Question: My husband, age 64, had microvascular decompression surgery for trigeminal neuralgia on XXXXXXX 10. All pain is gone after 13 long years! The surgery was in Orange, CA, and we had to stay for 2 weeks afterwards before we could fly home to XXXXXXX He was weaned off of the Trileptil he took for his TN before we came home on Wed., the 25th. He has had severe fatigue, sleeping a few hours at a time, and flu-like symptoms, as well as being "antsy" and anxious, and not being able to sleep much at night. He is on .5 mg of Xanax for tinnitus (which occurred after his 1st microvascular decompression in 2002), and he takes one Ambien CR a few times a week if he thinks he might have trouble sleeping. He is also on 10 mg of Lexapro for OCD. Can his symptoms be withdrawals from the Trileptil? He took his last 300 mg pill on Sunday, the 22nd. Or could it be from the anesthesia, which the doctor said would take about an hour to get him under good before they could start the surgery, which lasted about 2 hours, with an hour to close. XXXXXXX had malignant hyperthermia after his 1st MVD, so he stays away from neuroleptic drugs and Demerol, because he had both during the first surgery and in recovery, and the surgeon did not know which caused the MH. I don't know what anesthesia was used for this surgery. My husband is 5'11' and weighed 175 at his post-op checkup to remove the stitches. I'm asking this at nearly midnight, because he can't sleep (& he took an Ambien!), and I'm trying to keep his mind busy so he's not anxious. Thank you so much for any advice you can give as to how long he might feel like this or what I can do to help him rest, especially at night.
Lois XXXXXXX

Thank you for your response. I agree that XXXXXXX is not in MH -- no high b/p of 219/115 or high temp over 105 degrees like he had in recovery from the first surgery. I just gave you that bit of history so you would know which drugs he did not have during this surgery. I had heard anesthesia can cause flu-like symptoms as well, so did not know if that could also be involved this time. Do you know how long the symptoms will last if they are related to withdrawal from the Trileptil? Re-visiting the neurosurgeon is impossible since he is in California and we live in Tennessee. He had given post-op orders for XXXXXXX to be weaned off of Trileptil before leaving the hospital, but when we left the hospital to go back to our hotel room for the next 10 days, XXXXXXX was given a prescription for 300 mg of Trileptil once daily. The surgeon was NOT happy when he found out his orders had not been followed. I think he had wanted to see how XXXXXXX reacted coming off the med prior to our returning to XXXXXXX Our neighbor is a GP and said XXXXXXX could sleep off and on for several days, possibly a week or more, due to his 13-year-history of lack of sleep and severe pain with the Trigeminal Neuralgia, as well as constant pain from nerve damage after 2 gamma knife surgeries at Vanderbilt and 2 balloon compressions at Mayo Clinic, ending with this MVD surgery, all of which has been very traumatic to his body. XXXXXXX is a workaholic and even in severe pain, worked most days holding a microwaveable heat pad to his face. Being off work for a month already also has him a bit stressed, even though his CEO, who hired XXXXXXX 33 years ago, gave him strict orders to rest and to not worry about work. If Dan's symptoms persist, I can email his surgeon or we can contact his neurologist at Vanderbilt, but do you have any idea how long withdrawal from a drug like Trileptil normally takes? He was on it for about 8 years. Thank you for your reply, as well as for your service to others who are suffering.
Lois XXXXXXX

I think our neighbor was basically saying the trauma to his body from his long-term condition and then the surgery would make him sleep for a few days. Not wanting to take advantage of our neighbor's profession and friendship, I will speak with Dan's regular GP and see what Dr. XXXXXXX can prescribe for him. Thank you SO MUCH for your input!!

Blessings to you in your work!