Medication and Surgery are the Treatment Options for Trigeminal Neuralgia

Medication is the first line of defense against the pain of trigeminal neuralgia. If they stop working or have side effects, surgery (or a combination of medication and surgery) is also an option.

Medications

• Carbamazepine (Tegretol, Carbatrol)
• Baclofen
• Phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek)
• Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal)

Surgery

The goal of surgical intervention (except MVD - see below) is to damage or destroy that part of the trigeminal nerve that is causing pain, so facial numbing is a common side effect of the surgery.

• Alcohol injection (usually a temporary fix)
• Glycerol injection
• Balloon compression
• Electric current
• Microvascular decompression (MVD) - this method does not hurt the nerve but relieves the source of pressure on it.
• Severing the nerve
• Radiation

You can read more details about these options by following the link below.