Intravenous lidocaine and magnesium for management of intractable trigeminal neuralgia: a case series of nine patients

Most patients suffering from trigeminal neuralgia (TN) benefit from medical therapy, for example carbamazepin, gabapentin, and pregabalin, individually or in combination. Nonetheless, some patients experience severe and intractable pain despite such medication, or the medication eliminates their pain but they experience intolerable side effects sufficient to warrant discontinuation. Intravenous magnesium and lidocaine have been used for management of intractable neuropathic pain. We treated nine patients with TN by using an intravenous infusion of a combination of 1.2 g magnesium and 100 mg lidocaine for 1 hour, once a week for 3 weeks. All patients experienced sound pain relief after the combined intravenous infusion therapy. Two patients experienced short and mild dizziness after the therapy, but no severe side effects were reported.