Gabapentum

Suddenly in spring '07 I experienced several severe facial pains, running from the root of an upper incisor then up behind the eye ball then behind the sinus to the scalp to the top of the head. The pain was intense. On 2 occasions I thought I would faint. My dentist assured me it was not a dental problem; primary care physician tested me for stroke (no indication) and referred me to my neurosurgeon who had performed a removal of a pitulitary tumor in the summer of '05. Before I finished my woeful tale the surgeon, Dr. David Black at Brigham & Womens, Boston, diagnosed the condition and prescribed Gabapentum, 3 x a day. That is very strong drug and it took a month for the side effects to disappear. Now, for the past 6 months I have been able to reduce the dosage voluntarily to 2x a day. I can go a day and half with no medication but then the pain is back. In the meantime the pain, when I feel a touch of it, runs across the top of the head. If I press the right eye ball in I can feel that nerve. Dr. Black said it was believed the outer covering of the nerve had been rubbed off leaving the nerve vulnerable to even the pulsing of an artery and it was in the head. He said there is no surgerical repair of this condition but possibly the body will heal itself. We'll see.


This discussion is related to Any Ideas?.

[MaMaJoJo67]

My husband has had episodes like that... At first, he was diagnosed by a urgent care doc with Trigeminal Neuralgia... Then he went to a hokey neurologist who told him it was SPIKING MIGRAINES...  The symptoms of the migraines never matched, but the symptoms for TN did.  He was originally given Tegretol by the UC Doctor, and it helped the pain.  The neurologist told him to take Ibuprofen, and it didn't do diddly (obviously!)
He has since been taking Tegretol (from his PCP), and hasn't had a "tick" since!

All I can say... Get a second opinion, a third, and a fourth if you have to.