Hi, I am new here, this is my first post. I just got here at first by chance, I have been searching on all TN related issues. I hope mum face is reading this, since your post attracted me first, I could understand what you were going through. I hope you are better now.
Nevertheless I really just wanted to tell you what helped me, that in three weeks I am getting acceptable relief enough to go back to work. I was also convinced it was my tooth or teeth on my left side of the face where it hurts most. I got all that tested. Tegretol and other meds didn't work. I was desperate, pain unindurable. I read somewhere about acupuncture. I live near Dubai. I decided to go to the nearest acupuncturist, a qualified Chinese doctor. After the 5th session on all the nerve spots of the left side of my face I felt a marked change in pain. The sharpness was reducing with each session. But at the same time I was taking vitamin B12, B1, B6 and the whole complex. Fish Oil 1000mg. Magnesium citrate. Multivitamins. Ginseng. I am also using garlic oil capsules.
I stopped tegretol after one week, I didn't like its effect on me, lack of clarity and no relief in pain. My doc told me it takes a while to kick in, but during a brief stop of tegretol before my refill, and I was getting better with acupuncture, I preferred to stop tegretol, my doc may not be happy with me, but there you are, the idea is to stop the pain, and heal the nerves with the vitamins. And I was feeling better without the tegretol. So I followed what was working for me.
I hope you are feeling better anyway. In my case the acupuncture was instrumental in giving me relief and the vitamins B12, 1 and the rest were supporting the healing. In three weeks after I started all that, I just feel mild sensations on my face, but on a scale of 1 to 10, maybe around 3 is there, wearing off gradually. I can sleep. I hope this helps. I am on my second 5 day sessions of acupuncture. I will stop to watch after that.