A new combination of two old drugs seems to provide relief for some trigeminal neuralgia (TN) sufferers. The first line drugs for TN are epilepsy drugs, carbamazepine (Tegretol) or oxcarbazepine (Trileptal). A presentation at the last annual scientific meeting of the American Headache Society by Saudi physicians described successful use of another epilepsy/pain drug, pregabaline (Lyrica) with an antidepressant/pain drug duloxetine (Cymbalta). Both Lyrica and Cymbalta are approved by the FDA for the treatment of some pain conditions, although not TN. The doctors compared Lyrica alone with Lyrica and Cymbalta in combination in 200 patients. The combination resulted in an 80% reduction of pain, which was observed within 10 days, while Lyrica alone produced a 60% reduction that started within 20 days. The dose of Lyrica was 150 mg twice a day (after a one week build up from 75 mg twice a day) and the dose of Cymbalta was 60 mg a day.
Since both Cymbalta and Lyrica have pain relieving properties, this appears to be a rational combination of medications to use in TN and possibly other painful conditions, including various types of headaches. However, as a general rule, we try to use a single drug whenever possible to reduce the potential for side effects. TN is such a severe and debilitating condition, that it may be justified to use a combination early, especially if the first line drugs, such as oxcarbazepine fail.
In my previous posts I have described the use of intravenous medications, Botox and other invasive treatments for TN.
