Is Trigeminal Neuralgia Curable?

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a sudden attack to the large nerve located near the hairline on either side of the face. This excruciatingly painful condition affects adult men and women over the age of 50 only on one side of the face.

It is often confused with dental problems due to location of the pain. Pain lasts from seconds to minutes, but the magnitude causes incapacitation. The good news is that trigeminal neuralgial is both treatable and curable.

Causes

• The fifth cranial nerve is the location of irritation. Its trigger is pressure from a blood vessel nearby. Other possible causes include growths or lesions at the base of skull, tumors and multiple sclerosis.

  Less frequently, an underlying chronic pain disorder could exist. It produces pain of a different magnitude and quality, which makes this particular trigeminal neuralgia condition more difficult to diagnose and treat.

Symptoms

• Trigeminal neuralgia symptoms are shooting, burning, zapping or spastic pain that may come in waves and last only a few seconds. The face might get extremely sensitive and responsive to minor things as the whisper of a breeze, washing the face, standing under water in the shower, shaving or simply eating. A smile could be the trigger for trigeminal neuralgia.

Treatment

• Medication is available to ease the pain from trigeminal neuralgia. However, there is always the anticipation of the next attack. The next episode may take a stronger dose of carbamazepine or gabapentin. A primary care physician, pain management specialist or a neurologist generally initiates the prescription of that medication.

  Several surgical techniques are available. Happily, these are permanent cures. Each technique is an outpatient procedure. Surgery is the answer for those cases that do not seem to respond to medication.

Surgery

• The surgery itself takes less than an hour with the patient making the choice of one of three types of surgical interventions.

  The insertion of a needle containing liquid medication directly into the trigeminal nerve produces immediate pain control. Patients choosing this procedure can go home the same day.

  The longest lasting treatment is microvascular decompression. One small hole made in the back of the skull allows a surgeon to insert an endoscope into the opening to inspect the credibility of the trigeminal nerve. This minimally invasive procedure gives immediate facial pain relief.

  Another option is radiation therapy. Cyberknife Radiosurgical System is most popular. However, radiosurgery has a "lag period" before it relieves the pain of trigeminal neuralgia. This gamma knife process is a non-invasive experience that sends radiation directly to the targeted nerve. The patient is able to go home the same day.

Side Effects

• A side effect is a problem that occurs beyond the desired benefits of a treatment. Medications prescribed to treat trigeminal neuralgia could have side effects.

  Side effects of carbamazepine (Tegretol) might be one or all of these: appearance of tiny purple dots, bruising without a reason, chills, fever, infection, mouth sores, rash, sore throat or unusual bleeding.

  Gabapentin (Neurontin) also has numerous side effects, which could be serious. The most common side effects include anxiety, dry mouth, ear pain, fever, itch, rash, seizure, swelling (especially above the shoulders), vision alterations or weight gain.