Hi there, wanted to do a quick introduction. I am a 32 year old woman who enjoys hiking, music and gaming. I was just recently diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia about 2 weeks ago. I consider myself very lucky because the pain is more minor, however I do have other health issues which is making me ponder if I have MS or Occipital Neuralgia as well. I am currently on Gabapentin, and it seems to be working well. I am an ex smoker and drinker, but found them to make the pain worse so I stop doing them.
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G’day, so you have ms, you should go to the msaa webdite, there is a bloke there with ms and TN and say g’day. Hint hint its me 
I am in my 12th year with TN, and same as you, Gabapentin works. I take 900 mg 3 times a day along with an antidepressant and some topiramate, both in small amounts. The only side affects so far have been memory loss of like, for example, a word for something I really want to remember, but this could be age related too since I am sixty-six years old! Hah! Originally, my TN mostly affected the upper part of my face and my ear. Oh, the pain in my ear continued to be fierce after I was put on medications, triggering more pain in my face. I had microvascular surgery in the first year of TN, which didn’t help, and a radiostereotactic surgical procedure in 2016, which was 30 to 50% helpful. I was never able to stop taking the same amount of gab though, but interestingly, my pain has now been reduced to practically nothing except for bouts here and there after a couple of years of botox treatments as long as I get plenty of rest, hydration and eat right. I have loved a return to many lost activities. I still can’t do lots of the things I loved, such as playing the guitar, jogging, and any type of exercise that causes me to put too much pressure on my trigeminal nerve. Also, emotional issues and stress cause bouts of TN to arise like a visit from the devil. I believe my TN was caused by the unmanageable grief from losing my 29 year old son to a brain tumor. Even admitting that causes a misfire along my trigeminal nerve. It just broke me all to pieces. I wish you well. -Laurel
Hi, I’m Nancy. I have TN on my left side. I’ve taken Trileptal for years and it works for me (knock on wood). I’m so sorry for the rest of th things you have. I know that stress makes my pain much worse
Thank you for your response, and I cannot imagine how that must feel to lose a child in that manner, I am very sorry. Loss can be difficult especially when you have to battle this dreaded disease.
Life moves on, and fortunately, memories of loved ones stay with us in beautiful ways. I hope your pain becomes much less or goes entirely away over time, the sooner, the better. Rest. Rest is so very important, and patience.
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