What is the treatment for trigeminal neuralgia?
- Idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia most often is treated with good success using a single anticonvulsant medication such as carbamazepine (Tegretol).
- Gabapentin (Neurontin, Gabarone), baclofen and phenytoin (Dilantin, Dilantin-125) may be used as second line drugs, often in addition to carbamazepine. In many patients, as time progresses, carbamazepine becomes less effective and these drugs can be used in combination to control the pain.
- Should pain persist and medication fail to be effective, surgery or radiation therapy may be other treatment options.
- Lamotrigine (Lamictal) may be prescribed for multiple sclerosis patients who develop trigeminal neuralgia.
Medically reviewed by Joseph Carcione, DO; American board of Psychiatry and Neurology
REFERENCE:
The International Classification of Headache Disorders: 2nd edition.
Cephalalgia. 2004; 24 Suppl 1:9-160.
Medically Reviewed by a Doctor on 9/8/2016
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