TREATMENT MODALITIES FOR TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA – A REVIEW

Dr. Shridevi Adaki*, Dr. Anupama Bijjal, Dr. Raghavendra Adaki, Dr. Sanjay Bykodi and Dr. Amol Karagir

ABSTRACT

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is also known as Tic douloureux and is most common among the cranial neuralgias. Most of the times, it affects individuals older than 50 years of age. It has typical features of unilateral facial pain, episodes of intense shooting, stabbing pain that lasts for a few seconds and then there is a pain free period. Treatment may include medicines, brain surgery or radiation therapy. Carbamazepine is the drug of choice. If medicines are not effective or side effects are intolerable then surgery is the choice. But it is associated with complications in most cases after surgery and also pain episodes may recur after some years. Recently LASERs are used as adjunctive in the treatment of TN for reduction of pain intensity. Ayurveda plays important role in management and for better quality of life of TN patients. In Ayurveda Panchkarma is the best treatment modality for stopping recurrence of disease and being healthy ever. So here an attempt is made to summarize the available treatment modalities for TN.

Keywords: Carbamazepine, LASER, Ayurvedic management, Panchakarma, Ananta Vata.