My trigeminal neuralgia wasn't autoimmune ... I just took prednisone because it seemed like the only thing that helped me deal with the stress of that kind of pain for nearly 25 years.

I would say my trigeminal neuralgia was another example of prednisone's "masking effect." I suffered with trigeminal neuralgia until it became refractory.

I was told when it first became a problem that they couldn't find anything wrong. When I started showing up in the emergency room because the facial electricity wouldn't stop, they were forced to take another look. Imaging had improved by then so they discovered the cause. I had surgery a few days later.

I still have some problems because now the entire left side of my face is essentially numb but I don't feel the electricity anymore. The neurosurgeon said prednisone was probably helping the swelling and inflammation in the minuscule area near my brain stem where the problem was. The surgery is called microvascular decompression (MVD surgery for trigeminal neuralgia).

The neurosurgeon said he did the best he could. I haven't had any major problem with TN since the surgery. After the surgery, I was able to decrease my prednisone dose by 10 mg.