Trigeminal neuralgia is also known as tic douloureux, which affects the trigeminal nerve (fifth cranial nerve) that carries the sensations from the face to the brain. Symptoms include repetitive bouts of lancinating pain lasting for a few seconds or less. It is usually unilateral and involves the second and third divisions of the nerve territory. Etiology is primarily idiopathic, but lesion or compression of the nerve are attributed. Medications like Carbamazepine, Gabapentin, Amitriptyline, etc., have been found helpful in their treatment. Other options like decompression of the vascular loop, alcohol, or phenol injections in the peripheral branch of the nerve were also found effective.
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What causes pins and needles sensation in the face?
Query: Hi doctor, A month ago, when I woke up in the morning, I felt pins and needles above my eyebrows and nose. I had an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and no tumors were detected. I think the nerve may have been attacked by a virus. It cleared up completely within six weeks, except the nose and it sti... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. As you rightly observed, the abnormal sensations could have been because of viral effect on the nerve. It is the ophthalmic division of the fifth cranial nerve (eye division of trigeminal nerve), which supplies the face above the tip of the nose. The virus may be one of ... Read Full »
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