Hi, hejhog, and welcome,

As BMW mentioned, Ella, who wrote the MVD Daily Diary thread - MVD-post surgery daily diary - hasn't checked in lately, but she's from Toronto and may be able to help direct you. Also, there are a couple of Canadian Trigeminal Neuralgia Associations and Support Groups up there where you should be able to get some help and support and maybe some doctor recommendations -

Trigeminal Neuralgia Association of Canada

Canada TNA

Your case certainly sounds "classic" so the meds should kick in at some point. But do find yourself a neurologist who has treated TN and is familiar with it in all its variations - somebody who says they don't know what causes it is not for you. And if you do decide on surgery, interview a number of neurosurgeons and find one who has had a lot of experience and an excellent success rate.

Take care and good luck with the meds. It can take a while to get up to a therapeutic dose, but once you do your body will acclimate to the side effects in time and hopefully you can find a balance where you're painfree with minimal side effects. Take care and do keep us posted.

Jean