title: Pimozide therapy for trigeminal neuralgia.
abstract: Pimozide was compared with carbamazepine in a double-blind crossover trial in 48 patients with trigeminal neuralgia who were refractory to medical therapy. Pimozide treatment produced greater reduction in trigeminal neuralgia symptoms than carbamazepine treatment. All of the pimozide-treated patients improved, while only 56% of carbamazepine-treated patients were relieved of their pain. Although both drugs provoked some adverse effects, it was not necessary to interrupt the trial in any case. After this 24-week trial, all patients began receiving pimozide and were followed up according to an open-label study design. In all cases, the pimozide dosage was progressively reduced until the minimal effective dose was reached. Central and peripheral mechanisms that may underlie pimozide-induced improvement are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Section of Psychopharmacology, Central University of Venezuela School of Medicine, Caracas.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lechin
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van der Dijs
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Lechin
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Amat
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Lechin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cabrera
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Acosta
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Arocha
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Villa
mesh_terms: D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D010868:Pimozide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011897:Random Allocation; D013997:Time Factors; D014277:Trigeminal Neuralgia / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D010868:Pimozide; D002220:Carbamazepine