Myths

Myth: All facial pain is trigeminal neuralgia.
Fact: There are actually many causes of facial pain that have nothing to do with TN. Disorders that affect the eye, eye socket, nose, sinuses, teeth, temporomandibular joint, gums, tongue, inside of the mouth, and ear can all produce facial pain. However, the pain symptoms that occur with these problems are usually much different from those caused by TN. Also, all of these other conditions usually have other findings that help to differentiate them from TN. However, it is true that the symptoms caused by many of these conditions do overlap somewhat. It is, therefore, very important to tell your doctor as much information about your pain as possible.

Myth: Microvascular decompression should not be done for patients over 65 years of age.
Fact: Actually, research studies suggest that MVD is just as safe and effective for patients over the age of 65 as for patients younger than 65 years of age. Elderly patients who are otherwise in excellent health should not be denied consideration for MVD simply based on age alone. 

Myth: There is no risk to stereotactic radiosurgery (gamma knife).
Fact: Although this type of surgery is a non-invasive treatment, it is still a destructive procedure meant to damage the trigeminal nerve using radiation. Any procedure that damages the nerve can cause sensory loss on the face and occasionally bothersome sensations known as dysesthesias. These problems are more commonly caused by use of higher doses of radiation. Unfortunately, higher doses of radiation also result in better pain relief. 

Myth: All people with trigeminal neuralgia have classic or typical symptoms.
Fact: Many people with trigeminal neuralgia do not in fact have typical symptoms. Also, for people who have had TN for many years, the symptoms tend to become less typical as time goes by. 

Myth: Even when the pain goes away, a person will need to stay on medications for a long time.
Fact: This is not necessarily the case. Trigeminal neuralgia is often characterized by periods of spontaneous remission. For some people, these periods may last many years. There is no absolute way to manage medications for people with TN. Therefore, it is important for you to have excellent communication with your doctor and nurse in order to monitor the medications. When you are prescribed a medication, you must take it regularly for it to be effective. Once you have been pain free for perhaps 6 to 12 weeks, it may be possible to reduce the medication or even taper off of it completely without the pain returning. However, this should be directed by your doctor. Do not suddenly stop the medications. Doing this can cause serious side effects with certain medications.