im diagnosed with connective tissue disease, poss Lupus. Does anybody else have pain in their jaw? It gets so bad it prevents me eating.

[lauraa11en]

[going2Balright]

Yes I can soooooo relate to this lauraa11en.

For the past 3mths I have been prescribed gabapentine - a neuropathic pain killer, which targets pain in the nervous system. It really has helped wonders after a few days of starting them. However, have discussed with dr today a certain amount of drowsiness occuring now i've upped the dose whilst lowering steroids (which on top of the fatigue of the illness ya jus don't need). so she's now put me on pregabalin a similar med ( may wish to look it up en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prega.... Will see how that goes, but certainly worth a mention to your gp. Take Care

[janiceray]

does the side of your face swell,it could be a blocked saliva gland.

[Lg1968]

TMJ (Temporomandibular joint disorder) is another of those lovely little symptoms of lupus causing pain and jaw clicking/crunching on eating. Do you think it might be this. You can discuss it with your dentist for advice or google it as there are lots of exercises you can do to improve it. Hope you feel better soon

[lauraa11en]

thanks for the response. I have mentioned it to my dentist who said he couldnt see a problem from his point of view. I mentioned it to my very unsupportive GP who said to mention it to my rheumatologist. I mentioned it to him who just dismissed it and i left with still no meds and no more answers. However, if im not the only one then i'll put it down to yet another one of the many things this horrible illness likes to give! thank you all.

[going2Balright in reply to lauraa11en]

jus to add to previous comment i made - should have stated that prior to going on these meds I did have 2 dental xrays (1 nhs, other private ) to eliminate any dental cause and consultant recently got me to have ct scan to ensue no reasons for the pain such as tumour. Concluded that there was trigeminal nerve damage as a result of inflamation. Although the pain during the time of finding out the cause was agony it is alway best to go through the process of elimination to get the correct treatment.

[Maya23]

I also get pain in my teeth and jaw. Sometimes it's the jaw joints that are the problem, and this makes eating painful. Other times I get nerve pain in my teeth. My dentist couldn't find anything wrong with my teeth, so I mentioned that to my rheumatologist and he said that it was probably due to lupus affecting the trigeminal nerve in my face, which mimics tooth pain and spreads across the face. I haven't taken meds for it as it comes and goes so randomly that it would be hard to medicate. But it helped to know what the pain was, and I stopped worrying so much about it. I hope you find some answers soon xx

[beckside]

Hi Laurra 11en Hope tis info may help. My sister who had fibromyalgia had jaw pain for about 4 yrs, it nearly drove her mad her GP and dentist dismissed it, she thought she had a brain tumour she also had all the fillings replaced in her teeth. Luckily for her she got a post as a nurse at a dental hospitalt and happened to mention it to a dentist who examined her mouth I think it involved inserting his thumbs into either side of her mouth and moving the TMJ, I think she nearly jumped out of the chair it was so painful. Apparently when she slept she was grinding her teeth which affected her bite. Anyway the dentist made her a lightweight mouth guard to wear at night to keep her jaw/teeth in alignment. Almost immediately she had relief and eventually no more pain.

[witch2]

Hi yes I do too and I have the same frustrating diagnosis of un specified connective tissue diseas likely lupus but now been treated for lupus symptoms . I have had a lot of tooth pain jaw pain and neuralgia in my face. I have also had two nasty tooth abcesses and get a lot of mouth ulcers and bleeding gums but I don't have gum disease. My dentist is great and helps me a lot .

[turnerdiane]

Yes I have read about pain in jaw as result of lupus.. I have pain sometimes in jaw. I take ibuprofen & acetamenophen together which I read is actually better than prescription pain drugs.

[turnerdiane]

I also have lupus & was surprised to read about running nose when eating. !!!!!@ Me too

[turnerdiane]

Oh also I have a mild or stable

Lupus. I also get these boney like knots on parts of body that have been injured ie anterior tibial spine of both knees from shin splints? Very painful these knots are when you have to kneel down which I only donif some sort of pad is under my knees . I asked rheuma about a knot on my hand & he did not seem to know anything abou this!!