma knife radiosurgery because he also didn't tolerate the medications well, and those he did didn't work. The procedure took a few weeks to alleviate his pain, but then he said it was like somebody turned off the switch. Even a few days afterwards, he noticed the level of pain had decreased. You might also ask to try Klonoptin or Lamictal. Those are anti-seizure drugs, but they are also help sometimes with the trigeminal headaches. And as a last resort, look into surgical intervention to clip the affected branch. It will leave residual paralysis, but it will also end the pain. Sometimes they can also do a vascular decompression, which will give relief. It's also a surgical procedure, but at least it will leave the nerve bundle intact. But your first need is a neurologist who knows what he's doing and how to treat the disorder. Keep searching until you find one with experience. Meantime, check out It's a support group specifically for this disorder, and you can find a lot of help through them. Good luck, hope you find some relief. I personally was lucky to escape-I've seen what it can do to a person. Good luck."

My Mom hasTrigeminal Neuralgia + is taking tenoretic + tegretol. Any known dangers for the elderly? She is 89. She has been dizzy and very forgetful (extremely) since taking it. [Up until now, she has been driving. Previously, she had some forgetfulness.] I was very scared that she was forgeting things w/ in minutes, so I took her back to the doctor's and she told be to cut the Carbamzepine tablet 200 MG in half. Just 1/2 a tablet in the AM. Her BL Pressure med is 50-25 MG 1 time daily. My mom thinks she's okay....but she's not!

nana4141 replied: "http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a684031.html "

phy333 replied: "This page is pretty informative. I just typed "tenoretic and tegretol into the search engine. Good Luck p.s. Check if she is taking any statins (cholesterol lowering drugs). They are the most damaging."

Melissa w replied: "Hey that's perfectly normal side affects with carbamazepine I take that drug myself for seizures tell her to ask her doctor if she can go on Carbamezepine XR (extended re leaf) what that does is it stays in your body for I think its 12 hours but instead of the drug relasing all at once it releases little by little for 12 hours that is the same thing that happened to me until I got put on the XR I have been taking it for 6 years now and its been doing just fine just remember to ask her doctor if she can switch to XR it comes in 200MG capsules she would only have to take it once a day Hope I was of some Help..............Melissa W. Cameron Park, CA"

gangadharan_nair replied: "Please see the webpages for more details on Trigeminal neuralgia, Tenoretic and Carbamazepine."

aarzooji a replied: "hey why don't you start something ayurvedic for her. that will make her more active and fresh and completely safe without any side effects...make her drink Brahmi and Shankpushi syrup everyday and also give her Smriti sagar ras tablets 3 times daily, give it for 2 months and see the change in her. chek or write to for free ayurvedic consultation"

sugars_that_heal replied: "Read up on glyconutrients. On my page."

Can you drink (alcohol) while taking 200mg of tegretol for TN? Can you have a beer or 2 while on tegretol (200mg daily)? Taking it for Trigeminal Neuralgia.

sokokl replied: "I wouldn't recommend it until checking with your doctor and pharmacist first to see what they say."

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

rehabob replied: "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."

Heather replied: "yep"

Does anyone have any info on Trigeminal Neuralgia? I was just diagnosed with it last week and have been taking tegretol (sp?). It seems to be helping but wears off very quickly. My dr only prescribed 200mg per day to see if it would work. I have been suffering from debilitating pain for 2 yrs. This medicine is the only thing that has helped. Would be interested to hear what dosage/medicines others are taking.

Zsa*Zsa* Galore replied: ""

Pain relief for trigenimal neuralgia so I can sleep? I haven't had this long and am taking Tegretol TID (three times daily). My jaw is still killing me. What else can I do?

