I'm trying to find as much info about TN medication as possible before my appointment at a pain clinic. An alternative medicine doctor whom I consulted online suggested I tried GUNA injections combined with hemeopatics. It was the first time I ever heard of GUNA, so I did a bit of research on the internet and it seems these meds are a cross between the western and eastern medicinal approach - not aimed at treating merely the symptoms but also the cause. In my country these meds are virtually unknown of, only a few doctors use them "experimentally," but I've read their papers and the results seem to be good (or maybe it's just marketing, it's hard to tell!). I thought maybe someone from the U.S. or Canada, where the company seems to be bigger, has experience with them? They do have (A)TN listed among the conditions they're suppose to cure...
I live in the U.S. but never heard of GUNA meds. I am going to look it up now. However, I would be curious to how the meds would CURE TN since it has to do with arterits and nerves touching. Do you know how that works?
Good Luck with your treatment!
Hi, not really sure how it works - I'm reading a case study just now where this GUNA Neural was given to a 73-year old patient, whom neurosurgeons refused to treat any longer (she had been on meds for years, had multiple surgeries done to no avail and had a strong asthma). This lady was then considered to be an ideal trial patient for alternative treatment - the doctors tried accupuncture on her, which was somewhat succesful but had no longer lasting effects, and then they started to inject her the GUNA med into her trigger points (uggh) and behind the ear - or so I think; I'm not that familiar with the medical terms used throughout the study. After the 2nd treatment the patient said that her pain went down to 2 on the pain scale and she was able to cut down on her meds. She was pain free for 16 days (before that she had constant pain), now she gets injections occassionaly and is able to function normally; she only takes ibuprofen when in pain, before that she was on morphine. So it seems to me it does not solve the issue for good - one would probably get the Nobel prize if they were able to come up with such medicine - but it may help to perhaps rejuvenate the affected areas. The important thing I see in that is that she was able to go almost off her drugs, which were causing her big problems, and that the GUNA meds are said to have very mild or no side effects. I wish I could provide links, but it's all in Czech:) I'm sure, however, that there will be more material availabe in English on the subject. I'll try to ask about it at the pain clinic I'm going to; I chose one which apart from the conventional medicine covered by the heatlh insurance offers uncoventional treatment, so I'll discuss different options with the doctor and will share on here the outcome. The problem that any chronic pain patient is dealing with I think is that we sometimes try loads of different things in hope that there's the silver bullet somewhere among them. I myself have already spent a lot of money trying out different things, like massage, Dorn and Bowen therapy, herbs, creams, pills etc...they all worked - to an extent. Now I'm thinking about homeopathy, accupuncture and these GUNA meds, but maybe it would be wiser to choose just one or two things and stick with them and see how they work in a long term. I'm a bit impatient and if I don't see much improvement in a week or a couple I just make a conclusion 'it doesn't work', which isn't a good approach, I think. Well, before these pains started, I only knew a headache twice a year, I would take a pill and the pain would be gone within an hour - this condition requires a lot more patience and self-disclipline, I guess I'll gradually have to change my personae or my outlook on life, which may not necessarily be a bad thing... :)
irenern said:
I live in the U.S. but never heard of GUNA meds. I am going to look it up now. However, I would be curious to how the meds would CURE TN since it has to do with arterits and nerves touching. Do you know how that works?
Good Luck with your treatment!
Hi, Just a quick update regarding the GUNA injections. The neurologist I went to see had leaflets in her waiting room, so I asked if she had any experience with injecting TN patients this medicine. She said Guna is great for patients with rheumatoid artritis or the movement apparatus but she would not take the risk of injecting someone's face with it for the fear of causing them potentially more harm (she addmited it could help patiens with TMJ/D though). When I contacted the company itself they wrote back that GUNA Neural, one of their products, is designed to bring relief among others to TN patients. So, that's two opinions. I don't think I will investigate any further, I'll just stick with my medication and acupucture for the time being.
I have found a link and a few PDF's re this drug and it mentions TN in all
Guna Neural
Link
Thank you, Simon, for providing the links. There's a lot of discussion - at least where I live - as to whether homeopatics can actually help. Well, I remember when I was obeying my now former dentist and taking pain-killers on a daily basis (they were not helping but I thought I should be taking them if my doctor says so). Then once the pain was really bad and I thought what the heck, I'll just try anything and bought homeopatics "hypericum perforatum." There was some relief, the pain didn't go away completely but it was a lot less. When I said that to my dentist he thought it was just my imagination doing the trick. Now I'm sure it wasn't - surely my imagination would have done the trick with ibuprofen before because I soooo wanted it to work! I stopped using the homeopatics because I still trusted my dentist then when he said it was not possible that it could help. Now I think there might be something to the more natural approach to disease. I'm glad I've found a neurologist who is not dismissive and is quite open-minded in this respect.
The one thing I can say from all the years I have had to deal with thisis that whe you start on a new round of treatment it is quite often a long road and will take time for the drug or thearapy to start to work then get to its full peak. Its worth giving a drug / treatment a decet ammount of time to work. (Months)
Once I find an understanding and educated doctor etc I stick with them. so My GP, Nurologist Dentisit Nurosurgeon all are aware of the TN and keep each other abrest of developments.
I take pain meds daily as well. Panadine extra is whats its called here 15 mg codine 200 mg paracetamol 8 per day plus endone if it gets worse. ( note back pain as well)
The pain killers dont really hit the TN but they do help to take my mind off it IE distract me from it and just help cope.