Hi,

I am so sorry that your husband is going through this and that you have to watch him suffer. I have Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia so my pain is probably quite different from what he is experiencing.

First of all, yes it is common for "attacks" to subside and come back. For some people it is a matter of days in between, and for some it is a matter of weeks, months or even years. Since he has isolated attacks that come and go I would say he has classic Trigeminal Neuralgia, or Type 1. All of the medications used for TN do take some time to start working. I think about four weeks. So, he really needs to give it some time. There are many medications used, so he has options if that one doesn't work. Here is a link to a VERY helpful website. This link is for the medications page. You should join and post a new thread there with all of your questions. It is the largest community of TN sufferers that I have found.

http://www.livingwithtn.org/page/info-8

As for medical help--YES! He should see a neurologist asap. He should have an MRI to rule out other possibilities, such as MS or a tumour. And he needs to make sure he finds a medication that works for him. The first line of meds for Type 1 TN are Tegretol, Trileptal and Neurontin.

Good luck to you and yours