KwajKid83 replied: "Well, as far as medications go, you should maybe try different ones. Tegretol combined with baclofen, which is used in people with MS to control spasms, is apparently more effective than tegretol alone. Also, triptans they use for migraines, tricyclic antidepressants and other anticonvulsants, like Lamictal (I'm taking it-not for TN, but for bipolar, and its a great drug, no side effects for me) may work. If meds aren't doing it for you, then there are other options, like the doctor will give you occasional injections of alcohol in the area of pain on your face, and that numbs it for a while, but you will have to go back (I don't know how frequently) to maintain the pain relief. Surgery, as you probably know, would be the last-ditch effort. I hope you don't get to that point-chronic pain is horrible, I know from personal experience. I think a good idea is to go to a Pain Management Clinic-they probably frequently deal with patients who have TN. Good luck:)"

Natasha L replied: "I'm sorry to hear you have trigeminal neuralgia. That's terribly unpleasant :( If Tegretol is not helping, you could talk to your doctor about a more potent drug, or adding a second drug. Alternatively, there is a more permanent solution to constant pain, and that is surgery. In this surgery, the trigeminal nerve on the painful side is actually cut. Now of course you lose feeling in the part of the jaw that this nerve supplies, so it will depend on the level of pain, and which you find worse - numbess or the pain. Below is a link with a lot of good descriptions of trigeminal neuralgia, its causes and, more importantly, treatment. I suggest you read about all these treatment options. There are quite a few and they all fit a specific person with a specific reason for pain. You may have to try a few medications, and maybe even take 2 or 3 medications at once to control your pain. Surgery can be a last resort. Again, I suggest you take a good look at the site as I think it may be very helpful for you. There are quite a few options, which is reassuring :)"

Douglas B replied: "I'm not sure how well this is going to work but it seems the best that I can offer you. It goes to work on the area where the messages should be sent through and it will maybe disrupt the message center and get you some relief. Here is what to do: Put your fingers on your head so your thumbs are behind your ears. Place them under the skull and on the back of the jawbone. Press into the back of the jawbone and a little to the inside of it with a moderate pressure and hold that pressure on it. Now relax, take a deep breath and exhale and don't tense up any part of your body. After 30 seconds slowly raise your head until your neck is fully extended. Then open your mouth all the way and hold. Now release the pressure but hold your mouth and head like that for one minute longer."

rapunzel replied: "are you sure it is trigeminal. My mom has osteomyelitis of the mandible. It is diagnosed via bone scan. I don't know of anything besides tegretol for trigeminal. my specialty is psych."

keltillos replied: "Ask your doctor if he feels that Lyrica or Gabapentin would be appropriate. Both are relatively benign drugs that reduce pain from neuralgia. Lyrica is a narcotic."

Anthony replied: "it must be terrible as Trigeminal neuralgia which is also known as tic douloureux, is one of the most common types of neuralgia. It affects one side of the face only causing brief but excruciating pain along the trigeminal nerve, which supplies sensation to the face, cheeks and jaw. Trigeminal neuralgia may be numbed with radio frequency waves, gamma rays or glycerol injections if the patient does not respond to drug treatment. Natural treatments are also very effective for treating neuralgia and nerve damage, such as herbal and homeopathic remedies and tissue salts. These remedies are not only safe and gentle to use, but also supports general well-being and improve overall health. Herbal ingredients such as Zanthoxylum clava herculisis (Toothache Tree) and Matricaria recutita (German Chamomile) contain anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties that soothe the nervous system while at the same time relieve pain. Other beneficial herbs include Arctium lappa (Burdock) and Harpagophytum procumbens (Devil's Claw) which are excellent for treating arthritis, lumbago, rheumatism, fibrositis, sciatica and small joint disease. You may get further details from the link source below"

has anyone heard of trigeminal neuralgia? The doctor said i have this and wants me to take tegretol (epilepsy treatment), but after looking it up on various websites i do not agree with my doctor. Some of the symptoms are the same but not all of them.

sleepwalker69 replied: "nope"

Eric S replied: "Yes, tegretol can help with the pain involvement, many anti seizure medications can help with neuropathic pain... I've had patients with this before and these drugs can help"

Saskia M replied: "I have heard of it but don't know too much about it. Like anything, if you are unhappy with what your doctor prescribes you can get a second opinion or voice your concerns to him, see what he/she has to say."

