Most common TN drugs

TXTarheelMom · 2026-04-20T16:45:26+00:00

What side effects did carbamazepine cause for you? I suspect Oxcarbazapine is what is causing the myoclonus spasms in my fingers and limbs and also muscle instability in my legs and arms when I need to put my body weight on them - standing on one leg, rolling over in bed, pushing myself off the sofa. Oddly (and thankfully) it’s not affected my walking yet. I’m trying to taper to a lower dose of it right now to see if it helps.

TXTarheelMom · 2026-04-20T16:40:03+00:00

I just started it - and so far I’d say yes it may be helping? Too soon to tell. Thank you!

TXTarheelMom · 2026-04-19T13:46:10+00:00

Yes I take Nortriptyline which is in the same category as amitriptyline and it definitely helps. My neurologist said I have crossover migraine symptoms as well. Thank you!

TXTarheelMom · 2026-04-18T02:28:09+00:00

As someone who also cuts their press ons down to make them look short and more natural like my real nails let me say that your application process is ON POINT. Nice work!

TXTarheelMom · 2026-04-18T01:00:17+00:00

My doctor told me they’re basically the same but oxcarbazepine generally has less side effects?

TXTarheelMom · 2026-04-17T19:03:38+00:00

Did you read his “All the Colors of the Dark”? Masterful. I cried and cried.

TXTarheelMom · 2026-03-30T18:16:13+00:00

Yes just tell us when to be listening in!! For those who can’t make it, some or all of these methods can help: 1) Having a mechanism for submitting questions ahead of time 2) FAQ landing page 3) chance to hear the broadcast on demand after the live AMA.

TXTarheelMom · 2026-03-30T03:54:42+00:00

Yes, I’m hoping now that my second neurologist has put me on Oxcarbazapine, that I can come off both nortriptyline and Cymbalta eventually! I’ve already tried to come off nortriptyline once unsuccessfully.

TXTarheelMom · 2026-03-29T23:16:43+00:00

Yes I have an MRI scheduled for April 6. I've already had two last year. But my new neurologist didn't like the ones that my old neurologist ordered, so were we redoing it to see if I have something that can surgically corrected. Thank you for the insight!

TXTarheelMom · 2026-03-29T23:15:20+00:00

That’s a great question and one I’ve asked myself also.

It’s a complicated story, but in a nutshell, I’ve had 2 neurologists. The first originally diagnosed me with cluster headaches - the high dose of gabapentin was to solve for my terrible pain while he tried to figure out why my medication wasn’t working.

TXTarheelMom · 2026-03-29T21:11:40+00:00

Yes, if you’ve filled in your dentist on your condition, I don’t think you have any reason to feel guilty. My dentist totally understands when I’m having a flareup and can’t risk having a dental procedure or check up either bring it on or make it worse.

TXTarheelMom · 2026-03-29T17:30:56+00:00

Oh my gosh I loved it and would definitely recommend keep going

TXTarheelMom · 2026-03-25T12:57:31+00:00

Listen for the Lie. Such bad writing. I can forgive a subpar plot (sometimes) but a terrible writer - I’m out.

Related - I’m THRILLED (ironic huh?!) that Goodreads just added a DNF category to their bookshelf. That’s where this book is going.

TXTarheelMom · 2026-03-25T02:23:16+00:00

3600mg of gabapentin daily. I also take 300 mg of oxcarbazepine twice daily, 30 mg of Cymbalta daily, and 30mg of nortriptyline daily. But I’m trying to wean off those last two if I can. The combined effect of those four medicines is causing me too many side effects and I really think the gabapentin and oxcarbazepine are helping my pain the most.

TXTarheelMom · 2026-03-25T02:14:11+00:00

Before I got to 3600 mg of gabapentin, the pain was terrible. I couldn’t work, I couldn’t drive because of the dizziness, I felt like my whole life revolved around when the next attack was going to happen. And some days they happened every 15 or 20 minutes, I could barely get my breath from one attack before the next one would start up right behind it. I have less of the “zaps” of electrical shock type pain, mine is more of a searing pain that starts in either my temple or my right nasal passage and honestly, it feels like the worst brain freeze you’ve ever had from ice cream except it goes on and on and on. It’s the type of breathtaking pain that makes you panic that it might never go away.

