Possible trigeminal neuralgia in a 64 years old woman

Dear Ask The Doctor: Wife is 64, past few months she has facial pain , nerve left side to ear and up to forehead. Pain is very severen she says, wish's she was dead. it comes and goes,affects her when she tries to eat or sleep. I took her to emergency, they gave her a pain shot, lasted 2 days, cost $400! doctor prescribed GABAPENTIN 300, doesn't seem to help,, seems a lot of people on internet have this, no cure available. We thought it might be elevation or cold weather, so we are relocating from Albuquerque to Las VegaS, nEVADA. APPRECIATE YOUR SUGGESTIONS.

Dear Brenda: The trigeminal neuralgia produces facial pain on the side that the trigeminal nerve is affected; this nerve carries sensation from the face to the brain. Initially the person experiences short, mild attacks, but trigeminal neuralgia can progress, causing longer, more frequent bouts of searing pain. Trigeminal neuralgia affects women more often than men, and it's more likely to occur in people who are older than 50. Trigeminal neuralgia treatment usually starts with medications, and many people require no additional treatment. However, over time, some people with the disorder eventually stop responding to medications, or they experience unpleasant side effects. For those people, injections or surgery provide other trigeminal neuralgia treatments options. I suggest that your wife have an evaluation by a Neurologist who will prescribe her the right medication and present her with the other treatment options available.