What KCDancer is saying is right… I had a surgeon tell me that he does not rely on the MRI, BUT the MRI is the best objective tool we have to find evidence of a compression without cutting into the skull. So it is advisable to get one done. The surgeon will not do the MVD unless you have one done.
How did taking the Tegretol go?
I'm taking the Tegretol 100 mg twice a day and haven't seen a significant difference yet. I'm getting less of the little jabs though, so I'll see if that continues to at least be better. I suppose some improvement is better than none! I increase the dosage in 2 more days and keep increasing it till I get to the mg he wants me to take. I'm hoping it will help more as it increases!
I increased the Tegretol to 600 mg yesterday and had a pretty good day! Today was also much better. I would not say that I have no pain, by any means, but it is significantly decreased! I increase it again on Friday to 800 mg and I am really hoping it will bring the pain down way more.
That’s good to hear, Feafee. Those meds take some time to build to therapeutic dosage. I really hope your improvement continues!
Bellalarke
Good news. The fact that the Tegretol has a pain/incident lowering effect supports the diagnosis of TN. Talk to your doctor about any side effects you experience as the dosage rises to see if they are normal. Read the label warning or look it up on webmd or similar site.