Clinical pharmacology of drugs used to treat head and face pain

Abstract

The head and face contain one of the densest and richest nerve supplies in the body. Consequently, the face and head are particularly sensitive to pain, and patients afflicted with pain involving these parts of their bodies often come to feel that they are being subjected to the most unbearable tortures. Fortunately, specific and effective pharmacotherapy is now available for many of these conditions. This article reviews the indications, dosing regimens, and potential side effects of the drugs used for the treatment of trigeminal and glossopharyngeal neuralgia, posttherapeutic neuralgia, temporal arteritis, and migraine based on the clinical pharmacology of these drugs, so that the most appropriate treatment for each patient can be chosen on a sound, rational basis.