Sunday, February 12, 2012

Just trying to find something that works

Written by

seachelley

seachelley

Wed, July 02, 2008

Ok i will start by saying that i have had migraines since i was six yrs old. I dont remember the med that they dr put me on then. All i know is a side effect was weight gain. Since then I just treated them myself. I would go to bed lie in a hot tub with a cool cloth. Nothing worked. Then My PCP started me on Imatrix. I took it for two months with no help. The dr said that it would take a while for it to work. I stopped it. And i went back to self treating. I would have about 10 - 15  headaches a month. We noticed that they would get worse around the time of my period but i would get them other times also. I sometimes have an aura. My headaches would last for 3 days. It gets to the point that i have to go to the ER. So my gnyo suggested that i go to  a neruo. The Neuro put me on Tompax. I took it for 2 months and didnt see a change in my headaches. Again he wanted me to countiue taking saying that i had to build it up in my system. It had got to the point that my husband didnt like who i had become while on this med. I had no feelings at all. So he wanted to try Verapamil. I have been on this for 6 months with no changes. I am looking for another Dr.

 

It has gotten to the point that i have a daily pounding in my head that is not that bad. I can at least function with it. My house is always dark because the bright lights or even the bright sun make it worse. I hate the fact that i have to plan my day by how my head feels. I have been dealing with this for years and i dont know where i am heading. The bad part is i see my 7 yr old following in my footsteps. The doctors are worried because i have self medacated with Advail or Aleve for so long that i cant take it anymore. I want my life back!!!!!!

 

So i do have questions

7/ 3/08 4:41pm

Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection.com!

 

If we use certain OTC and/or prescription medications, like Advil or Aleve, two to three days a week or more, we can create a new problem for ourselves called Medication Overuse Headache.  The only way to stop it is if we stop the offending medication cold turkey. We have more information on it HERE.

 

Have you tried keeping a Migraine dairy to see if anything may trigger a Migraine attack for you?  We actually found a Migraine diary very useful and found that chocolate, dehydration and changes in our son's sleeping patterns were triggering a Migraine attack for him. You can find the diary HERE. 

 

A Migraine specialist is the expert, devoting his entire practice to treating patients with Migraines and headache disorders.  After suffering for so many years, it would be a great idea to find one. We have a patient recommended list you can see HERE

 

Thank you for creating a SharePost. SharePosts are a form of blogging, and there are many things you can do with them. You can share an experience, suggest something that's helped you, use SharePosts as a Migraine and headache journal, and many other things.

We also have a discussion forum that you may want to check out. Especially if you have questions or are looking for information, you may find the interaction on the forum to be quite helpful. To get to the forum, just look for the orange box marked "Manage" and click on the Migraine Forums link. Because our forums are maintained by a third party, you'll need to register for the forum. You can use the same information you used to create your community log-in if you like. If you want to go directly to the forum, you can click HERE.

Along with your personal "My Home" page and the discussion forum, you'll find links to a great deal of helpful information and a spot to sign up for our free newsletter on the main page of our site, http://www.MyMigraineConnection.com.

If you have any questions, please feel free to post them to the forum or send me a message through my profile.

Welcome again,

 

Nancy Bonk
MyMigraineConnection.com Expert

7/ 3/08 6:07pm

Hey, I know exactly how you feel. I too have had migraines since childhood and have had little success with medications. I am perscribed to a drug called ketoprophen (spelling??). It is anti-inflammatory medicine that I take in place of advile. My doctor was really concerned when he found out that I have taken 6 advile at a time once.

 

I was also on topamax for a whole year. I wanted to get off of it much sooner but my doc kept pushing it for some reason. AND my relationship with my boyfriend became slightly strained because it made me a completley different, awful person.

 

I am now taking amatryptaline (again, sorry I don't know how to spell it and I don't have my perscription in front of me) This medication is sometimes used for depression and it makes me really drowsy if I take it 2 hours before going to sleep.

 

I have been on it for a little less than 2 months and I can already feel a difference. I am having less headahces (maybe 2 or 3 a week) and the ones I am getting are far less severe. I also feel amazing since getting off topamax. I feel like it was causing more harm than helping at all.

 

Don't give up. I know it is frustrating to get your hope up on one medication, wait forever to see results and then switch to yet another. I think that amatryptaline is working so well in part because I get much better sleep on it. I am sorry to hear about your son. I frequently wonder if I will pass my migraines onto the kids I plan on having one day. At least he will always have someone who understands what he is going through