Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is a short-circuit irritation of the glossopharyngeal nerve, the cord that senses the back third of the tongue, throat, and tonsil area. Attacks strike like electric jabs, then vanish, often fooled for a mouth or ear problem.

The first note is a sudden, stabbing pain deep in the throat on one side. It feels like a fish bone or glass shard poking behind the tonsil and lasts seconds to minutes.

Pain can jump to the ear, the angle of the jaw, or under the tongue, all on the same side. Swallowing, talking, coughing, or even yawning can trigger it, so patients dread eating or drinking cold liquids.

Some people feel a warning “tickle” a split-second before the shock. Others taste a brief metallic note, as if they licked a battery.

Between attacks the throat feels normal, but the pain may repeat many times an hour, then disappear for weeks only to roar back without warning.

In severe cases the jolt can slow the heart for a few beats, causing light-headedness or a brief blackout when the pain peaks.