MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Related Disorders

Disclaimer.

Trigeminal neuralgia can be an early warning sign of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) as facial pain occurs in 1% to 2% of MS patients. Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system (CNS), the nerves that comprise the brain and spinal cord. In MS, myelin ( the fatty insulation covering nerve fibers) is destroyed faster than it can be regenerated. The scarring resulting from this demyelination process disrupts signals that travel along the nerves of the central nervous system. Currently there is no cure for MS but studies show that early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can reduce future disease activity and improve quality of life for many people with multiple sclerosis.

General Resources on Multiple Sclerosis

	The National Multiple Sclerosis Society
	The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America - Excellent site with physician and clinic referrals, clinical trial listings, experimental treatments, support groups, support of barrier free housing.
	International MS Support Foundation - Not meant as advice for individual MS patients, this page presents a good discussion of treatments for MS and its secondary symptoms.
	Yahoo's list of Multiple Sclerosis Sites

Drug Treatments for MS Facial Pain

Drugs very similar to those used to treat TN are used to control facial pain in MS patients. As in TN, if severe pain cannot be controlled by drugs, some MS patients elect to have a section of a nerve surgically removed or blocked.

	Carbamazepine (Tegretol).
	Phenytoin (Dilantin).
	Diazepam (Valium.)
	Pimozide (Orap). - This drug is used mainly to treat schizophrenia but several sources indicate it is sometimes used to treat MS-related trigeminal neuralgia.
	Amitriptyline (Elavil).