I'm wondering if I have Trigeminal Neuralgia?

The pains started Monday night...feels like someone stabbing a hypodermic needle into my skull. Excruciating.
For the first three days, the stabs lasted for about 1-3 seconds with pain-free intervals of 10 seconds to two minutes, constant all day.
I had some relief yesterday with pains occurring about every 15 minutes but, last night they came back with a vengeance and this morning they are about 30 seconds apart lasting for about 5 seconds each time.

Saw a Dr. Tuesday. She saw fluid in my ears and prescribed antibiotics and gave me Fexmid. The Fexmid had no effect so, the next day I went back and she gave me Skelaxin and Flector patches. Obviously I couldn't put the patches on my scalp, over my hair and put it as near my scalp line as possible - no effect, nor from the Skelaxin.

Last night I tried a heating pad - no effect. It hurt so bad, I was pounding my head and pulling my hair!
At 11pm I took a hydrocodone which usually knocks me out for a day and a half - I fell asleep but, woke up at 6am with excruciating pains.
Today there is also a sort of 'burning' sensation and tightness in the area that won't go away.
Just called the Dr. and am going back this morning for ????

Does this sound like TN to any of you?

I have had TMJ disorder for years and had a real bad flare-up on the other side last year.
What a terrible design flaw - to place major nerves in the area of the jaw!!!!

Can anyone offer help or advice????

It certainly sounds like TN type pain to me. When I started to investigate the cause of my pain, I had more than one dr tell me my pain was from TMJ.

Having suffered from TMJ for many years, I knew this pain was different, so, of course, I knew they were wrong. Any way, I imagine you too can feel if this pain is different from your TMJ pain.

What kind of docs have you seen? Dentist-specializing in craniofacial pain, or a general practitioner? You may need to go to a neurologist before you get real relief. Normal pain killers don't do much of anything for nerve pain.

I'm now on lyrica for nerve pain in my hands, and it seems to be keeping my TN pain under control as well.

I agree it sounds like TN Sorry your hurting hun The only thing I have been able to take with out reactions (as yet) is Amitriptyline not doing much for pain as yet. Hope your Dr can help. xxxxxxx

Hi Sandycane I too am sorry your hurting.
What type of doctor are you seeing ent, general doctor, a neuro ???
It dose sound like T.N.pain. but that could be caused by an infection . Hopefully the antibiotics will clear everything up and the pain will end.
Let us know how you are doing and if anything is helping you.
Sending low pain and healing energy to you.

PEACE
BMW

Thanks everyone for the quick replies.

The first two Dr.s I called before seeing this GP at a Walk-in Clinic were neurologists - they both said they refuse to see patients who don't have medical insurance.

This last trip to the Dr. she said 'this is interesting' and that she was 'baffled'.
She gave me prescription for ear drops (local anesthetic only), hydrocodone and Furosemide and told me to increase potassium in my diet.

The hydro + Skelaxin helps some but, I always wake up with the pain. It seems to let up as the day goes on but comes back in the late afternoon and I have to take more meds before I can go to sleep.

The pain is not in my ear although, I may have some fluid there (not unusual for me). It started in front of my ear, under the scalp or skull and has migrated around to behind my ear and across the base of my skull.

...and you are right, it isn't anything like TMJ pain.
I'm going to call the Dr. this morning and see if she has anything else to offer.

Hi Sandy. Hope you've had some relief.

You might look at the other cranial neuropathies as well. There's a separate thread for that here.

All I can tell you is that with my TN, I had a horrific burning pain that attacked half of my nose, my eye socket, and the right side roof of my mouth and around the upper right teeth. The pain was like a torch held up to my face and no way to stop it. I recommend strongly to avoid tryptans..(any of the migraine meds popular now) as I was on them for several years before I had the TN attack. Have you tried ice packs on the painful areas? It works for my occipital neuralgia, but not the TN. The only help for the TN was carbomazapine (Tegretol) and time. Because my TN was connected with oral herpes outbreak and a root canal..the doctor told me it was atypical and it eventually went into remission. Hope your pain goes away really soon. Try the ice..it works for some.