What Meds Are Used For Trigeminal Neuralgia

Does Tegretol work for Trigeminal Neuralgia?

Long story short, I was diagnosed with TN and was prescribed carbatrol (carbamazepine 200mg). Well Carbatrol costs like $180 for 60 pills and tegretol(carbamazepine 200mg) costs like $4 for the same amount. They are the same thing, the pharmacist told me they are the same thing and wikipedia says they are BOTH used to treat TN. However, my Dr. wrote for Carbatrol only and when I called them today to ask them if they would please write for the generic or tegretol they said it doesn't work and only carbatrol works. That doesn't make sense to me since they are the same exact drug and I was even told this by the pharmacist. I told them it wasn't really working anyways and they told me I didn't take it long enough and that I need to take it for 4-5 days. Well I've been on it for 8 days and I'm out of the samples they gave me. And they are refusing to write for the tegretol or the generic which is the only one i can afford and they know this. Does tegretol work for trigeminal neuralgia? And does this mean I need to find a more competant f***ing doctor? because they have literally been nothing but rude unprofessional georgia dirt bags.

Trigeminal Neuralgia Help?

There are a number of causes of Trigeminal Neuralgia:

* Pressure of a blood vessel on the root of the trigeminal nerve.
* Demyelinization of the nerve. In rare instances (less than 3%), TN is a symptom of Multiple Sclerosis which destroys the myelin sheaths protecting nerve fibers. Trigeminal Neuralgia is rarely the first symptom of Multiple Sclerosis and typically appears in advanced stages of MS.
* Pressure of a tumor on the trigeminal nerve (rare)
* Physical damage to the nerve caused by dental or surgical procedures, injury to the face or infections.
* Unknown. Not all cases seem to have a clear cause.
* There is some speculation that some cases of trigeminal neuralgia may be inherited. See references and more information at: OMIM™ Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man
There are some things that a patient can do to minimize the frequency and intensity of TN attacks:

Apply ice packs or any readily available source of cold to the area of pain. Cold often numbs the area and will reduce the pain.[citation needed]
Get adequate rest in normal rest cycles.
Manage your stress well and keep stress levels low. When you feel a TN attack coming on, try to relax immediately.
Practice healthy living principles such as diet and exercise.

Optic neuritis or weak eye causing severe pain behind eye?

Hello! I am a 22 y.o female hoping the brilliant minds of yahoo answers can help point me in the right direction!

For the past several months, I have been having severe headaches particularly at night. The pain is behind my left eye and is quite debilitating. I am scared I will eventually go blind in the left eye because my vision loss has progressed so quickly in the past few weeks. During the day its not as noticeable but by night it is very pronounced. I understand this needs medical attention but I would like a general direction to take (neurologist/ophthalmologist/etc). Also, I have had bad experiences with doctors over the years so I would like to be an informed patient!

I have Duane syndrome, an eye disorder of my left eye that limits the range of motion in the eye. I had surgery on the eye at 18 months, and this eye has always been a bit weaker than the other. I used to get these headaches, with severe pain behind the one eye only once every 6 months or so. Sadly, now they are happening daily.

I also have typical Trigeminal Neuralgia that affects the right side of my face the majority of the time. The left side does get pains very infrequently, and are usually less typical and less severe pain. I have had TN since I was 3 or 4 but just recently diagnosed. MRI was normal without any visible compression. I am not currently taking any TN meds.

I tried to read up on optic neuritis, but some of the symptoms were vague. Could the weakened eye sight, pain when moving my eye, and severe pain behind the eye be optic neuritis or does it sound like a headache caused by the increasingly different prescriptions between my two eyes? Or something else all together?

Thanks!

Can the nervous system be damaged like any other organ in the body?

I am a military vet, and I am shocked to read of such poor care you have received from the VA. I live in Houston, Texas, and the VA here is the largest VAMC in the US. More than 100,000 vets are treated here. All major departmental heads are scientists from Baylor College of Medicine, so care is excellent. I had my 6-month check-up on 11 March.

It appears from your account, that the VA in your area physicians may not be affiliated with a medical school. There must be a department at your VA where you can register a complaint. You probably do not have an online account at the VA where you can receive your medications mailed to you.

Since the spinal cord is the base(headquarters)of all nerves, a neurologist should be able to learn whether your pain-trigger can be located. I know it takes months for your PA to refer you, but with such lousy treatment at the VA, request your PA refer you to a specialist. It took two months before my request to visit a Dermatologist was available.

Save your message in a folder so you will have evidence of such poor service at the VA. Search online within the VA webpages how to complain. Vets are not suppose to receive the kind of service you describe. I wonder whether the VA thinks your request for medicines to relieve pain, think you are trying to receive more pain medicine than is required? Someone at the VA Medical Center in your region needs to listen to your story.

I have had two carpal-tunnel operations on my wrists, and I still have neuropathy in my feet, so I know how nerve-pain feels.

If you have not set-up an account with the VA, consider it. I think, but do not know, that an account of your treatment at the VA, may go to a regional VA office so officials there can learn whether you may get some action. The URL at the bottom of the page from a print of my VA account is: https://www.myhealth.va.gov. Also, at the top of the page is : My HealtheVet. Maybe these two leads might help you get attention online.

Good Luck.

Harrald