Pharmacists and Trigeminal Neuralgia

Pharmacists and trigeminal neuralgia are not usually discussed together, but I believe they should be.

When The Pharmaceutical Journal was preparing a clinical learning article about the pharmacist’s role in TN care, I was asked to help bring patient experience into it.

I provided anonymised experiences shared by TNA UK members so that pharmacists would hear not only the clinical facts, but what it is actually like to live with trigeminal neuralgia.

Those experiences now appear throughout the Pharmaceutical Journal article, alongside information about diagnosis, medicines, side effects, monitoring, dental pain, mental health and support.

I am pleased about that, and I hope our members are proud too.

When people share their experiences with TNA UK, they are helping us do more than support one another. Their voices can also help healthcare professionals understand where care works well and where it needs to improve.

This is a good example.

From patient experience to professional education

Patient voice should do more than appear in a report or sit in a quotation box.

It should improve understanding.

The experiences I supplied from TNA UK members were used throughout the clinical discussion. That means pharmacists reading the article encounter the realities of TN alongside the medical information.

A medicine may reduce attacks but leave someone dizzy, exhausted or unable to concentrate.

Another person may be struggling to work because of side effects.

Someone without a diagnosis may keep describing severe “toothache” even though the pattern of pain is neurological.

These details are part of healthcare because they affect safety, independence and daily life.

Why pharmacists matter

People with trigeminal neuralgia may take medicines for months or years. During that time, some will see a pharmacist far more often than they see a neurologist, neurosurgeon or pain specialist.

That regular contact gives pharmacists an important place in TN care.

They can explain how to take prescribed medicines, check for possible interactions, and discuss side effects. Pharmacists can also reinforce monitoring and advise when a medicine-related concern needs to go back to the prescriber or specialist team.

Carbamazepine remains a first-line treatment for trigeminal neuralgia. Other medicines may be considered when it is unsuitable, ineffective or difficult to tolerate.

TNA UK has further information about medication and surgical procedures for trigeminal neuralgia.

For carbamazepine, the NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service guidance on monitoring sets out important considerations for healthcare professionals before and during treatment.

Patients should not stop or alter prescribed TN medication without appropriate clinical advice.

At the same time, nobody should feel expected to live with worrying side effects without asking for help.

Medicines have to work in real life

At TNA UK, members often describe treatment in practical terms.

Does the medicine reduce the pain?

Can they still work?

Are they steady on their feet?

Can they concentrate properly?

Is tiredness affecting driving or caring responsibilities?

A pain score tells us something, but it does not tell us everything.

For many people, successful treatment means finding the best possible balance between controlling attacks and remaining able to function.

Pharmacists are well placed to help identify when that balance is becoming difficult.

When “toothache” is not toothache

Pharmacists may also meet someone before trigeminal neuralgia has been diagnosed.

CEO Update by Aneeta Prem MBE
22 August 2026