New generation anti-epileptics for facial pain and headache

The prophylactic management of recurrent head and facial pains may be challenging because of lack of efficacy and/or bothersome adverse effects of available drug therapies. New generation antiepileptic drugs offer new perspectives in difficult cases. We will review the available published data and present our experience with lamotrigine in various head and facial pains such as migraine, cluster headache, neuropathic trigeminal pain, atypical facial pain, and chronic tension-type headache. Twenty-five patients were enrolled and followed for 18 months. The dose was gradually increased in steps of 25 mg up to the effective dose (mean 250 mg/d). Lamotrigine was most effective in trigeminal neuralgia and dysesthesia, but was of little utility in the other head or facial pains.