Are Eagle Syndrome and Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia the same or different? Can ES cause GPN and if so what would the symptoms of GPN do? Is it possible that ES causes nerve-like symptoms but is not necessarily GPN? I have occasional burning and pain that radiates to my tongue sometimes but it’s never been shock like as I see described by most nerve pain.
The pain also radiates to my ears.
ES can cause GPN, and also Trigeminal Neuralgia, but they're not the same. With neuralgia (certainly with TN, I would presume that GPN is similar) there can be two types- Type 1, the electric shock type pain, and also Type 2- a constant aching, often described as boring or burning. Depending on where the nerve is damaged can vary the pain I think. There's a Bens Friends site which has lots of info if you think that your styloid process is causing GPN. Their site says:
'Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia (GPN) is “chronic pain syndrome that causes intense, shooting pains in the back of the tongue and throat, tonsillar areas, and middle ear.”
The pain is due to malfunction of the glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX), which moves the muscles of the throat and carries information from the throat, tonsils, and tongue to the brain.'
The intensity can vary with people, and can also get worse with time. If you think that it is a nerve pain, it might be worth trying medication to help with that- anti-depressants like Amitriptyline and Lyrica are effective in nerve pain at low doses, and also anti-convulsant medication like Carbamazepine, Oxcarbamazepine, Lamotrigine and Gabapentin can help. It can take a while to find the right medication.
You can always go and have a look at the BF's GPN site for more info, or the TN one as one of the moderators there has done lots of research and written papers on face pain in general; you don't have to sign up to it unless you want to join and post discussions. Hope this helps!
It does, thank you Jules!