Kuji replied: "I've heard of it but I'm not a doctor and can't diagnose you. Get a second opinion if you aren't sure the doctor is right."

flymetothemoon279 replied: "N (Trigeminal Neuralgia) is a pain that is described as among the most acute known to mankind. TN produces excruciating, lightning strikes of facial pain, typically near the nose, lips, eyes or ears. It is a disorder of the trigeminal nerve, which is the fifth and largest cranial nerve. TN (Trigeminal Neuralgia / tic douloureux) is a disorder of the fifth cranial (trigeminal) nerve that causes episodes of intense, stabbing, electric shock-like pain in the areas of the face where the branches of the nerve are distributed - lips, eyes, nose, scalp, forehead, upper jaw, and lower jaw. By many, it's called the "suicide disease". A less common form of the disorder called "Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia" may cause less intense, constant, dull burning or aching pain, sometimes with occasional electric shock-like stabs. Both forms of the disorder most often affect one side of the face, but some patients experience pain at different times on both sides. Onset of symptoms occurs most often after age 50, but cases are known in children and even infants. Something as simple and routine as brushing the teeth, putting on makeup or even a slight breeze can trigger an attack, resulting in sheer agony for the individual. Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is not fatal, but it is universally considered to be the most painful affliction known to medical practice. Initial treatment of TN is usually by means of anti-convulsant drugs, such as Tegretol or Neurontin. Some anti-depressant drugs also have significant pain relieving effects. Should medication be ineffective or if it produces undesirable side effects, neurosurgical procedures are available to relieve pressure on the nerve or to reduce nerve sensitivity. Some patients report having reduced or relieved pain by means of alternative medical therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic adjustment, self-hypnosis or meditation."

♥♥ Peachy ♥♥ replied: "Ahhh.... you've discovered why doctors only "practice" medicine... Learn all you can before you commit. I've never heard of trigeminal neuralgia. Fibromyalgia? Yes, been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Sorry I can't help, but you've learned to research for yourself, and that's a good thing. I've learned so much more about diabetes, depression, and fibromyalgia than any doctor could ever tell me right here on the Internet and from books. Good luck in your quest. Consider optimum health... it might help. More here: and here:"

crosbie replied: "A course of acupuncture may help you. Personally I'd try this before taking a drug like Tegretol."

Doc8 replied: "This is intermittent severe pain in one of more branches of the trigeminal nerve. Ablation of the ganglion has been done. Stop reading things you do not know the variations of and listen to your doctor."

dragonkisses replied: "My dr diagnosed me with trigeminal neuralgia, and the pain I was feeling was really from a wisdom tooth that was coming in. I had the tooth pulled, and the pain went away."

My mother has trigeminal neuralgia for about 7 years, seen 100 different specialists with no help.? She is on Tegretol and Clonazepam and Ultram and Tylenol. It is extremely painful for her and she is pretty much "drunk" on pills all of the time. Doctors have told her the Gamma knife surgery will not help. Does anyone know a good treatment center for something like this? I heard Pitt has a good program. She's in San Antonio.

brenda_234 replied: "Though I do not know a great deal about this particular aliment, i often recommend homeopathic treatments for things. I checked a couple sites, and it may be worth visiting a homeopathic practitioner and asking about it. here is a link =&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=b4ca0f7e271b291825f28f3940fdf24a that may be helpful. I hope this helps, or that you find something else that will help!"

AbeLincolnParty replied: "Caution: Tylenol or other acetaminophen products can cause fatal liver injury when taken chronically, so I would drop that. Ultram (tramadol) has not been approved for trigeminal neuralgia (see the FDA link below). It might be possible that the Ultram could make the condition worse. The reason why I say this is that Tegretol acts to supress nerve activity, whereas Ultram actually promotes seizures. Ultram has very weak narcotic effect (less than 1/1000th that of morphine), so what pain relief ascribed to the drug is not due to narcotic action. "

aneurodoc125 replied: "100? Wow ! Take her to a major medical center. If she is eligible, there are some fine Military hospitals in San Antonio. Otherwise, go to some place like Mayo Clinic - nearest is in Phoenix AZ. Home base, where most of the gurus are is in Minnesota. Get her referred to the appropriate Neurologist. There are other( surgical )procedures that may offer some relief. This is not the way to live. Get her to a place that handles difficult cases routinely."