I know this sounds odd but I take a very low dose of prozac for menopause symptoms and have been off it for awhile. I started taking it again last night and I have not had ANY breakthrough pain at all. I ALWAYS have one or two shocks or aches but this is different. I am on Trileptal, Tramadol,and klonopin.
I am also lowering my dose of Trileptal to help with the foggyness so have been having break through pain since I started it. It might be a coincidence but has anyone been taking prozac and found their pain decreased? I'm also taking klonopin for pelvic pain, not for TN but I'm pretty sure it's helping as well.
Right now I'm on all three and want a MVD. No reiki though. Can't get MVD until been on a few more drugs first but already let my neuro know that's the way I am going.
I found this message of yours while looking for info on prozac and TN. I notice you haven't posted in awhile. How are you doing? Did you every find out if the prozac was helping your TN? Sorry to bother you but my neuro is having me try prozac and I'm just not finding much evidence to support prozac's effectiveness.
Actually I am finding prozac actually makes some drugs less effective. I am on Nortriptyline and when I went up on prozac I had to take more nortrip. And the nortrip works well but the weight gain is awful. But it's better than a lot of the drugs with more side effects. Thanks for asking.
Thanks for responding. I am glad you found something that works for you. Are you able to have a fairly normal life? I am continually amazed at the courage on this website and the wide range of what works for people. Or doesn't work. I find it so hard to fathom that the medical community doesn't have better answers.
Fairly normal? No. Since I am on a high dose of Nortriptyline I cannot go on antidepressants for my severe depression for fear of serotonin syndrome. The nortrip does nothing for my depression but works for the pain in the face. I stopped responding to antidepressants years ago and I have tried so many cocktails and old and new ones and...nothing. I have to pick between being depressed with pain or being depressed and out of pain. The main reason I wish to stay on the nortrip is that I don't have the awful side effects of the epilepsy drugs. But I have break through pain everyday and the change in air pressure causes my face to ache and I can't go into walk in refrigerators etc. Let's say it's managable. The depression - not so much.
What an awful choice to make. Is surgery or STIM an option for you? I'm so lost I want to cry. My pain isn't bad right now, but I live in fear of it getting bad. And of being unable to manage it. My neuro said I could try prozac for TN but the research pretty much says it won't work for the pain and I am worried about it getting worse. I really don't want to go on the anti seizure meds, but I imagine I may have to. I am just starting this journey at 54 and it scares me. I have a very limited amount of resources.
Everyone has that fear of being unable to manage the pain. The docs want you on at least 3 different meds before they even talk about surgery. Which is dumb because if surgery is done within the first 7 years it works better. I'm 46 and I know what you mean. I'm only on my second med but am planning on seeing a surgeon within the next two years, before my husband retires. Right now I am on nortrip, klonopin and topical lidacaine. If it's a bad day I take an extra pill and whenever I go to the dentis I take extra pills. I was diagnosed 2 years ago but I had my first attack 2 years before that. I am worried about traveling. Can I go on a plane with the change in pressure? What if I have a crisis, where can I go to get help? The anti-seizure meds work really well but the side effects are severe, but everyone is different. I will go back on them if I have to.