I have been using tegretol in combination with gabapentin for long time now, but since last few days the pain is not controlled. I m not able to eat or brush my teeth, though the pain does not come on it’s own but these activity brings on pain, I was wondering if I could replcawing tegretol with baclofen. My last visit the neuro sujjested to take baclofen2.5mg with gabapentin.has any one tried baclofen for pain relief?
I believe it works well with Gabapentin Yakub. Many report it has been helpful. Sorry to read you are having a hard time 
Yes,I was on bacolofen 10mg,3times a day,I had terrible side effects.I felt like I was hungover and staggered all over the place,plus severe pain in my head.I got off of that pill real quick.But I did hear some people do just fine with it.I hope you have better luck with this,then I did.Barb
I tried this drug recently, and would advise to be cautious with it. First Make sure you research Balcofen; side effects and dependency (this not the same dependency as with a narcotic) Ask your doctor about any questions and concerns you have. This would be said the same with any drug, but after using this drug and having hallucations from it I have become more cautious about new medications. Also, it did not give me any relief from pain. This not to scare you, and this medication can work wonders for some. Rather I want to put some caution out there.
Have tried Trileptal? Maybe this would be a possible switch of medication for you.
I am taking baclofen & trileptal. The trileptal alone wasn’t magic anymore & adding the baclofen has really helped 10mg 2x a day & don’t think any side effects or that I am aware of!
Hi Kari thanks! I m going to be watchful whilst trying baclofen for about a week, than seeing my neuro if it does not work, probably try to combine it with trileptal if he sujjests, I think for any medicine to work it takes some time, unless there is warning side effect. I m in pain now but will certainly try out other medicines b4 deciding for op. I have never used any other meds except tegretol & gabapentin sInce the disease was diiognised.
Kari said:
I tried this drug recently, and would advise to be cautious with it. First Make sure you research Balcofen; side effects and dependency (this not the same dependency as with a narcotic) Ask your doctor about any questions and concerns you have. This would be said the same with any drug, but after using this drug and having hallucations from it I have become more cautious about new medications. Also, it did not give me any relief from pain. This not to scare you, and this medication can work wonders for some. Rather I want to put some caution out there. Have tried Trileptal? Maybe this would be a possible switch of medication for you.
Hi Yakub, I have been taking Gabapentin for a year and half and prior to that I was on Tegretol for 2 years. With each medication, I was also on baclofen. As my doctor explained that it would "boost" the effectiveness of either medication. I have side effects. It hard to tell which one is the culprit. The doctor added Trileptal to the course of meds last week because I believe the Gabapentin is no longer effective. The side effects are not as bad as the pain is, so I just take the meds. The new doctor that prescribed the Trileptal did not want me to go off of the Baclofen. He did instruct me on procedure to start getting off of Gabapentin. I hope this helps and I hope are feeling better already.
I take baclofen four times a day for spastic limb issues, but it helps my TN just a little. I don't have any side effect issues with it, which is amazing considering that I have had issues with 30 other meds.
I cannot tolerate the other types of TN meds, so I am not sure how they all interact together. Oh, and a side note- baclofen can help with migraine issues as well.
Take care
Thanks for bringing this up. I am on gabapentin and have had to increase it to 2700mg/day which I think is a bit nuts. I brought up the subject of baclofen last time I was at a GP's office and he said he had never prescribed it for any patient with anything .... seems it's not really used much here. I think I need to explore this some more. Often I will find things in medical journals etc on the databases at work and can wave proof of effective TN drugs at GPs. Have done it before, can do it again! :D
Oh and does baclofen affect your ability to drive (I seem fine on my other meds)?
I just want to add that my Neuro advised me yesterday that if my TN pain gets worse, he would like to add Gababapentin and/or Baclofen . He said he has many patients with TN who are on this combination. I am currently at 1600mg of Tegretol a day and steady. Hopeful that it stays that way!
I've taken Baclofen for 4 years without any side effects whatsoever. I take 20 mg. at nite before bed so I don't clench my jaw because of my TMJ...yes TMJ and TN...not a nice combo. I'm going to try adding in another 10 mg. in the morning and 10 mg. in the afternoon to see if this helps. My TN is bull blown right now. Won't hurt to give it a try. Good luck my friend. L.
I have used all of the above with nothing but terrible side effects! It works for some people and you won't know unless you do try it. It totally sucks that we have to keep paying for medications that don't work!! Well good luck and hope everything works out for you.
I am finally giving in and having MVD surgery in July. It's a bit scary but there is a great success rate. Worth giving it a shot. Maybe you should see if there is anyone in your area that performs this surgery. I am lucky to have some of the countries top surgeons in Boston.
I have been using Baclofen with Tegretol and Gabapentin for about 6 weeks. I'm still in lots of pain, but this is the best combination so far. I don;t think I have any side effects, since I've felt hungover for months prior to these meds.
I tried today to get baclofen (again, this time a different GP) and I felt like crying when I got home. He said that no GP here will prescribe baclofen ("because it is such a nasty drug"), despite me carrying medical literature supporting baclofen from medical journals - a nurse always does their research! He said that I need to see a neuro to get it prescribed. I am already on the waiting list for one publicly, the GP said a private consult with one would cost me about $500-$700 :(((( I also need to see a neuro to get a referral to the pain service as they like a specialist to make a formal diagnosis apparently.
I am feeling very frustrated and angry!!!!
i tried Baclofen for couple of weeks. Didn't notice any change. Went to a wedding at Hunter Valley. Long weekend in Oct. At the end I was had retained fluid and couldnt pass urine. Stop taking it and took a week to get back to normal. So be careful with this medication and its side effects.
All the best
Yakub how are you doing on the Baclofen? It’s been a bit since you started it and I was just wondering. I hope it is working for you.
Thanks Kari I tried baclofen 2.5mg just one day along with tegretol & gabapentin, but from the following day the pain has reduced considerably, you know this illness one day u r ok & next with pain.
I did have headache, may b due to combination of 3. But at present I m fine tegretol gab is controlling pain.
I have not taken any more baclofen.
Yakub
I take baclophen with trileptal & is ok.
Hi…I take trileptal 1800mg/day, baclofen 40mg/day, cymbalta 60mg/day, amytripyline 20mg/day…I have to say this is the best combo I have been on in 5 years!!! I am PAINFREE during the day and have some mild pain once I start getting tired!! Sometimes a combination of meds works way better than just a single med. I have titrated up slowly as needed and I have zero side effects. I have been told an antiseizure, muscle relaxer, and antidepressant, is a gold standard combo for TN. I have a neurologist who specializes in TN and I am so very thankful!! I hope this helps!! ((HUGS))