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Suggest Alternative Medication For Lyrica
Question: I have trigemanial neurolgy and have been taking camamanpine worked good for some time had taken only on pill nightly lasted to the next night it now seems to come mor offen and doesn't seems to be effective as it use to be taking it sometime every 6 hr sometime every three hrs pretty frustrating doctor now want me to take Lyrica which I refuse to take asking for alternative haven't heard back
Brief Answer:
Invasive procedures are a possibiity.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for using HCM.
I have read your question and understand your concerns.
Trigeminal neuralgia is treated conservatively by using drugs. With time, drugs start to loose effects on controlling symptoms.
In such cases increase of the dose and, after this possibility is exhausted, switching to other drugs could be tried.
Other drugs that may be used to control symptoms include lamotrigine, phenytoin, gabapentin etc.
Invasive procedures used to treat Trigeminal neuralgia include glycerol injections at trigeminal ganglion, gamma knife surgery, radiofrequency thermal lesioning if the trigeminal nerve and, if neurovascular conflict is diagnosed by MRI imaging, microvascular decomprression surgery is an alternative.
So, the choices are many in your case, you should discuss with your treating Doctor about choosing the most appropriate one. Once again please be patient, I understand this chronic pain is indeed frustrating but there are lot of treatments available as I've mentioned before .
Hope you found the answer helpful.
Let me know if I can assist you further.
Greetings.
Invasive procedures are a possibiity.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for using HCM.
I have read your question and understand your concerns.
Trigeminal neuralgia is treated conservatively by using drugs. With time, drugs start to loose effects on controlling symptoms.
In such cases increase of the dose and, after this possibility is exhausted, switching to other drugs could be tried.
Other drugs that may be used to control symptoms include lamotrigine, phenytoin, gabapentin etc.
Invasive procedures used to treat Trigeminal neuralgia include glycerol injections at trigeminal ganglion, gamma knife surgery, radiofrequency thermal lesioning if the trigeminal nerve and, if neurovascular conflict is diagnosed by MRI imaging, microvascular decomprression surgery is an alternative.
So, the choices are many in your case, you should discuss with your treating Doctor about choosing the most appropriate one. Once again please be patient, I understand this chronic pain is indeed frustrating but there are lot of treatments available as I've mentioned before .
Hope you found the answer helpful.
Let me know if I can assist you further.
Greetings.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Should also mention i still work part time and cannot take something that make me not being able to drive and going work is a must only work 4 hrs a day. What was happening in the beginning was a shock which I thought was something wrong with my teeth f ound out nothing wrong right now seem that If I am active and doing thing it doesn't happen but as soon as I sit and relax get at least about three shock always in the same place and then goes away sometime a half a pill helps for awhile then sometime takes a while to work because get a shock after taking the pill. At bedtime take a whole piil seems to work if only I wouldn't get uup in the middle of night seems to get at leasst 3 shock and no more and can go back to sleep not sure about that shocks and not bad enough to take something for it taking to much of that medicine dr has to moniter my liver because not the best thing to take to much of it. The medicine is way to expensive come to a XXXXXXX 4 which Lyrcia is at least 95 to 100. dollars which cannot afford. First I'm not a person who take pill on the first thing a dr tells me. infact I really hate taking medicine of any kind I only have taken a tyroid medicine for many years which I don't mind taking. try to fit all this information in and trying not to leave out anything if you could as me some question I would answer anything hoping to maybe explain more on what is going on. This only happens on my left side
I left this out I was sent for a mri and showed nothing they said I had to do this to determend if a nerve from the brain is sending a signal which was not no activity at all showed from the mri was a nerve pressing on anything to cause this happening so gave me carbamazepine switch from every other day the extended and the regular which was the one I could cut in half. I'm trying to cover as much as I can.
I left this out I was sent for a mri and showed nothing they said I had to do this to determend if a nerve from the brain is sending a signal which was not no activity at all showed from the mri was a nerve pressing on anything to cause this happening so gave me carbamazepine switch from every other day the extended and the regular which was the one I could cut in half. I'm trying to cover as much as I can.
