Comparative Assessment of the Effectiveness of Carbamazepine and Baclofen in the Management of Trigeminal Neuralgia

Abstract

Objectives: The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of carbamazepine and baclofen in the medical management of trigeminal neuralgia. Materials and Methods: 100 trigeminal neuralgia patients were randomly divided into two groups with 50 samples in each. Group A had patients treated with carbamazepine while Group B comprised of patients treated using baclofen. Follow-up was performed on the initial, 15 days, 1 month, and 3 months duration. The data was statistically evaluated. Results: Carbamazepine showed a “good response” in 54.39% of patients at initial follow-up, and adverse side effects increased in 20–29.49% of patients from the initial to 3-month duration. On the other hand, baclofen demonstrated a “good response” in 54.45% of patients at initial follow-up. At 800 mg, a “good response” was noted in 87.9% of patients, whereas 16.9% of patients had an “average response” and a “good response” after 1 month. At 3 months, 99.87% of patients showed a “good response.” Both groups showed similar success rates after 3 months. Conclusion: Adverse effects incidence and success were similar in both groups.

Keywords

• baclofen
• carbamazepine
• comparison
• trigeminal neuralgia