Novel treatment in refractory tic douloureux.

Abstract

A patient with refractory trigeminal neuralgia (tic douloureux) was treated by intravenous magnesium sulfate successfully. Parenteral magnesium sulfate is an analgesic that expresses its analgesic effects through a noncompetitive blockade of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, which in turns inhibits calcium entry into the cells.