Idiopathic Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Case Report

Abstract

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is the most frequent type of neuropathic facial pain affecting one or more branches of trigeminal nerve. Here, a 51-year-old woman diagnosed with idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (ITN) presented with complaints of pain over right side of the face with redness of the eyes and excessive lachrymation since 5 years with weekly acute episodes of shooting pain. Chelidonium was chiefly prescribed followed by few doses of Spigelia as per indications which provided adequate pain relief. The complaints flared up following stressful circumstances for which Pulsatilla was prescribed after detailed case taking. The frequency, duration and intensity of pain reduced after homoeopathic treatment. The need for conventional medicine was also reduced. This suggests positive role of individualised homoeopathy in the treatment of ITN. Further studies should be undertaken to evaluate the role of homoeopathy in ITN.

Keywords

trigeminal neuralgia - homoeopathy - case report - Naranjo criteria

Informed Consent

The patient provided the consent to publish this case study.

Authorship Contribution

CDL treated the case and reviewed the manuscript. SJ drafted the manuscript. Both the authors approved the final version to be published.

Financial Support and Sponsorship

None.

• References

• 1 Toda K. Trigeminal neuralgia—symptom, diagnosis, classification, and related disorders. Oral Sci Int 2007; 4 (01) 1-9
• 2 Montano N, Conforti G, Di Bonaventura R, Meglio M, Fernandez E, Papacci F. Advances in diagnosis and treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. Ther Clin Risk Manag 2015; 11: 289-299
• 3 Sabalys G, Juodzbalys G, Wang H-L. Aetiology and pathogenesis of trigeminal neuralgia: a comprehensive review. J Oral Maxillofac Res 2013; 3 (04) e2
• 4 Dharti N, Rajan P, Wadhawan R, Solanki G. An old tale of trigeminal neuralgia in a novel & comprehensive manner. Acta Biomedica Scientia 2016; 3 (03) 169-175
• 5 Ralston S, Penman I, Strachan M, Hobson R. , eds. Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine. 23rd ed. UK: Elsevier; 2018
• 6 Cruccu G, Gronseth G, Alksne J. , et al; American Academy of Neurology Society; European Federation of Neurological Society. AAN-EFNS guidelines on trigeminal neuralgia management. Eur J Neurol 2008; 15 (10) 1013-1028
• 7 Punyani SR, Jasuja VR. Trigeminal neuralgia: an insight into the current treatment modalities. J Oral Biol Craniofac Res 2012; 2 (03) 188-197
• 8 Obermann M, Katsarava Z. Update on trigeminal neuralgia. Expert Rev Neurother 2009; 9 (03) 323-329
• 9 Mojaver YN, Mosavi F, Mazaherinezhad A, Shahrdar A, Manshaee K. Individualized homeopathic treatment of trigeminal neuralgia: an observational study. Homeopathy 2007; 96 (02) 82-86
• 10 Sebastian IA. 33 year old woman with trigeminal neuralgia—a homeopathic medicine case report. Am J Homeopathic Med Annu 2016; 109: 62-66
• 11 Boericke W. New Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica with Repertory. 3rd revised and augmented edition. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd.; 2007
• 12 Kishore J. Evolution of Homoeopathic Repertories and Repertorisation. 1st ed. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd.; 1998: 348
• 13 Kent JT. Repertory of the Homoeopathic Materia Medica. American 6th ed. 1981
• 14 Boger CM. Boger Boeninghausens Characteristics and Repertory. Reprinted edition. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd.; 2003–2004
• 15 Rutten LA. The importance of case histories for accepting and improving homeopathy. Complement Ther Med 2013; 21 (06) 565-570
• 16 Rutten L. Data collection: treat every variable as a treasure. Homeopathy 2015; 104 (03) 190-196
• 17 Saltychev M, Vastamäki H, Mattie R, McCormick Z, Vastamäki M, Laimi K. Psychometric properties of the pain numeric rating scale when applied to multiple body regions among professional musicians. In: Cipresso P. , ed. PLoS ONE. 2016. ;11(9): e0161874