Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - Trigeminal neuralgia
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Old 10-27-2010, 05:57 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by saratogaman View Post
Anyone familiar with this condition (facial/head pain) and local, effective treatments -- pain management, acupuncture, surgery?
Back in the old days in the pharmacy we used to call this "tic doleaureaux". It is caused by inflammation of the fifth cranial nerve. If I remember correctly (and I don't always) this used to be treated by injecting alcohol into the nerve to kill it. They don't do this anymore. Nowadays it is usually treated with carbamazepine (generic tegretol). Also, they sometimes use neurontin or baclofen. Surgery is also an option that has been succesful. The latest thinking on the subject is that an inflammation in a blood vessel in the cheek area has caused rubbing on the nerve.
Barry