Some of the medication that I take now, I have taken for 20 yrs. As different situations occur, my medicine dosages have been adjusted and re adjusted to try to keep up with the severity of the pain.Just a week ago I was started on a new pain med, Tramadol. I have had more than one pain management Doctor and five or six Neurologists. At different times I was put on Oxycontin, methadone, morphine suckers, (yes, that one is strange) morphine pumps, a patch to wear right on my cheek, two balloon compression procedures, on and on. I am not on any narcotics now and it was not easy getting off of them.
It's been a long journey. Some of the pain meds that you will use can be so different from someone else. I'm sorry that you have to go through any of this. Bless, Doodle bug.

I realize that this thread is over a month old, but I'm going to answer anyway.

I've had Trigeminal Neuralgia for 12 years now. Initially I was on my meds for 1 year and slowly weened off. I was good for a couple years, then it came back. I was on my meds for about another 6 months and weened off again. Then again and again.

This is a pattern that has been going on for the past 12 years. I just recently had a relapse and saw my family practice doctor, and it sounds like this time I might be put on a maintenance dose for the rest of my life. I guess we'll see what happens.