Symptoms

Trigeminal neuralgia symptoms may include one or more of these patterns:

• Episodes of severe, shooting or jabbing pain that may feel like an electric shock
• Spontaneous attacks of pain or attacks triggered by things such as touching the face, chewing, speaking or brushing teeth
• Bouts of pain lasting from a few seconds to several minutes
• Episodes of several attacks lasting days, weeks, months or longer — some people have periods when they experience no pain
• Constant aching, burning feeling that may occur before it evolves into the spasm-like pain of trigeminal neuralgia
• Pain in areas supplied by the trigeminal nerve, including the cheek, jaw, teeth, gums, lips, or less often the eye and forehead
• Pain affecting one side of the face at a time, though may rarely affect both sides of the face
• Pain focused in one spot or spread in a wider pattern
• Attacks that become more frequent and intense over time

When to see a doctor

If you experience facial pain, particularly prolonged or recurring pain or pain unrelieved by over-the-counter pain relievers, see your doctor.