A clinical study on comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of carbamazepine and combination of carbamazepine with baclofen or capsaicin in the management of Trigeminal Neuralgia

Background: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is characterized by recurrent attacks of lancinating pain in the trigeminal nerve distribution. Various medicinal and surgical procedures have been utilized for the treatment of TN. Over the time, several drugs other than carbamazepine have been used but none of them have shown satisfying results. Objective: The objective of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of carbamazepine and combination of carbamazepine with baclofen or capsaicin in the management of TN. Materials and Methods: A total of 45 patients diagnosed with TN were randomly divided into three groups. The patients were prescribed carbamazepine in Group 1, carbamazepine and baclofen in Group 2, and carbamazepine and capsaicin in Group 3. All the patients were followed on the 7 th day, 15 th day, and 1-month period to evaluate the response to the drugs. Data were subjected to statistics. Results: The results are composed of a total of 45 patients (15 in each group). The mean visual analogue scale scores were calculated for each group at day 0, 7 th day, 15 th day, and 30 days, and it was found that there was statistically significant reduction of pain ( P th day and 15 th day was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Carbamazepine in combination with baclofen is more efficient and effective in reducing pain in TN patients, followed by carbamazepine-capsaicin combination compared to carbamazepine alone.