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Neuralgia Pain Treatment

Neuralgia is a condition characterized by intense intermittent pain that follows the pathway of one or more nerves. Although its causes are not always known, potential sources include pinched nerves, structural abnormalities, tooth decay, infection, herpes zoster virus (shingles), eye strain, arthritis and systemic diseases such as diabetes. Treatment for neuralgia varies with its underlying cause, as well as the location and severity of symptoms.

  1. Understanding Neuralgia

    • According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine website, the most common source of neuralgia is inflammation of the trigeminal nerve, which supplies feeling in your face and in the outer surfaces of your eyes. If you suffer from this form of neuralgia, your pain will typically occur on only one side of your face, and may be aggravated by sound or touch, as well as everyday activities including eating, drinking and brushing your teeth. Shingles-related symptoms (postherpetic neuralgia) will manifest in whatever part of your body is affected by herpes zoster. Occipital neuralgia occurs when the occipital nerve at the base of your skull is pinched. Another common form of the disorder---called glossopharyngeal neuralgia---strikes the path of the glossopharyngeal nerve, which supplies sensation to your throat.

    Treating Primary Causes

    • If a specific reason for your neuralgia is found, your treatment plan will center on relief of this underlying cause. However, even if the cause of your symptoms is unknown, effective treatment is usually available. Potential options for primary treatment of neuralgia include surgery to correct nerve injury or abnormality and stricter control of blood sugar for cases related to diabetes.

    Medications

    • The pain of neuralgia can be controlled by a number of medications. If your symptoms are caused by trigeminal, postherpetic or glossopharyngeal neuralgia, you may receive pain relief from antiseizure medications such as phenytoin, gabapentin or carbamazepine. These drugs gain their effectiveness by slowing down certain nerve signals. Your postherpetic neuralgia pain may also improve through use of antidepressant medications such as nortriptyline, amitriptyline or duloxetine. Topical creams containing capsaicin may also be effective.

      Relief may also be gained from local injection of an anesthetic medication or chemical blocking of the affected nerve pathway. In some cases, milder neuralgia pain may benefit from use of over-the-counter analgesics such as acetaminophen, aspirin or ibuprofen. If your symptoms are severe, your doctor may recommend temporary use of a narcotic such as codeine. Consult your doctor for a full explanation of the risks and benefits of any medication he may prescribe.

    Additional Treatments

    • In some cases, your neuralgia symptoms may improve with use of a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device, which sends electrical impulses to the affected part of your body to block pain signals. You may also benefit from motor cortex stimulation (MCS), which involves placing a controllable pulsing electrode over your brain's sensory cortex.

      If you suffer from shingles, you can sometimes prevent neuralgia complications with the use of effective antiviral medication. Consult your doctor for the details of shingles treatment.

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