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Neurology (Expert Forum)
Headaches and facial pain
This forum is for questions and support regarding neurology issues such as: Alzheimer's Disease, ALS, Autism, Brain Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Chronic Pain, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, MS, Neuralgia, Neuropathy, Parkinson's Disease, RSD, Sleep Disorders, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury.
Headaches and facial pain
by Vaz, Jul 27, 2002 12:00AM
I am a 30 year old female. My migraines began when I was a teenager but due to a heart arrythmia, I can not take triptans. I am on 600 mg's of Neurontin at bedtime only as a prevenative.
Over the years I've had CT's, MRI/MRA and labs-all normal. My mom died of a brain aneursym but no other family history of aneursym.
My migraines are better but the pain in my face never goes away. It feels like my upper teeth hurt, my right eye hurts and my cheek. It's never quick jabs of pain just steady pain. I did have alot of dental work done when I was 24 so maybe it's related. But it's always there and nothing helps.
I have a history of allergies and sinus infections. Can it all be related somehow? I also have anxiety and I do think it contributes somehow to the pain.
All of my neuro testing has always been normal. My last MRI/MRA was done nearly 2 yrs ago. It was done as a screening because of my mom's death and my sisters were tested as well. All normal as well. Lab studies to rule out infection and autoimmune disorders have always been normal as well.
Just because the last set of neurodiagnostic tests were normal 2 yrs ago, does that mean I should ever have it repeated or can other things be causing the facial pain? The didn't know what caused her aneursym and nobody else in the family has had it happen.
Can anxiety cause this pain as well? Should I discuss increasing the Neurontin dose to my neurologist? The pain in my cheek feels like ulcer/canker sore type pain but nothing has ever been found by my dentist.
What do you think this is? I see my neuro Mon.
Over the years I've had CT's, MRI/MRA and labs-all normal. My mom died of a brain aneursym but no other family history of aneursym.
My migraines are better but the pain in my face never goes away. It feels like my upper teeth hurt, my right eye hurts and my cheek. It's never quick jabs of pain just steady pain. I did have alot of dental work done when I was 24 so maybe it's related. But it's always there and nothing helps.
I have a history of allergies and sinus infections. Can it all be related somehow? I also have anxiety and I do think it contributes somehow to the pain.
All of my neuro testing has always been normal. My last MRI/MRA was done nearly 2 yrs ago. It was done as a screening because of my mom's death and my sisters were tested as well. All normal as well. Lab studies to rule out infection and autoimmune disorders have always been normal as well.
Just because the last set of neurodiagnostic tests were normal 2 yrs ago, does that mean I should ever have it repeated or can other things be causing the facial pain? The didn't know what caused her aneursym and nobody else in the family has had it happen.
Can anxiety cause this pain as well? Should I discuss increasing the Neurontin dose to my neurologist? The pain in my cheek feels like ulcer/canker sore type pain but nothing has ever been found by my dentist.
What do you think this is? I see my neuro Mon.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT, Jul 30, 2002 12:00AM
It's possible you have trigeminal neuralgia which is a painful condition that involves irritation of a nerve that goes to your face. We have also seen patients with nerve irritation/damage from extensive dental work. Facial pain can sometimes be helped with medications such as Tegretol, Trileptal, Elavil (may not be the best choice for a pt with arrhythmia), Baclofen, as well as neurontin (your dose is way too low to be therapeutic). Anxiety can make the pain worse, but is likely not the cause. Talk to your doctor about adjusting the dose of neurontin as you were thinking. Depakote is also a drug that is good for migraine prevention and sometimes nerve pain. You have many options to discuss with your neurologist. good luck
