If you suffer from the painful symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia, you’re not alone. An estimated 14,000 people in the United States develop this debilitating condition per year. Trigeminal neuralgia pain treatment options make it possible for you to live a pain-free life.
A Quick Look at Trigeminal Neuralgia
Trigeminal neuralgia (TGN) is a nerve disorder that affects the trigeminal – or fifth cranial – nerve. You have a total of 12 paired cranial nerves that provide different functions throughout your face and head. The trigeminal nerve provides sensation to your cheeks, around your mouth, your temples and around your eyes.
If this nerve has somehow been damaged or is being compressed by a nearby blood vessel, trigeminal neuralgia might develop. Trauma and certain illnesses are the main causes of physical damage to the nerve – in most cases, the myelin (the thick outer layer that protects the nerve) has somehow been injured, allowing the nerve itself to become more vulnerable.
In instances when trigeminal neuralgia is due to compression, an adjacent vein or artery is the culprit. At the base of your skull where the nerves and blood supplies enter into the small opening, your nerve can be too close to one of these blood vessels. The constant pulsing of the nerve can cause irritation and result in the nerve sending out the painful impulses.
Medication: The First Line of Defense
When you start seeking trigeminal neuralgia pain treatment, your doctor may want to take a conservative approach. This involves prescribing medications that have been proven to be effective in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia symptoms. The two medications that are most widely recognized and used are Tegretol and Trileptal. Both of these medications belong to a class of anticonvulsants. Working directly on the nerves, these medications help arrest the nerve impulses that cause your trigeminal nerve pain.
Unfortunately for many, medication alone tends to be a short-term trigeminal neuralgia treatment option. For most people, they have to take increasingly larger doses to get the same effect. Eventually, they reach the point where the maximum safe dose is being prescribed and it’s still not addressing the symptoms adequately. In other cases, the side effects outweigh the benefits and a different option must be sought.
Are Natural Treatments Effective?
Many conditions respond well to natural treatments. Trigeminal neuralgia, however, does not seem to be responsive to these options. Yoga, meditation and other forms of relaxation are great as complementary activities but have little to no effect on trigeminal neuralgia itself. Some people have limited success with treatments such as acupuncture but don’t find full relief. If you’d like to incorporate natural methods into your treatment regimen, be sure to discuss with your doctor the ones he or she thinks would be the most beneficial complementary options.
The Next Step
The journey for finding the best trigeminal neuralgia pain treatment options for you and your lifestyle is best navigated with your doctor. He or she can help guide you through the different treatments available and help you determine whether one might be more effective than another for your particular needs. Here is a closer look at the best treatments available to you.
Microvascular Decompression
Microvascular decompression (MVD) is a great choice if you wish to have long-term pain relief without the possibility of losing sensation. This surgical procedure is only effective in those whose trigeminal neuralgia is due to nerve compression from a blood vessel.
To be considered for microvascular decompression, you must be in good health. Your trigeminal neuralgia must also stem from compression of your nerve from a blood vessel. To determine if this is the cause, people most often have an imaging test known as a FIESTA-MRI performed. This will allow doctors to clearly see your trigeminal nerve and the surrounding structures. If compression is the root cause, you may be a good candidate for microvascular decompression.
MVD is a surgery that is carried out under general anesthesia. A small incision will be made behind your ear and a tiny portion of your skull will be removed. Your doctor will use specialized instruments to access the nerve and vein or artery. A small Teflon sponge will then be placed between the two structures to prevent future irritation. The beauty of this procedure is that the nerve is protected during surgery, meaning that loss of sensation is highly unlikely. Most individuals experience immediate relief of their TGN symptoms with this procedure.
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery
If you’re not a candidate for MVD or you’d prefer to use a non-invasive route, Gamma Knife Radiosurgery may be a perfect match. Despite its name, no actual surgery is performed with this treatment technique. Instead, around 200 beams of low-dose radiation are focused on a point (in this case, a specific area of your trigeminal nerve). These rays of energy are not strong enough individually to cause damage as they travel to their destination, but once combined at their target, they create a therapeutic dose of radiation. This is an excellent option for those that cannot undergo a general anesthetic procedure or whose trigeminal neuralgia is due to a cause other than nerve compression.
Percutaneous Rhizotomy
Another very effective treatment for those that are not MVD candidates, percutaneous rhizotomy is minimally invasive. This procedure involves your surgeon numbing an area on your cheek. You may also be lightly sedated to enhance your comfort. Using a specialized needle-like instrument, your surgeon guides an electrode to a point or points along your trigeminal nerve. A pulse of isolated heat is applied to cause mild damage to your trigeminal nerve. This effectively prevents the painful impulses from being able to travel to your face.
Pain Stimulator Placement
If you prefer to not have damage inflicted on your trigeminal nerve but are not eligible for MVD, pain stimulator placement is a great option. This minimally invasive procedure involves your surgeon guiding tiny electrodes to your trigeminal nerve. Once in place, these electrodes are hooked up to a stimulator. Whenever a trigeminal neuralgia pain episode begins, the stimulator sends out a mild electrical pulse to disrupt the nerve impulse. With this option, you will have a trial period in which the stimulator will be external. Once you’ve completed the trial and determined that stimulator placement is an effective option, a permanent stimulator will be placed under the skin.
Trigeminal neuralgia is a painful and debilitating condition that can rob you of your life. You don’t have to let it take control – finding the right treatment is as simple as scheduling a consult with your doctor. You deserve to live free of pain.
