How is it treated?

• Topical medications may go a long way towards helping with symptoms. The use of lidocaine topically such as in a lidocaine patch, and topical preparations designed to block the opening of sodium channels in nerves (amitriptyline combined with ketamine for example) have been described to be helpful in many patients, either alone or in combination with oral treatments.
• Oral medications include calcium antagonists, magnesium selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, gabapentin or carbamazepine, antihistamines, clonazepam, misoprostol, cyproheptadine, and others. No single medication works for all EM patients, and some trial and error may be necessary. Some individuals with EM require lower doses of these drugs, and when started at higher doses, side effects can occur. Sometimes a combination of medications is more effective than one drug alone.