Medication for TMJ disorder

[RupertTheBear89]

So I was diagnosed with TMJD during my pregnancy (currently 4 months post partum). It went away for about 4 weeks after I gave birth then came back. Have already had one tooth out due to breaking it after clenching and I've damaged another tooth too. I had impressions made last week for a michigan splint but was told it's not a quick fix and will take a while to notice a difference. Currently on a liquid/very soft diet. I'm just wondering has anyone been prescribed medication to help and if so how effective was it? My GP has suggested amitriptyline but not overly keen on taking it when I've to wake up to do night feeds. From googling I've seen some people take baclofen for tmjd but don't know much about it. Any replies would be greatly appreciated!

I take between 10 and 30mg of amitriptyline every evening. It helps a bit and it doesn’t knock me out at all so I would still take it if I had a baby.

I was prescribed diazepam as a muscle relaxant when DTs were 8 weeks old, I wasn't offered anything else. Needless to say I didn't take it, I wouldn't have been able to cope with the babies.

I could barely open my mouth, less than a cm at it's worst. The splint really really helped but it did take a good few weeks. On the plus side once it resolved itself it has never come back.

It's horrible, I hope you get better soon.

I've been offered Botox which I'm considering.

I had TMJ as a teenager. I had several rounds of Botox for it which did help for a while before wearing off. I also used a mouth guard which helped and just use to sit with a heated wheat bag on my face constantly. I grew out of it and now it only causes my problems when it's cold or if I have chewing gum, large apple etc. Never realised it could occur in pregnancy so wonder if it'll rear its head if I become pregnant.

@Wishihadanalgorithm oh that makes me feel a little better about taking it
@idontlikealdi oh that sounds dreadful. Glad you found the splint helped. Really hope my splint works too. Did you have teeth pain also with your tmjd?
@23451A I've looked into the possibility of botox too in case the splint doesn't work but apparently it can reduce bone density so it's not an ideal solution. In saying that, I definitely wouldn't rule it out if it meant being able to function normally again. Have you tried a splint or medications?

I do have a splint which I've had for years and it does help but I clench a lot in the day too. I've found relaxation techniques help and just being more aware and being mindful of my jaw. It has really effect the right side of my body, so stretching helps too. I'm reluctant to go down the Botox route tbh.

@Taskmasterlover It's actually quite rare for it to be caused by/flare up in pregnancy as normally muscles become looser as opposed to tighter. For me it may have just been coincidental that it occurred during pregnancy. I'm glad you have it under control now. It's such a crappy thing to have.
@23451A I know there are certain splints that can be worn all the time. Might be worth looking into if you clench during the day too.

@RupertTheBear89 how are you now ? I could of written this myself! What helped ? Xx