Background: We present six patients treated only with the new-generation anticonvulsant lamotrigine to define its sole effect on neuralgia after nerve section.
Methods: Previous surgical or pharmacological attempts failed to relieve this neuropathic pain in our patients. Before initiation of lamotrigine therapy, patients reported spontaneous and touch-evoked shooting pain followed by periods of burning pain. No breakthrough medication was needed during the maintenance phase of 1-23 months. Data were acquired by a pain diary on a weekly basis.
Results: With 75-300 mg of lamotrigine per day, the burning and shooting pain intensity was relieved by 33-100%. Most obviously, the attack frequency of the shooting pain was reduced by 80-100%. No adverse effects were observed.
Conclusion: We conclude that lamotrigine may be beneficial in the treatment of neuralgia after nerve section following the failure of previous pharmacological or surgical attempts.