After months of being in so called “remission”, my TN symptoms began to come back slowly at first. A slight jab of pain when I talked, about once or twice a day. I was and still am relying on heavy dose of CBD concentrate found in Medical marijuana. From that slight jab of pain I am back to the burning , seering pain and shocks of pain as well on the left side of my face. The pain is such that it is painful to swallow as it occurs in the root of my tongue on that side of my face. An attack has lasted up to about an hour but fortunately it has been subsiding after a while and with the pain management that I try, including deep breathing, heat, the application of Neuragen cream and marijuana , I am able to function. At its worse I just have to lie still in the bed.
It so happens that I had a scheduled doctor’s appointment for an unrelated nerve problem in my foot. The Dr. prescribed Lyrica for the problem in my foot and so we discussed the possibility of the Lyrica being effective for my TN. Even though she is not the “quack” neurologist I had been seeing , she discussed the possible effectiveness of the Lyrica along with the other above mentioned remedys that I use. My doctor and I both agree that since the Gabapentin that was prescribed prior was not effective , we could give the Lyrica a try.
I have taken not pharmaceutical pain meds for about two years now and usually shun them because of the possible side effects, but I am on 75 mgs of Lyrica, 3 times a day. I hope and pray it can provide relief. I have only been on the med for about a week now so I am giving it time to work. I know nothing was working for about an hour this morning. The pain was a 10! But now, as I type, I feel OK. I can function.
We will see and will let everybody here know. Stay well and the best to you all.
Be aware lyrica is not a pain medication, it’s an antiepileptic medication.
Lyrica (pregabalin) is chemically related to gabapentin (Gralise, Neurontin). It is used for treating pain caused by neurologic diseases such as postherpetic neuralgia as well as seizures. It also is used for treating fibromyalgia.
Coachjt, you might as well be writing what my mother is going through right now. Its pilitful to see a 94 year woman trembling and whimpering in pain. Mum has been through the gammut, she is presently on Epilim at midday, and 4th hourly panadol, liquid soups, heat packs, keeping the lips closed to prevent cold air in the mouth and dropping the shoulders. The tension in her body seems to boost the pain, so cut the rigidity out. Keep warm and silent. My heart goes out to all of you. Lyrica did nothing for Mum nor did any opiate. To knock her out completely one tegretol takes her into deep sleep for aabout 24hrs, but their side effects are putrid. These pharmaceutical companies need to be sued, they are wicked, greedy, power hungry people.
I almost don’t know what to say.My left lower jaw is burning right now.!! I’ll try a heat pack in a minute…Add to that lawsuit the quack doctors who provide the prescriptions. My best to your mother.
I’ve been on Lyrica with some success, but we tried gabapentin and found it to be just about as effective, so that’s what I’m on now. But Lyrica was okay for me, nothing too terrible, though nothing too miraculous ither.
Be careful of Lyrica. I was in the worst pain ever (after 20 years with type 1) and went on Lyrica for just a few months. I got edema of the legs (which I still have) and started having vision problems. Lyrica has been known to cause permanent eye damage. Stay in contact with your Dr. if you notice any side effects. I pray your pain subsides. Stay strong!
I pray for you, this is the worse thing that can happen in my opinion. I have had 2 MVDs and every single night pray that it does not come back. Did you find the medical marijuana helped at all? Good luck with the Lyrica…all best Bunny