Clinical Efficacy of Oxcarbazepine compared with Carbamazepine in terms of Pain Relief in the Management of Trigeminal Neuralgia

Oxcarbazepine vs Carbamazepine for Pain Relief in Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Background: Despite various pharmacological drugs used for the treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN), the clinical efficacy of carbamazepine with oxcarbazepine in terms of pain relief particularly in Pakistani population is poorly studied. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of carbamazepine with oxcarbazepine for treating Trigeminal Neuralgia. Objective: To compare oxcarbazepine with carbamazepine in the management of trigeminal neuralgia in terms of mean pain. Study Design: Quasi-Experimental study. Settings: Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan. Duration: 06 months i.e. 30^th Apr 2018 to 30^th Oct 2018. Methods: This single-centre, prospective clinical study was conducted on 70 patients diagnosed with TN. Patients were divided into two groups; Group A: Control group (n = 35), in which patients were given Carbamazepine 200mg twice a day upto1800mg and Group B: an Experimental group (n = 35), in which the patients receive Oxcarbazepine (300mg BD daily up-to 1800mg). The clinical parameters were evaluated by a self-reported questionnaire. Pain level was assessed at 1^st and 2^nd month follow-up using a Visual Analog Scale. Results: The mean postoperative pain was measured for both groups. Although the mean pain score at 1^st follow-up month was similar for Group A (5.2±1.0) and B (4.9±1.1), p=0.328, higher clinical efficacy was observed in 2^nd follow-up month for Group B– Oxcarbazepine (3.1±0.8) when compared with Group A– Carbamazepine (5.14±0.8) in terms of mean pain score that was statistically significant p<0.001. Conclusion: This study concludes that in term of pain relief, Oxcarbazepine appears to be a more effective as compared to Carbamazepine in the treatment of TN.