trigeminal neuralgia...help!

04-19-2010, 09:12 AM

My sister is having neuragia attacks that are so severe that she is convulsing, crying and shaking. She can't see a doctor immediately but she has an appointment. She would like a strong medicine that would knock her out but she can't do that because she has a 2 month old infant whom she is breast feeding. The baby has allergies so infant formula is not an option right now. She is taking pain medication in low doses but she wants to know what triggers these episodes so that she can avoid an onset. Also, what can she do during an attack to relieve the pain without medication?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

04-19-2010, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TV in RV

My sister is having neuragia attacks that are so severe that she is convulsing, crying and shaking. She can't see a doctor immediately but she has an appointment. She would like a strong medicine that would knock her out but she can't do that because she has a 2 month old infant whom she is breast feeding. The baby has allergies so infant formula is not an option right now. She is taking pain medication in low doses but she wants to know what triggers these episodes so that she can avoid an onset. Also, what can she do during an attack to relieve the pain without medication?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

She should go to the Emergency Room! Hope she feels better soon. Also, there are donor programs for breastmilk check with La Leche League.

04-19-2010, 10:11 AM

The facial pain association (used to be called the TN Assoc) has resources to help her.
When my sister suffered from this, most events were brought on by unknown triggers. However, any cold air on her cheek would also set off an event. She eventually had vascular decompression surgery at the Presbyterian Hospital at the University of Pittsburgh. She's been fine ever since.

I hope your sister finds a neurologist who is well versed in TN that can help her.

04-19-2010, 11:50 AM

My Dad had this and the only thing that helped him was to have the nerve cauterized. He had it done at the University of California...San Diego I think. I could find out. It's an extreme measure, but TN is called "the suicide disease" by some because of the pain so sometimes extreme measures are called for. There are treatments from drugs to surgeries.

04-19-2010, 01:37 PM

Thanks guys, She is going to see her dentist tommorow so that they can rule out an absess before considering surgery. Thing is, we don't know how far away an appointment for surgery might be. Are there any other natural steps that she can take to avoid agravating another attack, or home remedies to ease the pain? The donor breast milk program is very interesting, thanks. She said that she will go to the emergency room if it ever gets that bad again.

04-19-2010, 06:16 PM

There are several meds they can try - not just pain killers. They just didn't work long term for my sister. The problem with this condition is it is caused by a malformation...so there are no "natural" cures as the malformation has to be corrected.

Please check out the facial pain association for their info. They list doctors approved by the association in various states.

04-20-2010, 09:30 PM

Yes, she needs to see a doctor with experience with TN pronto. There are meds for nerve pain that work pretty well for some. Not sure she could breast feed on them, but she may have to do something much sooner then surgery. Tegretol is the most commonly prescribed drug for this. It worked pretty well for a friend of mine, but she eventually opted for the surgery and has been pain free since the nerve had a chance to calm down after surgery.

trigeminal neuralgia...help!

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