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Anti-seizure medications: Relief from nerve pain
Anti-seizure drugs often are used to help control the type of pain caused by damaged nerves.
By Mayo Clinic staffAnti-seizure medications were originally designed to help people who have epilepsy. But the nerve-calming qualities of some of these drugs can also help quiet the burning, stabbing or shooting pain often caused by nerve damage.
Why does it hurt?
Nerves can be damaged by many things, including injury, surgery, disease or exposure to toxins. The damaged nerves are activated inappropriately and send pain signals that don't serve a useful purpose. This type of pain can be debilitating and difficult to control.
Nerve damage (neuropathy) can be caused by many conditions, including:
- Diabetes. High blood sugar levels, common in diabetes, can damage nerves throughout the body, but the first symptom typically is numbness and pain in the hands and feet.
- Shingles. Anyone who has had chickenpox is at risk of shingles, a rash of blisters that can be painful or itchy. A condition called postherpetic neuralgia occurs if shingles pain persists after the rash disappears. Because the risk of shingles increases with age, everyone age 60 and older should receive the zoster vaccine (Zostavax), which can help prevent this painful condition.
- Chemotherapy. Some chemotherapy drugs can damage nerves, causing pain and numbness that typically begin in the tips of your toes and fingers.
- Herniated disk. Nerve damage can occur if a herniated disk in your spine squeezes a nerve passing through your vertebrae too tightly.
- Inherited neuropathies. Some neuropathies are passed on genetically and can affect different nerves, depending on the type of disorder. The most common hereditary neuropathy is Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which affects your motor and sensory nerves.
How do anti-seizure drugs help?
The exact mechanism of action isn't fully understood, but anti-seizure medications appear to interfere with the overactive transmission of pain signals sent from damaged nerves.
Some anti-seizure drugs work particularly well for certain conditions. Carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol) is widely prescribed for trigeminal neuralgia, a condition that causes searing facial pain that feels like an electric shock.
It's important to note that the Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning that all anti-seizure drugs are associated with a slightly increased risk of suicidal thoughts or actions. Talk to a doctor or counselor promptly if you experience feelings of depression or suicidal thoughts.
Next page(1 of 2)
- Bajwa ZH, et al. Overview of the treatment of chronic pain. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 9, 2010.
- Diabetic neuropathies: The nerve damage of diabetes. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/neuropathies/index.htm. Accessed Sept. 9, 2010.
- Shingles: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/shingles/detail_shingles.htm. Accessed Sept. 9, 2010.
- Pain control: Support for people with cancer. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/paincontrol.pdf. Accessed Sept. 9, 2010.
- Low back pain fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/backpain/detail_backpain.htm. Accessed Sept. 9, 2010.
- Barkin RL, et al. Pharmacotherapeutic management of acute and chronic pain: Anticonvulsants. In: Rakel RE, et al. Textbook of Family Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/104961741-4/0/1481/214.html?tocnode=53392677&fromURL=214.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2467-5..50023-3--cesec73_891. Accessed Sept. 9, 2010.
- Trigeminal neuralgia fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/trigeminal_neuralgia/detail_trigeminal_neuralgia.htm. Accessed Sept. 9, 2010.
- Goodyear-Smith F, et al. Anticonvulsants for neuropathic pain: Gaps in evidence. Clinical Journal of Pain. 2009;25:528.
- Dworkin RH, et al. Recommendations for the pharmacological management of neuropathic pain: An overview and literature update. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2010;85:S3.
- Lamotrigine. Micromedex Healthcare Series. http://www.micromedex.com. Accessed Sept. 13, 2010.
- Suicidal behavior and ideation and antiepileptic drugs. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm100190.htm. Accessed Sept. 13, 2010.
- Hereditary neuropathies information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/neuropathy_hereditary/neuropathy_hereditary.htm. Accessed Sept. 14, 2010.
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