There are drugs that may help. If these don't work or stop working, your doctor may suggest you have an operation to relieve the pain.

Trigeminal neuralgia affects different people in different ways. You may feel very worried about your condition getting worse. But remember that you are an individual, and no one can say for sure that you will get worse.

You will probably get periods when painful attacks come on often. This is sometimes called a flare-up. There will also be times when you don't have pain. This is called a period of remission.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Centre for Cranial Nerve Disorders.
Your complete guide to trigeminal neuralgia.
Available at http://www.umanitoba.ca/cranial_nerves/ccndhome.htm (accessed 10 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

¹

During a really bad flare-up, the attacks can come so often that you feel you are in constant pain. If this happens, you can be completely wiped out by the pain and unable to take part in any of your normal activities.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
NINDS trigeminal neuralgia information page.
February 2009. Available at http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/trigeminal_neuralgia (accessed on 6 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

²

You may get no pain at all for months or even years.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
NINDS trigeminal neuralgia information page.
February 2009. Available at http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/trigeminal_neuralgia (accessed on 6 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

²

As you get older, trigeminal neuralgia attacks tend to get more frequent and more painful. The pain-free intervals become shorter.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Mayo Clinic.
Trigeminal neuralgia.
April 2008. Available at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trigeminal-neuralgia/DS00446 (accessed on 10 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

³

Some people who've had trigeminal neuralgia for a while start to get a constant background pain. Your face may ache or feel numb. This is often called atypical trigeminal neuralgia.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Institute for Clinical Excellence.
Systematic review of the clinical efficacy and safety of stereotactic radiosurgery (gamma knife) in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.
January 2004. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/index.jsp?action=download&o=31046 (accessed on 12 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

Trigeminal neuralgia can have a bad effect on your life, not just because of the pain itself but because of the steps you may take to avoid it.

Some people become so afraid of triggering attacks that they stop doing normal things like talking, smiling, enjoying social activity, brushing their teeth or even eating.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Institute for Clinical Excellence.
Systematic review of the clinical efficacy and safety of stereotactic radiosurgery (gamma knife) in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.
January 2004. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/index.jsp?action=download&o=31046 (accessed on 12 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

If your doctor thinks you have trigeminal neuralgia, he or she will probably start you on drug treatment. This often eases or even stops the pain.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Mayo Clinic.
Trigeminal neuralgia.
April 2008. Available at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trigeminal-neuralgia/DS00446 (accessed on 10 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

³ Taking medication works for about 7 in 10 people.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Institute for Clinical Excellence.
Systematic review of the clinical efficacy and safety of stereotactic radiosurgery (gamma knife) in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.
January 2004. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/index.jsp?action=download&o=31046 (accessed on 12 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

Several medications are prescribed for trigeminal neuralgia, and if one doesn't work for you, switching to another may help.

The drugs prescribed for trigeminal neuralgia are usually given in low doses at first. The doctor will increase the dose gradually until your pain is under control, without you getting bad side effects.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Encyclopaedia of Neurological Disorders.
Trigeminal neuralgia.
Available at http://health.enotes.com (accessed on 10 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

⁵

You need to take these drugs regularly for them to work. But the dose can be reduced or stopped completely during periods of remission.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Southern California Cranial Nerves Disorders Program.
Trigeminal neuralgia.
Available at http://www.neurosurgery.ucsd.edu/cnd/trigeminalneuralgia (accessed on 10 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

⁶

Unfortunately, the medications don't work for everyone. You may get unpleasant side effects. Or you may find that a medication that controlled your pain at first works less well over time.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Mayo Clinic.
Trigeminal neuralgia.
April 2008. Available at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trigeminal-neuralgia/DS00446 (accessed on 10 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

³ This is because the pain gets more intense over time.

If this happens, your doctor may suggest you have an operation. This can either deaden or relieve pressure on your trigeminal nerve. This should stop the pain. But it can leave you with loss of feeling or tingling in your face, where the nerve has been deadened.

Most people with trigeminal neuralgia eventually need to consider having surgery of some kind for their condition.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Institute for Clinical Excellence.
Systematic review of the clinical efficacy and safety of stereotactic radiosurgery (gamma knife) in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.
January 2004. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/index.jsp?action=download&o=31046 (accessed on 12 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

Having an operation is a big decision. Because there are so many different types, it can be quite complicated deciding what is right for you. For some questions to ask your doctor, see Should I have surgery?

For more information on which drugs and operations work best, read What treatments work for trigeminal neuralgia?

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