I had my first bout with TN about three years ago. Like many people, I first thought it was a dental problem - went to my dentist about six times who finally diagnosed it as TN and sent me to my regular doctor. He put me on Zoloft and tons of Motrin and the TN eventually disappeared (thank God).

A month ago it flared up again. BAD. Horrible electric shock pains in my face and the sensation that someone was jabbing a needle into the back of my jaw. Sometimes it was as if someone had touched my face with a frickin' cattle prod. Those of us who have this affliction know how bad this can be. Well, my regular doctor put me back on Zoloft, an anti-viral drug, steroids to decrease inflamation, and Valium to keep me calm and to try and relax the muscle around the afflicted nerve. None of this seemed to help much.

Five days ago, my doctor referred me to a pain management specialist who deals with lots of TN patients. This MD immediately put me on 150 mg of Lyrica - wants me to take it for a week, and if I can handle the side effects then he wants to DOUBLE the dose to 300 mg of Lyrica daily. He also has me eating nothing but soft foods and doing anything and everything possible to avoid stress on my jaw area.

The good news is that I have generally been pain-free for the last two days while taking the Lyrica several times a day and Valium at night. So far my only problem with Lyrica is a bit of dizziness, but I can deal with that instead of the pain.

Anyhow, I just found this forum and it has been comforting to realize that I am not alone. It is so scary to find yourself in such extreme agony (especially in the middle of the night) with this God awful pain that simply can't be grasped by someone who (mercifully) has never experienced it themselves.

My heart goes out to everyone who has dealt with TN.