Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41718164›Full record

ReviewMedicines (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Anticonvulsant Therapy in Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Class-Oriented Systematic Review.

Miguel Pinto Moreira, Bruno Daniel Carneiro, Carlos Silva Faria, Daniel Humberto Pozza, Sara Fonseca

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Medicines (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Miguel Pinto MoreiraExperimental Biology Unit, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine of Porto, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.
Bruno Daniel CarneiroExperimental Biology Unit, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine of Porto, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-3434-2247
Carlos Silva FariaDepartment of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine of Porto, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-8470-152X
Daniel Humberto PozzaExperimental Biology Unit, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine of Porto, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-2119-4479
Sara FonsecaDepartment of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine of Porto, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-1326-780X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesTrigeminal Neuralgia (TN) is a chronic neuropathic condition characterized by sudden, severe facial pain. Anticonvulsants are the cornerstone of pharmacological management, yet comparative evidence based on pharmacological class remains scarce. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anticonvulsants in TN, stratified by their mechanism of action.

methodsA systematic search in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Studies employing a pharmacological approach including human patients with TN, published in English since 2000, were included. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2, the ROBINS-I and the ROBINS-E tools, according to the study design.

resultsOut of 922 initial records, 12 studies met the eligibility criteria. Sodium channel inhibitors showed high efficacy but frequent adverse effects, particularly hyponatremia and central nervous system symptoms. Calcium channel modulators offered a more favorable safety profile. Combination therapies showed benefits, levetiracetam and topiramate were moderately effective and well tolerated. Although the evidence has limitations, anticonvulsants continue to be the primary treatment for TN. Sodium-channel blockers demonstrate strong efficacy, whereas alternative agents generally provide superior tolerability.

conclusionsThese findings support selecting drugs according to their underlying mechanisms of action. Equally important is tailoring therapy to pain phenotype and patient characteristics, balancing mechanism with tolerability and efficacy.

Indexed as

anticonvulsantscarbamazepinefacial pain disordergabapentinlevetiracetamneuropathic painpharmacological therapysodium channel blockerstrigeminal pain

Identifiers

PMID41718164
PMCPMC12922134

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.