Hello Friends,
I had an interesting, yet too fast-paced (!!! Urg) discussion with my PM Doctor during my recent visit. He said my Burning Tooth Pain (There is NOT a tooth or nerve root there anymore to experience a burning sensation. It was extracted by me begging and pleading, even though there was nothing wrong with the tooth on any x-rays, back in 2004. We've all been there I'm sure.) If you haven't had a tooth pulled, then keep it that way! Pulling a tooth due to a neurological problem and not a dental problem is like...well...pulling teeth!
I've been throwing in the terms "Atypical Odontalgia" and "Phantom Tooth Pain Syndrome" at my visits in hopes of getting a response of some kind or my doctor saying "Yes, Juliette, that's it! We now have a diagnosis that makes sense and can get on with you getting completely pain free." In a perfect world maybe.
I did receive an interesting response during my last visit when he said that my pain is more along the lines of the Aveolar Nerve (a branch of the TN nerve that leads sensation down to the teeth) and it's at the "Molecular Level" which means it can't be seen on any scans.
Also, he put me on Lamotrigine which I do NOT like. It's an anti-seisure/bi-polar med (I'm not bi-polar. I'm mostly just POLAR with this freakish pain. I kid. Not to disrespect anyone who is bi-polar. I'm just more depressed than bi-polar. I WISH I had just highs and no lows) I've been on Lamotrigine for about 2weeks now and I am actually having nightmares while on it. Real, wake up in bed, catch your breath, panicky nightmares. Now, I will gladly have nightmares every single night of my life if the med works (I ain't afraid! ;-) but so far, it hasn't done anything at all. I do believe I'm resistant to all anti-seisure meds now, after having taken them for 16 years. A low dose of the Fentanyl Patch is working better than any anti-seisure med I've ever taken.
My questions are: Has anyone been prescribed Lamotrine and what are your experiences with it? And who can explain, in layman terms, what pain is at the "molecular level?"
Thanks in advance for reading. Keep fighting the good fight against this pain!
The term "molecular level pain" doesn't seem particularly precise. I intuit that what the doctor might be referring to is that when chronic pain is allowed to go on for several years, permanent changes can occur in nerve fibers due to toxic bi-products generated by continuous exposure to the nerve impulses which we perceive as pain. Though I no longer recall the titles of specific papers describing these changes, I have seen abstracts at the US NIH National Library of Medicine database.
Lamotrigine is an anti-seizure medication, but I believe is less often used in chronic face pain than Tegretol, Trileptal, or Neurontin. The medication has a long list of warnings and precautions including 0.8% incidence of Stevens Johnson Syndrome, a potentially fatal skin allergy. You might want to read the authoritative data at http://www.rxlist.com/lamictal-drug.htm
Sorry I can't be more positive on alternatives.
Go in Peace and Power
Red
Thanks for the info!
As of two nights ago, I have quit taking Lamotrigine. Luckily, I was only on it for a short time. Maybe it being a bi-polar med and me not being bi-polar had something to do with the symptoms? I go for my monthly check up next week. I'll speak to my doctor about it and more about the Aveolar Nerve. That nerve could be the culprit for those like myself, who have tooth pain and are 100% strictly Atypical in their pain.
Also, check out the new 2016 Cymbalta Lawsuit. Eli Lilly lied about the percentage of withdrawal symtoms in a big way!!! I have to run or I would add the link for you. You'll find it :-)
The following link seems pertinent to Juliette Suzanne's comment on Cymbalta. See http://www.drugwatch.com/cymbalta/lawsuits/
Juliette Suzanne said:
Thanks for the info!
As of two nights ago, I have quit taking Lamotrigine. Luckily, I was only on it for a short time. Maybe it being a bi-polar med and me not being bi-polar had something to do with the symptoms? I go for my monthly check up next week. I'll speak to my doctor about it and more about the Aveolar Nerve. That nerve could be the culprit for those like myself, who have tooth pain and are 100% strictly Atypical in their pain.
Also, check out the new 2016 Cymbalta Lawsuit. Eli Lilly lied about the percentage of withdrawal symtoms in a big way!!! I have to run or I would add the link for you. You'll find it :-)
I had a doctor say that my nerve pain originated from microscopic nerve fibers, so the damage can’t be visualized on x-rays, MRI, or even the naked eye. Maybe that’s what he meant?
I was skimming through this article sent to me via email when I suddenly saw the phrase "at the molecular level." Looks as if some research is being done regarding this new buzz word. Fascinating stuff. Nano materials, fibroblasts, etc. Basically trying to get our brains reprogrammed to ignore the pain signals.
facingfacialpain.org