NeuroTalk Support Groups - Newbie: TN and meds

Hi all,

Newbie to the forum. I am 33 years old and I was just diagnosed with TN about 6 months ago after visit with neurologist and MRI. I also have struggled with an autoimmune inflammatory arthritis for about 10 years. They don’t seem to think it’s related to my TN but I’m not entirely sure I believe that to be true. Anyway, I take carbamazepine (tegratol) slow release. They started me on 100mg twice a day, bumped up to 200mg twice a day, now at 300mg twice a day and it’s still doing absolutely nothing for the pain so far. Ibuprofen initially didn’t help at all, but over time it gives me some relief for short periods of time.

My question is for those of you who take carbamazepine (tegratol), how much do you take for effective pain relief? I’m just curious what dose gives everyone relief. The idea of taking so much meds in addition to my autoimmune meds at such a young age has me worried about long term health of my liver and kidneys. I will say that TN pain is by far the most painful thing I have ever experienced and if the meds don’t work I will be looking into gamma knife or MVD. Hugs to you all dealing with this awful pain.