Ok so I tried a new headache specialist. I had heard good things about him. I was ready to start looking for a new treatment plan. We talked for over an hour discussing everything from from sleep habits and diet to exercise and stress. I felt sure he was listening and we would figure something out.Then he discusses his treatment plan with me. He puts me on Zonisamide. I had already told him I had tried it before and had no relief from it. He says try it again. Then he prescribed me a muscle relaxer to take at the onset of my migraine. No other rescue meds. Then he wants to do facet and trigger point injections every 2 weeks. I explained I had already tried those also with little to no relief. He says they do them differently. I took him my files from my other doctors. I told him what I've tried. I told him what helps and what doesn't help at all. When I left the office I felt defeated! I know there are other meds and many combinations of meds that might help. I know there are other treatments that might help. I know my triggers. I know what to avoid. I know what to do at the 1st sign of a migraine. I just want to find SOMETHING that might decrease the numbers of migraines I have or the severity. I'm not looking for a drug to get high on! I feel loopy enough on my own when a migraine hits. I just want to feel normal again!
Hi there,
Good to hear you went to a new doctor. Here's the thing - bear with me ok, it sounds like he did spend a lot of time with you, which is wonderful. A "true" Migraine specialist may do things a bit different that a neurologist who says he is a "headache" specialist. So your new Migraine specialist may be more current on dosing, correct placement of facet blocks and the like. I'm not saying your other doctor wasn't good, rather, a "true" Migraine specalist treats Migraine and headache patients ONLY all day every day. A neurologist - who says they are a "headache" specialist - may not really be a "true" expert because they treat so many different conditions each day like MS, stroke and epilepsy. Does this make any sense?
It is great you know your triggers, because we all know how important that is. Trying medications again may be just as important too. Quite a few of the triptans didn't work for me, so I basically gave up on them, till I tried Axert again. Success!! Second time around works great. So may a slow taper up on Zonegran make work better for you, and maybe he his trigger point injection plan is different from your other doctors, couldn't hurt to give it a chance. Have you had them done every two weeks before?
I know how frustrating it is to be in this spot, really. Try to hang in there and give him a shot (no pun intended) maybe he will be just the right doctor for you. We can always hope, right?
Keep us posted, ok?
Nancy