Trigeminal Neuralgia (Facial Nerve Pain)
Description
Characterized by the fifth nerve of the face functioning abnormally causing severe, fleeting episodes of facial pain. Lightly touching the face can cause the symptom. Causes of the disorder include: multiple sclerosis, a tumor, or pressure on the nerve for the adjoining blood vessels. Sometimes the cause is not known. This disorder arises more frequently in women, and occurs more commonly in late adult years.
Symptoms
Very painful sharp electric-like facial pain, the pain lasts a few seconds or minutes, pain is usually only on one side of the face, pain around the eye, pain around the cheek. The pain may be triggered by touch or sounds, or by normal daily activities such as drinking or shaving.
Tests
A history and physical exam will be performed. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and blood tests may help rule out other conditions
Treatment
Therapy is aimed at reducing the pain, and the rate of attacks. The medications prescribed include: anti-seizure drugs (carbamazepine/Tegretol, gabapentin/Neurontin, phenytoin/Dilantin), migraine medicines (sumatriptan/Imitrex), and/or tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline/Elavil, nortriptyline/Pamelor). Some patients may need surgery.
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