The symptoms can be mistaken for migraines, dental problems such as temporomandibular joint disorder, musculoskeletal issues, and hypochondriasis.
Affected individuals have a constant migraine-like headache and experience pain in all three trigeminal nerve branches.
[2] Simple stimuli—such as eating, talking, making facial expressions, washing the face, or any light touch or sensation—can trigger an attack (even the sensation of a cool breeze).
[citation needed] Glossopharyngeal neuralgia, a rare disorder, usually begins after age 40 and occurs more often in men.
[3] Additional tools may be used, predominantly in research settings including Laser Evoked Potentials and Quantitative Sensory testing.
Lasers can emit a radiant-heat pulse stimulus to selectively activate A-delta and C free nerve endings.
Clinicians can quantify the mechanical sensitivity of the tactile stimulus using von Frey hairs or Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments (SWMFs).
Special medications have become more specific to neuralgia and typically fall under the category of membrane stabilizing drugs or antidepressants such as duloxetine (Cymbalta).
The antiepileptic medication pregabalin (Lyrica) was developed specifically for neuralgia and other neuropathic pain as a successor to gabapentin (Neurontin).
[citation needed] High doses of anticonvulsant medicines—used to block nerve firing— and tricyclic antidepressants are generally effective in treating neuralgia.
If medication fails to relieve pain or produces intolerable side effects, surgical treatment may be recommended.
A technician can create different electrical distributions in the nerve to optimize the efficiency, and a patient controls the stimulation by passing a magnet over the unit.
Depending on the procedure, other surgical risks include hearing loss, balance problems, infection, and stroke.
[13] Various locations were proposed for the primary lesion during the nineteenth century, including nerve roots, ganglia, trunks and branches, as well as the brain and spinal cord.
In 1828, JC Warren[14] and TJ Graham[15] placed the cause in the trunk or branch of the nerve innervating the perceived site of the pain, though Graham also attributed neuralgia to "morbid sensibility of the nervous system" due to "great disorder of the general health".