Brief Answer:
Follow up.
Detailed Answer:
Welcome back and thanks for the clarifications.
Most cases of trigeminal neuralgia are caused by neurovascular conflict inside the skull, or, in other words, an artery that compresses periodically the trigeminal nerve.
As I mentioned before, treatment possibilities are many.
If you experienced side effects from carbamazepine, or you don't like to use drugs, you can be treated by glicerol injection at trigeminal ganglion eg.
It is a minimally invasive procedure that results in good and long term outcome.
This procedure can be done by a Neuroradiologist.
Hope I helped you.
Best regards.
Follow up.
Detailed Answer:
Welcome back and thanks for the clarifications.
Most cases of trigeminal neuralgia are caused by neurovascular conflict inside the skull, or, in other words, an artery that compresses periodically the trigeminal nerve.
As I mentioned before, treatment possibilities are many.
If you experienced side effects from carbamazepine, or you don't like to use drugs, you can be treated by glicerol injection at trigeminal ganglion eg.
It is a minimally invasive procedure that results in good and long term outcome.
This procedure can be done by a Neuroradiologist.
Hope I helped you.
Best regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
No side effects from carbamazepine not a pill taker the suggestion sounds like it could be treated byglicerol injection at trigeminal ganglion what do they do where and what do they inject is there test that have to be taken can you explain glicerol injection at trigeminal ganglion to me on the procedure.
Brief Answer:
Follow up.
Detailed Answer:
Welcome back.
It is a simple technique that uses glycerol (a kind of alcohol) that stops the trigeminal nerve from transmitting impulses of pain at the ganglion level.
A needle is inserted through your face into an opening in the base of your skull under imaging guidance and local anesthesia.
Hope I helped you.
Take care.
Follow up.
Detailed Answer:
Welcome back.
It is a simple technique that uses glycerol (a kind of alcohol) that stops the trigeminal nerve from transmitting impulses of pain at the ganglion level.
A needle is inserted through your face into an opening in the base of your skull under imaging guidance and local anesthesia.
Hope I helped you.
Take care.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
I take it is done as and outpatient, is this very common for dr's to do. Does insurance cover this type of procedure. How risky is this I know all surgery is at some risk. Have like all the information that you have given. Sounds a little scary to me.
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving
Brief Answer:
Follow up.
Detailed Answer:
Welcome back.
It is a simple procedure that may require only few hours to be monitored by medical personnel.
It is not scary and since there are no adjacent anomalies (assessed by MRI), there should be no complications.
I don't know if the insurance covers the procedure in your country, in general when this procedure is prescribed as necessary, it should be covered by insurance.
Hope I helped you.
Best regards.
Follow up.
Detailed Answer:
Welcome back.
It is a simple procedure that may require only few hours to be monitored by medical personnel.
It is not scary and since there are no adjacent anomalies (assessed by MRI), there should be no complications.
I don't know if the insurance covers the procedure in your country, in general when this procedure is prescribed as necessary, it should be covered by insurance.
Hope I helped you.
Best regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
So I guess that I myself can request this procedure that the doctor has to request it. Can you tell me if this every goes away on it's own or do I have to take pills to stop the shocks which i would think taking and I know sooner or later these pills will damage your liver a reason I do not want to take this even those a request for blood test to moniter the levels
Brief Answer:
Follow up.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again.
Majority of patients achieve early relief of pain after this procedure, only a part of patients experience recurrence of symptoms, but after few years.
So. basically, if you will undergo this procedure, at least, a couple of years you don't need to use medications.
This is a minimally invasive procedure that can be repeated if recurrence occurs.
Hope I helped you.
Best regards.
Follow up.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again.
Majority of patients achieve early relief of pain after this procedure, only a part of patients experience recurrence of symptoms, but after few years.
So. basically, if you will undergo this procedure, at least, a couple of years you don't need to use medications.
This is a minimally invasive procedure that can be repeated if recurrence occurs.
Hope I helped you.
Best regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Sonia Raina
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