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- Anti-seizure medications: Relief from nerve pain
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Anti-seizure medications: Relief from nerve pain
Newer anti-seizure drugs may have fewer side effects
More recent and more rigorous research supports the use of the following newer anticonvulsants to help relieve pain caused by damaged nerves.
- Gabapentin (Neurontin)
- Pregabalin (Lyrica)
- Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
Gabapentin and pregabalin
Both gabapentin and pregabalin are particularly effective in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia, diabetic neuropathy and pain caused by a spinal cord injury. Pregabalin may also help fibromyalgia. Because these drugs have few side effects — typically, drowsiness and dizziness — and are usually well tolerated, they are often the first medications to try for neuropathic pain.
Lamotrigine
Lamotrigine has proved effective in treating trigeminal neuralgia, nerve pain experienced after a stroke and HIV neuropathy (particularly in people with HIV taking antiretroviral therapy). It may also be helpful for diabetic neuropathy. If you develop a rash while taking lamotrigine, see your doctor right away because it may indicate a severe skin reaction that requires emergency treatment, such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
Side effects limit use of older anticonvulsants
Anti-seizure drugs have been used to treat nerve pain for many years, but their use was limited by the severity of side effects they produce.
Older anti-seizure drugs include:
- Carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol)
- Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal)
- Phenytoin (Dilantin)
- Valproic acid (Depakene)
Side effects may include:
- Liver damage
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Double vision
- Loss of coordination
- Drowsiness
- Headache
If you take an older anticonvulsant, you typically need regular follow-up visits so your doctor can monitor for side effects. Because these older drugs generally have more side effects than do the newer anticonvulsants, and the evidence supporting use of the older anticonvulsants for neuropathic pain is sparse at times, they often are recommended only when the newer medications prove ineffective.
Research continues
As scientists learn more about the way anti-seizure drugs work, this information will be useful in determining which drugs may work best for different types of nerve pain. Pain caused by nerve damage can be disabling, but anti-seizure drugs sometimes provide relief.
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