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In May 2004, my father began suffering from pain in his jaw. This pain quickly escalated to excruciating levels, 24 hours-a day. He could not eat, sleep, take a shower, or brush his teeth. Shortly thereafter, he was diagnosed as suffering from Trigeminal Neuralgia.
The disease is debilitating effects made it impossible to live a productive life. Doctors prescribed the medication Trileptal with little results. A search for alternative treatments led him to the gamma knife procedure. At the time, there seemed to be few non-invasive options.
However, approximately two weeks before the scheduled gamma knife procedure, he sought the opinion of yet another doctor. This doctor strongly suggested that he try the drug Cymbalta which is primarily used as an anti-depressant. After some reluctance, my father agreed. The results were dramatic! Within three to four days there was a remarkable decrease in pain. Just one month later, my father was pain free.
My father continues to take 1800 mg. per day of Trileptal and 60 mg. a day Cymbalta. He feels great and has been pain free since February 2006.
We agreed that it was important to tell his story. Hopefully this information may lead to some relief for others who suffer from this terrible affliction.
Updated 8-15-07
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