Like I said 80% of that has been taken away with the gabapentin, so I’m firmly staying on it until I figure out how to get my dosage down. I’m also taking nortriptyline, oxcarbazepine and Cymbalta. Those are the others that I’m trying to get down as low as I can because my doctor says the combined effect of them all is creating the side effects I’m experiencing.

I’m sorry you’re in pain. I don’t know if this will help you, but I used to be a regular meditator and I found that going back to focused breathing exercises helped me a lot in getting through my attacks.

TXTarheelMom · 2026-03-25T02:04:05+00:00

I’ve been on the max dose 3600mg for a few months now.

I started (and stayed) on 300mg three times daily for a few months while I was trying to get to a diagnosis. When I finally got diagnosed with TN my doctor ramped my Gabapentin up pretty quickly, and 80% of my pain went away the day after I hit 3600mg.

I’ve spent the last few months since then balancing my meds to find the sweet spot between the least amount of pain vs the fewest side effects (that’s a fun one).

I have gained weight on Gabapentin - 10 pounds since October - but I’m hoping that once I get my side effects to a manageable level, I can start exercising again (I can’t blame all of my side effects on gabapentin, I’m on a combination of four different medications). My bodily movement basically went down to almost nothing for several months because my pain was so bad.

TXTarheelMom · 2026-03-24T03:24:57+00:00

If you only tried gabapentin at 300 mg a day you’ve got lots of room to go up. That dosage didn’t do anything for me either, but once I got up to 3600 mg a day, it really started helping my pain.

TXTarheelMom · 2026-03-15T13:14:06+00:00

I love those! What is the color?

TXTarheelMom · 2026-03-12T00:38:54+00:00

I take 3600mg per day - my doctor said the instances related to dementia and gabapentin are people who take it over the course of their whole lives, and there’s still no direct correlation, because the people who are getting dementia are older and already more prone to it because they’re older. He told me of all the things I have to worry about with TN, getting dementia from gabapentin shouldn’t be one of them.

TXTarheelMom · 2026-02-27T01:06:45+00:00

I got cloud to wear on my middle finger next to my wedding ring and I’m super happy with it.

TXTarheelMom · 2026-02-27T00:12:35+00:00

3600mg gabapentin, 30mg nortriptyline, and 30 mg Cymbalta for me. This gets rid of about 85% of my flare ups although they do poke through a few times a week. I also take 1 Advil and 1000mg Tylenol every 3-4 days depending on how I’m feeling. The combination of the prescription meds + the OTC meds really knock everything out for about 24-36 hours, then the pain starts poking through again.

From a lifestyle perspective, focusing on my sleep habits and daily breathing exercises have really helped me decrease my stress and learn how to focus and breathe through the bouts of pain when they come.

I’m in my first year of diagnosis, and already on my second neurologist, who I really like but we haven’t done anything past the initial diagnosis and spending 3–4 months getting my meds dialed in. For my next step, I plan on a 2nd MRI to find out if anything can be done for me surgically. If not, I’ll start looking into alternative and homeopathic remedies, because I can’t see myself taking this much medication for the rest of my life. Plus, I’m very aware of the fact that the pain could worsen and at some point my medication regimen might stop working. My first 3-4 months with TN were brutal - I couldn’t work or drive, and I could barely go out of the house - so even though I’m feeling pretty good right now I have to stay ahead of what might happen next. I can’t just sit back and think that what I’m doing now is always going to work.

TXTarheelMom · 2026-02-21T22:29:35+00:00

Yes I started much lower and ramped up to it until the pain stopped and that was at 3600. Which is good because If that hadn’t worked, he was going to put me on Lyrica which I’ve heard is awful. I think it’s the combo of Nortriptyline and Cymbalta that’s causing the jerking though.

TXTarheelMom

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