Has anyone had results with baclofen. I am my fifth year of TN and it keeps getting worse. It has always been only on my right side. Now it is on my left also. It is always only one side at a time. I take 5 anti seizure pills a day and now my neuo gave me baclofen to take twice a day. Has anyone had good results with this. Also has anyone experienced pain shifting from one side to the other?
I was lucky enough to get disability but I am at a point I can't hardly leave the house. Everytime I go out the door I start having anxiety attacks for fear of being away from home and having an attack. What is the worse is nobody understands what I am going through. I have turned into a hermit and can't enjoy life anymore. I fake it as much as I can but it is really getting hard to pretend I feel normal.
Baclofen is sometimes prescribed as a "booster" for anti-seizure meds. Some patients do get more pain relief, but you'll need to give it 4-6 weeks to build up in the blood stream. I've never seen reliable statistics on outcomes for this medication in combination with Carbamazepine or Oxcarbamazepine.
If you're having problems with anxiety about leaving home, I wonder if it might be useful to spend a few sessions with a psychologist who has training in working with chronic pain patients. I don't as a rule suggest medications for this issue, but some patients find a greater sense of freedom by using the techniques of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in their own self-management. Those techniques can be taught in a few weeks of sessions with someone who knows how to apply them.