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What works for you guys? I had my first dance with TN 4 years ago, now its back and the pain is 10x as bad. Sent a message to my Neurologist and he should reply tomorrow but I need to know what the experts have to say. So, anything help you guys? I'm not interested in any surgeries and my plan is to ride the wave until it's over realizing that I may need to reevaluate at sometime. Thanks.

i have no personal xp with TN, but have looked into it previously. revisiting and refreshing memory, i went along usual channels for me, landing on surgeries first this time.

Arterial compression of nerve is the primary cause of trigeminal neuralgia
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3889704/

"Most experts agree that the etiology is segmental demyelination of trigeminal sensory nerves in the nerve root or brainstem, and the demyelination is due to chronic compression of the nerve root where it exits from the pons [3, 6, 7]. Compression can be due to vascular abnormalities such as an aneurysm or arteriovenous malformation [8], and demyelination due to multiple sclerosis has been described [6]. Most theories, however, consider compression from an artery and/or vein (e.g., superior cerebellar) as the trigeminal nerve exits the pons as the cause [3, 5, 9]. Though vascular compression is the most widely accepted theory, other theories such as bioresonance have been examined [10].

Medical treatment for trigeminal neuralgia primarily consist of anticonvulsants [11]. Carbamazepine is the first-line treatment, and other that are used include phenytoin, oxcarbazepine and lamotrigine. Other medications that can be tried include gabapentin and baclofen. When medical treatment is ineffective, or a patient cannot tolerate the side effects, the primary surgical treatment is microvascular decompression."

sometimes surgery is just the answer. way different context but: blew my acl, needed reconstruction. ugh. had never gone under the knife or general anaesthesia prior. nasty recovery. years later, functional but not 100% by any stretch. glad i did it? absolutely.

given the drug options mentioned, my thinking goes to magnesium, potassium and possibly sodium. do you have serum levels for these on file?

jimmylegs wrote:i have no personal xp with TN, but have looked into it previously. revisiting and refreshing memory, i went along usual channels for me, landing on surgeries first this time.

Arterial compression of nerve is the primary cause of trigeminal neuralgia
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3889704/

"Most experts agree that the etiology is segmental demyelination of trigeminal sensory nerves in the nerve root or brainstem, and the demyelination is due to chronic compression of the nerve root where it exits from the pons [3, 6, 7]. Compression can be due to vascular abnormalities such as an aneurysm or arteriovenous malformation [8], and demyelination due to multiple sclerosis has been described [6]. Most theories, however, consider compression from an artery and/or vein (e.g., superior cerebellar) as the trigeminal nerve exits the pons as the cause [3, 5, 9]. Though vascular compression is the most widely accepted theory, other theories such as bioresonance have been examined [10].

Medical treatment for trigeminal neuralgia primarily consist of anticonvulsants [11]. Carbamazepine is the first-line treatment, and other that are used include phenytoin, oxcarbazepine and lamotrigine. Other medications that can be tried include gabapentin and baclofen. When medical treatment is ineffective, or a patient cannot tolerate the side effects, the primary surgical treatment is microvascular decompression."

sometimes surgery is just the answer. way different context but: blew my acl, needed reconstruction. ugh. had never gone under the knife or general anaesthesia prior. nasty recovery. years later, functional but not 100% by any stretch. glad i did it? absolutely.

given the drug options mentioned, my thinking goes to magnesium, potassium and possibly sodium. do you have serum levels for these on file?

Not recent but I do monitor all my levels and supplement and adjust as necessary. My TN is not vascular in nature but related to our common condition. If/when I have explored all other opportunities and the pain persists then sure I will go under the knife but for me this is a last resort.

hi again someone recently posted re success with vit b1 but darned if i can find it atm.

Effect of coenzyme Q10 on mitochondrial respiratory proteins in trigeminal neuralgia. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29424256

consumerlab.com wrote that 100mg coenzyme Q10 taken 3 times a day for 2 months along with standard medication significantly reduced the pain of trigeminal neuralgia. They cited the above study.