Well to start I just joined this site today...it's been very helpful to me actually. The reason I got on here was because I've had migraines for about 10 years now, pretty much ever since I can remember as a teenager. Now I have them all the time, sometimes everyday. They've done scans and everything else and can't find anything wrong so I've just been put on medicine now since that seems to help somewhat. Well they put me on Topamax and I have been on the highest dosage now for a couple weeks and
I seem to flip at the littlest things. Ever since I've been on this medicine I seem to be very irritable. I talked to my doctor today and he said it probably won't go away but to try the medicine for a couple more weeks. I just wanted to know if anyone else has had those problems? I mean I was never that way before and now I feel very out of control. Almost like I am bipolar because one minute I will be fine and the next I'll be so mad at something and I will want to cry. I just don't know what to do. The other medication my doctor wants to try is verapamil....just wondering is anyone has tried it and if there are any horible side effects? I've read up on it and it seems like an OK medication. Well, thanks for reading :) This site has been a great help to me!
Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection.com!
I'm so glad you've found us! We have lots of information for you about Migraine disease and headaches. Let's get started, ok?
Topamax may not be the best drug to treat Migraines for everyone, but it is one that we hear a great deal about. It may work great for some people, others have problems with it. There are some potentially dangerous side effects to be aware of. Topamax can have the potential to produce mood changes and other things. You may find this article helpful: Migraine Preventives - Some To Carry New Suicidality Warning.
If your medications potential side effects outweigh its benefits, it is time to reconsider this drug. You doctor should understand that and not suggest to keep taking it. How long have you been taking Topamax? One of the keys to starting this medication is a slow titration schedule, usually 25 mg once a day for a week. If too large a dose is started too soon and too fast that is when problems with potential side effects can happen. You can find that information in this article: Dosage and Tapering Topamax for Migraine Prevention.
Topamax is just one of many Migraine preventive medications, so don't lose hope. Migraine Preventive Medications - Too Many Options To Give Up! has over 100 different medications including verapamil which is commonly used for Migraine prevention. Please keep in mind that it can take up to three months to see a reduction in our Migraine frequency and severity as our body gets used to the new med.
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 BonkMyMigraineConnection.com Expert
Thanks for your help! Yeah I have been on theTopamax for about 2 months now. They started me on the 25 mg and went up each week and when I finally got up to the high dosage that's then my problems began. I was fine up until then. I am just to the point where I think the side effects are outweighing the benefits expecially when the side effects are ruining my relationships with people in my family. Thank God they are understanding and they realize what I am going through but still I dont think it is worth putting myself through that and putting everyone else through that you know? So I think I am going to start the verapamil. It just looks like a better option to go with at this point in my life. But really, thanks for your help! I really appreciate it.
I was on verapamil for years for my migraines and it worked fine. My husband tried the Topamax for his migraines and went through the same thing that you are going through.
Currently, now, I am not on any preventative medication, because they stopped working for me. I have chronic daily headaches and take midrin on occassion when they get really bad. But mine are coming from the base of my neck and the only thing that really helps are nerve block shots. But you should not do those too often either. So it is a catch 22. I pray that they find the right treatment plan for you. Migraines are no fun!
Thanks so much...yeah I am thinking that I am going to try the verapamil because I can't deal with the Topamax anymore. I feel crazy and out of control and that's just not me. I'm a very lad back person. So hopefully this works out for me! That really sucks that you aren't on anything right now. I don't know if I would be able to do that. But I also have like 4 really bad migraines a week. Well I will also pray for you that yours aren't too bad either. I know how it is not having anything work out for you. Hopefully in time you can find something...I know its a hard process, but never give up!
Thank you:) We have tried pretty much everything and with my other health issues the medications were just not working. So I just play it one day at a time and one migraine at a time. When they get to bad, I go for a massage and that helps with the neck muscle spasims. So that is nice:) I pray the verapamil works for you:) Take care of yourself!
No problem and thanks! Yeah I was thinking about going in for some massages. My mom works at a place and can get them at a discount so I figured hey it's worth a shot ya know? Well hopefully they get better for you, at least something helps you...take care of yourself too alright!
Hi Erika,
Just came through your comment, I am also on Topamax. My neuro just increased me to 125 mg a day bc I get daily migraines that are not letting go. I am not getting better so far but he just increased my dose last week from 75 ...I feel teary but not sure if it is from the topomax or from the daily pain and not finding relief. He had me try Effexor too but I got into "serotonin syndrome" bc i take so much trexemet for pain and almost died....so this is how much I trust those drs anymore!!! I am at loss and desperate. I am hoping the Topomax is going to kick in, what are the side effects of Verapamil? I would try that too if it would work....I tried Neurontin and it made me too woozy, Noreptriptyline made me faint....Botox did not work...what else??? I feel like a lab rat....desperate with pain and drs just try one med after another and I am in agony waiting and wasting my life away....
anna
Hi Anna,
This site newish to me, but have 25 year history of severe chronic migraine, disability pension etc. Tried so many meds incl Topamax, neurontin, Sandomigran, Epilim. Sub occipital nerve block only solution when get a horror that won't go away and is severe pain. But recently gone gluten free (diet) and it is helping.
Fiona
Yeah I am on 100 mg a day of Topamax and I was fine on 75mg. Although I was still gettin frequent migraines, I didn't feel crazy. It was almost the day after I started the 100mg that I just felt out of control. So I backed down to 75mg and I am actually feeling better. I just decided I am going to try the Verapamil though. It seems to have WAY less side effects. The ones that I've read about so far is just constipation, drowsiness and fatigue and sometimes nausea. It just looks like a better route to go than the Topamax, I can't concentrate on anything when I'm on it either so I decided not to go to school this year. I can't put off my schooling and my career because of a medication. Especially when there are others out there to try! I feel your pain though, some days I wonder if I'm just going to have to live with these migraines for the rest of my life or what? Will they ever find an effective medication that I can live with? Hopefully they find something for you though!
Thank you! I was prescribed Topamax two weeks ago. It has been one of the worst experiences of my life. I have been in a constant fog and extremely moody. My prescription states that I should take 50 mg both in the morning and in the evening. Perhaps if I start over with small doses and work my way up...this would be a more effective prescription. Thank you for your help.
Jennifer,
Please call your doctor about this. Both the prescribing information for Topamax and the Migraine experts I've talked with say to start with 25mg at night and not to increase for a week. The taper for Topamax needs to be very slow. You can read more in Dosage and Tapering Topamax for Migraine Prevention.
I don't know your doctor or what her or she may say. I can only tell you that if a doctor started me on four times the recommended starting dose, I'd be considering a second opinion.
Please let us know what happens and how you're doing?
Teri