My first migraine started when I was 13 after I had ITP (immune thrombocytopenic purpura) platelet disorder.  Both my parents had migraines.  In my late 20's and 30's my migraines were horrible and I went to the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, of course that was many years ago before all of the new medicines have come out.  I learned bio-feedback, diet, etc.  They said yes I have migraines.  I do not get the aura's.

About 5 years ago I started having some systems that were different like the ice pick headaches and I would have some funny feelings in my hands and lose papers I would be holding or wouldn't be able to write for a few seconds or things or my eyes, hands and head just didn't seem to be working together.  It would just come and go.  I went to my doctor who sent me to a neurologert , where I had many, test.  The doctor said I didn't have MS or Lupus, he just said I had migraines.  I have many lesions on the white matter on my brain but that should be causing me any problems.  Well the problems continued so I went to another doctor who put me on the topamax, which worked.

Now here it is three years later and a week into Jan. 2010 I get my first migraine and it does last all day.  It goes away after 7 hours then comes back later that night.  As I am ready for bed it is gone however when I wake up it is back and the cycle starts.  I don't usually don't wake up with one but once I am up for 5 to 10 minutes I have a headache so I eat and take my medicine.  If I am lucky it is gone in 2 to 3 hours.  Around 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon I have another one and it just hits I have no warning sharp pain behind my eye and it is there.  This headache might not last as long but I usually feel like laying down.  Than I get one around 9 or 10 p.m. and it can either hit pretty hard like the one in the afternoon or I can feel it coming on behind my eye.  

They are always behind my right eye and I feel like I could just take that eye out and it would be ok.  I am a pastor and I am 60 and these are different that the ones when I was in my 30's and even 40's.  I don't have to go to bed and sleep but it does effect my eyes so much.  I have been to the eye doctor and they have been great, but the eye strain and pain are just getting me down.  

I have so much reading and writing to do and I try to get it done when I don't have a headache but it is so hard.  I love Topamax and I have tried so many others over the years I just hate to try something else.  I am now taking 150 mg. of Topamax.  With no side-effects can I go up on the mg or not.  I am 145 pounds and 5 foot talk.   Thank you with any help you can give me.  Clara