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A nerve block is a technique which may be used for the relief of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) during which a drug such as a local anesthetic in injected into an area of the body to temporarily stop the ability of a nerve to transmit pain signals. Two commonly drugs that can be used for a nerve block include:

• Local anesthetics - A local anesthetic agent, such as lidocaine or bupivacaine, is injected into the trigger area and stops the pain for approximately the time period that the drug is active, however, it does not produce long-term relief. This procedure is sometimes recommended if a patient is experiencing significant pain and requires short-term relief until the prescribed anticonvulsant medication reaches sufficient levels in the bloodstream to reduce the pain.

• Alcohol block - In this procedure, alcohol (ethanol) is injected into the peripheral branches of the trigeminal nerve resulting in pain relief that lasts approximately one-year. Repeated alcohol blocks, however, tend to be less effective. It is critical that this procedure be performed by an experienced surgeon since there tends to be more complications associated with alcohol blocks when performed by less experienced surgeons.