Anticonvulsants and Percutaneous Rhizotomy
Anticonvulsants are also known as anti-epileptic drugs. They are normally recommended for people who have seizures. Medications such as carbamazepine prevent seizures by impeding repetitive excitatory electrical signals that move down the length of nerves. However, Carbamazepine can lead to serious side effects and may gradually lose potency over time. Your neurologist will then prescribe a similar anticonvulsant known as oxcarbazepine. Other anticonvulsants, like lamotrigine, topiramate, or vampiric acid may also function if the first medications don’t work.
Doctors recommend percutaneous rhizotomy for patients with trigeminal neuralgia that may not be suitable for more invasive procedures due to age or other diseases. In these procedures, the site of injury on the trigeminal nerve is where it emerges from the skull.