Posted by Alisha on June 17, 2004, at 21:51:55
In reply to Re: TMJ Questions, posted by jlbl2l on June 2, 2004, at 17:51:16
I've had TMJ for the past four and a half years. Within that span of time, I've been put on medications as well as splint/mouth guard therapy. A splint and mouth guard are the same thing, though the duration it stays in one's mouth is dictated by one's physical pain and doctor recommendation. I just wear mine at night and receive the greatest amount of muscle-tension relief. The jaw joints themselves do not stop hurting, but there is a considerable difference in the quality of sleep I get by using the splint. As for the medications to control the pain...they help but the side effects are not pleasant. Right now I'm on daily doses that add up to: 4800 mg of Neurontin, 60 mg of Baclofen, 40 mg Adderall, 25 mg Vioxx, 120 mg Inderall, and 30 mg Remeron. The Neurontin, Baclofen, and Vioxx help with TMJ pain; Adderall counteracts the side effects of Neurontin and Baclofen; Inderall alleviates daily headaches associated with my TMJ pain; and the Remeron helps with sleeping and depression (mostly due to chronic TMJ pain).
The severity of my TMJ problems began at the age of 13; I turn 18 this Sunday (6-20). My problems are far from over. At this point, I am seeing one physician in hopes that she can find another combination of medications that will control the pain better than Neurontin and Baclofen do. She is working me off of the Neurontin at the moment, slowly working Gabitril into its place. (I'm currently looking for info on Gabitril as I've never heard of it.) Her plan is to back me off of all the meds I'm on, then try out a narcotic patch to see how controlled the pain becomes.
I'm also preparing to have my wisdom teeth taken out in August, followed by getting braces put on my teeth. About six months after that, I'll be ready for jaw surgery to correct my open bite, which the doctors believe is the pain source of pain. The pressure of my bite all goes to the back teeth since the canine teeth do not touch. Despite the face that the right lower jaw bone is a bit shorter than the left, and that the discs have slipped in both joints, they think it is mostly my bite that causes the pain.
If all of that made sense. :)
I mostly find relief by applying ice packs to my face. Sometimes a heating pad works better, but cold compresses mostly work much better for me. If your pain doesn't get any better, see your dentist. Do not let him manipulate your jaw as mine did, twice. The next step is to find a specialist in the Oral and Maxillofacial field, who will hopefully hook you up with a splint and maybe medications, if they're necessary.
If there's anything you'd like to know about TMJ, you can ask me (I'll be as helpful as possible...I've been through MANY things because of my jaw) or visit http://www.tmj.org
Hope some of that helps!
poster:Alisha
thread:352735
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040614/msgs/357673.html