[Trigeminal neuralgia treatment may have masked an undiagnosed bipolar disorder].

Antiepileptical drugs (AD) are not only being used in the treatment of seizures and neuralgias but are also used for psychiatric disorders due to their mood stabilizing effect. This case report presents a 59-year-old woman with trigeminal neuralgia who was treated with AD for 25 years. After successful surgery AD were withdrawn and subsequently she developed symptoms according to bipolar disorder. We suggest that an undiagnosed bipolar disorder for years had been masked by the AD and we encourage to pay attention to the mood stabilizing effects of AD - even when used for other purposes.