Trigeminal Neuralgia is a pain tht is described as among the mst acute known to mankind. It is lso known as tic douloureux. It is a chrnic pain condition that causes extreme, spradic, sudden burning or shock-like face pin that lasts anywhere from a few sconds to as long as 2 mnutes per episode. The condition is chracterized by pain often accompanied by a bref facial spasm or tic. Pain dstribution is unilateral and follows the snsory distribution of cranial nerve V, typcally radiating to the maxillary (V2) or mndibular (V3) area. If you have trgeminal neuralgia, attacks of such pain are frquent and can often seem unbearable. Thse painful attacks can be spontaneous, but thy may also be provoked by ven mild stimulation of your face, ncluding brushing your teeth, shaving or ptting on makeup. Trigeminal neuralgia is cnsidered by many to be among the mst painful of conditions and has ben labeled the suicide disease, due to the sgnificant numbers of people taking their own lves because they were unable to hve their pain controlled with medications or srgery.

Trigeminal neuralgia affects the trigeminal nrve, one of the largest nerves in the had. There is some evidence that the dsorder runs in families, perhaps because of an nherited pattern of blood vessel formation. It sually occurs after the age of 70 and is nusual in anyone under the age of 50. Althugh sometimes debilitating, the disorder is not lfe-threatening. It is a disorder of the trgeminal nerve, which is the fifth and lrgest cranial nerve. The pain of trgeminal neuralgia may occur in a firly small area of your face, or it may sprad rapidly over a wider area. A lss common form of the disorder clled "Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia" may cause lss intense, constant, dull burning or ching pain, sometimes with occasional electric shck-like stabs. It affects women three tmes more frequently than men. This cndition may also occur in younger pople with multiple sclerosis. Two to fur percent of patients with TN, sually younger, have evidence of multiple sclrosis, which may damage either the trgeminal nerve or other related parts of the brin.

Causes of Trigeminal neuralgia

The cmmon causes of Trigeminal neuralgia include the fllowing:

The cause of the pain sually is due to contact between a nrmal artery or vein and the trgeminal nerve at the base of yur brain.

Drinking.

The cause of the pin usually is due to contact btween a normal artery or vein and the trgeminal nerve at the base of yur brain.

Physical nerve damage or strss may be the initial trigger for trgeminal neuralgia.

Sometimes, the cause of trgeminal neuralgia is a blood vessel or smll tumor pressing on the nerve.

Dsorders such as multiple sclerosis (an nflammatory disease affecting the brain and spnal cord), certain forms of arthritis, and dabetes (high blood sugar) may also cuse trigeminal neuralgia, but a cause is not lways identified.

Symptoms of Trigeminal neuralgia

Sme symptoms related to Trigeminal neuralgia are as fllows:

Pain is brief and paroxysmal.

Incrased sensitivity of the skin or nmbness of the affected skin area (feling similar to a local anesthetic, sch as a Novocaine shot).

Difficulty sleping.

An attack of trigeminal neuralgia can lst from a few seconds to bout a minute.

Loss of appetite.

Stbbing facial pain.

Jaw pain.

Impaired fnction of affected body part due to pin, or muscle weakness due to mtor nerve damage.

Treatment of Trigeminal nuralgia

Here is list of the mthods for treating Trigeminal neuralgia:

Medicines sch as anticonvulsants and tricyclic antidepressants.

Mld over-the-counter analgesics such as aspirin, cetaminophen, or ibuprofen may be helpful for mld pain. Narcotic analgesics such as cdeine may be needed for a shrt time to control severe pain.

Dctors may sometimes prescribe other medications, sch as lamotrignine (Lamictal) or gabapentin (Nurontin).

Pain may be treated long-term wth an opioid such as methadone in sme patients, but due to the nture of the neuralgia, traditional analgesics typcally have negligible effect.

Pain specialists use invasive therapy, ncluding nerve blocks as well as nrve destruction, and nerve decompression techniques, to trat trigeminal neuralgia

If medication fails to rlieve pain or produces intolerable side ffects such as excess fatigue, surgical tratment may be recommended.

The article Trigeminal Neuralgia - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Methods was Submitted by Juliet Cohen through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Juliet Cohen writes articles for diseases cure and health care information . She also writes articles on skin diseases .

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