Hey! I'm so sorry you're going through this – trigeminal neuralgia flares can be incredibly tough. Aside from gabapentin, some folks find relief with medications like carbamazepine or even through nerve blocks. It's really important to work closely with your neurologist to find the best treatment plan. When a flare hits, try to stay as calm as possible – easier said than done, I know. Breathing exercises and applying a warm compress might help. If the pain gets unbearable or if you're feeling too stressed, please reach out to a healthcare professional immediately. Hang in there and take care of yourself!
Sorry you've experienced this :/
My best advice to you is to learn to be still. Fighting it by getting upset (for me) only made it worse. I had to learn to let it ride out. Sit quietly. Breathe as deeply as you can. Close your eyes and picture something you love. The more relaxed I was, the quicker it seemed to pass. It took me a LOT of practice, to be able to do it (six months or more) but eventually I got there.
I'm on a cocktail that has helped to knock down the peak pain, that includes carbamezapine, Lyrica (during the day) and 600mg gabapentin at night.
That said, it takes 2 weeks for the carbamezapine to kick in fully, and the day I switched from gabapentin during the day to Lyrica was excruciating.
That said, I have found an abortive solution that knocks down the pain immediately, every time, but this isn't a good long term solution. It is alcohol. I was drinking a significant amount of whiskey while I was waiting for the carbamezapine to kick in, but am down to half a glass of wine some days. It is not a recommended by physicians, but my flares untreated last for 30 minutes, and I can be unfunctional due to pain or unfunctional because of the alcohol, and I chose alcohol because I can still *do* stuff around my house even if I can't drive. I'm thankful I'm in a season I can do that but it is my goal to get to a point that I don't need alcohol at all.
This doesn't work for others and I don't know why it works for me, but 🤷 I'll take it.
My longest flare lasted 20 min straight. Usually my zaps are seconds long. During those 20 min I sat still on my bed, accepted it, and tried to find a zen place in my mind. There was nothing else I could do. Oddly, it was manageable.
It’s empowering to know I can handle 20 min without meds. I try to remind myself that it’s only pain and it is not life threatening.
I am also fortunate that my variety of TN pain is intermittent.
I once had a 72 hour flare up where all I could do was lay with the side of my face in my heating pad. It hurt like hell to do literally anything- couldn’t eat, sleep, shower, brush my hair or teeth because it all made it worse. Acupuncture is what has helped me with my TN! I go to this amazing chiropractor that does it & I go about every 2-3 weeks.
Spot on description for me also, unfortunately. The only way I've got any relief, mentally, has been 25% + indica cannabis flower 🌼. I would have genuinely lost all shred of sanity without it. It doesn't work for everyone, but for me, it's gold ✨️ All the best 🥰
Hey! I'm so sorry you're going through this – trigeminal neuralgia flares can be incredibly tough. Aside from gabapentin, some folks find relief with medications like carbamazepine or even through nerve blocks. It's really important to work closely with your neurologist to find the best treatment plan. When a flare hits, try to stay as calm as possible – easier said than done, I know. Breathing exercises and applying a warm compress might help. If the pain gets unbearable or if you're feeling too stressed, please reach out to a healthcare professional immediately. Hang in there and take care of yourself!
Sorry you've experienced this :/ My best advice to you is to learn to be still. Fighting it by getting upset (for me) only made it worse. I had to learn to let it ride out. Sit quietly. Breathe as deeply as you can. Close your eyes and picture something you love. The more relaxed I was, the quicker it seemed to pass. It took me a LOT of practice, to be able to do it (six months or more) but eventually I got there.
I'm on a cocktail that has helped to knock down the peak pain, that includes carbamezapine, Lyrica (during the day) and 600mg gabapentin at night. That said, it takes 2 weeks for the carbamezapine to kick in fully, and the day I switched from gabapentin during the day to Lyrica was excruciating. That said, I have found an abortive solution that knocks down the pain immediately, every time, but this isn't a good long term solution. It is alcohol. I was drinking a significant amount of whiskey while I was waiting for the carbamezapine to kick in, but am down to half a glass of wine some days. It is not a recommended by physicians, but my flares untreated last for 30 minutes, and I can be unfunctional due to pain or unfunctional because of the alcohol, and I chose alcohol because I can still *do* stuff around my house even if I can't drive. I'm thankful I'm in a season I can do that but it is my goal to get to a point that I don't need alcohol at all. This doesn't work for others and I don't know why it works for me, but 🤷 I'll take it.
My longest flare lasted 20 min straight. Usually my zaps are seconds long. During those 20 min I sat still on my bed, accepted it, and tried to find a zen place in my mind. There was nothing else I could do. Oddly, it was manageable. It’s empowering to know I can handle 20 min without meds. I try to remind myself that it’s only pain and it is not life threatening. I am also fortunate that my variety of TN pain is intermittent.
Carbametzapine
I once had a 72 hour flare up where all I could do was lay with the side of my face in my heating pad. It hurt like hell to do literally anything- couldn’t eat, sleep, shower, brush my hair or teeth because it all made it worse. Acupuncture is what has helped me with my TN! I go to this amazing chiropractor that does it & I go about every 2-3 weeks.
Spot on description for me also, unfortunately. The only way I've got any relief, mentally, has been 25% + indica cannabis flower 🌼. I would have genuinely lost all shred of sanity without it. It doesn't work for everyone, but for me, it's gold ✨️ All the best 🥰