Anti-seizure drugs often are used to help control nerve pain.
Anti-seizure (anticonvulsant) medications were developed primarily to reduce or control epileptic seizures. But they can also help control the burning, stabbing or shooting pain sometimes caused by nerve damage. These drugs seem to work by slowing or blocking pain signals from damaged nerves.
How do anti-seizure drugs help?
The exact mechanism of action isn't fully understood, but anti-seizure medications appear to interfere with the overactive transmission of pain signals sent from damaged nerves.
Many anti-seizure drugs work in several different ways to block pain signals from damaged nerves. You may be best served by taking two or more of these drugs simultaneously.
Some anti-seizure drugs work particularly well for certain conditions. For example, carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol) is widely prescribed for trigeminal neuralgia — a nerve disorder that can feel like jolts of electricity running through your face. A newer form of this drug, called oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), has fewer side effects.
Research is continuing
As scientists learn more about the way anti-seizure drugs work, this information will be useful in determining which drugs may work best for what types of nerve pain. Pain caused by nerve damage can be disabling, but anti-seizure drugs sometimes provide relief when nothing else works.
Last Updated: 11/20/2006
