I've been taking 100 mg of Topamax twice daily for several months now with 5 mg Zomig several times weekly for migraines. The Topamax isn't even preventing the headaches now and the Zomig doesn't stop them for any length of time now. What options would anyone recommend? Thanks
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Q: Topamax and Zomig don't help with my migraines anymore - any suggestion? Thanks
Answers (1)
9/23/09 11:13pm
Tony,
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There could be a couple of things at play here. You mention taking Zomig "several times weekly." Taking Migraine abortive meds such as the triptans (Zomig is a triptan) or ergotamines or any kind of pain medication -- prescription or over-the-counter -- more than two or three days a week can make matters worse by causing medication overuse headache (MOH), aka rebound. See Medication Overuse Headache - When the Remedy Backfires for more information on this.
Was the Topamax helping at any point? When was the last time you talked to your doctor about your Migraines? If the Topamax was working, your doctor may want to increase the dosage to see if increasing it will help. If not, it may well be time to, with your doctor's supervision, taper off the Topamax and try something else.
As for the Zomig not working, there are six other medications of that type -- Imitrex, Maxalt, Amerge, Relpax, Axert, and Frova. One of them could work quite well for you . However, if you're in a medication overuse cycle, none of them are going to work well until you break that cycle.
Welcome again,
Teri
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By Tony Bowman— Last Modified: 12/16/10, First Published: 09/21/09
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Thanks so much for your reply. In fact, your suggestion of upping the dosage of Topamax is exactly what my doctor recently did and it seems to be helping. More to follow if I have problems later. Take care.