Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with GoogleGet your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
Prescribed Tegretol For Trigeminal Neuralgia. Should Medicine Be Taken Only When Pain Occurs?
I have been diagnosed after years of mis or not diagnosed with tri-geminal neurolgia. I have been given tegretol-xr 100mg 2 times daily. The last episode about six months ago it did not help. This time after the first day it seems to be working as the pain is gone. Should I only take this when the episodes start again. Sometimes I can go for a year or more with none. I don't want to have the liver side effects so only am taking when the pains start again.
Sat, 10 Aug 2013
Hi,
Thank you for posting your query.
Yours is a very good question. Tegretol only helps relieves the symptom, in this case, pain due to Trigeminal neuralgia. So, it does not make sense to take tegretol for one year to prevent one episode of pain. So, in your case, you can take it as and when you get the pain.
Most people have frequent pain, even on a daily basis, they need to take it everyday.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology)
Senior Consultant Neurologist
Thank you for posting your query.
Yours is a very good question. Tegretol only helps relieves the symptom, in this case, pain due to Trigeminal neuralgia. So, it does not make sense to take tegretol for one year to prevent one episode of pain. So, in your case, you can take it as and when you get the pain.
Most people have frequent pain, even on a daily basis, they need to take it everyday.
Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology)
Senior Consultant Neurologist
I find this answer helpful
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer.
For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service
[Sample answer]
Related questions you may be interested in
Recent questions on Liver
Loading Online Doctors....