Information and opinions on health from shrinkgirl at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/9842/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/9842/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/9842/index http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9842/11130/topamax-hair-loss Sun, 08 Jul 2007 16:53:00 -0400 shrinkgirl I increased my dose to 300 mg about 3 months ago, and in the past month, it seems like my hair has been thinning out a little.  This isn't even listed as a side effect, but I remembered seeing a couple people post here about losing their hair, so I wondered if maybe if people who have had this side effect might respond.  I'm not losing dramatic amounts, but it seems like more is coming out when I brush or style it, and it just... http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9842/11130/topamax-hair-loss http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9842/9028/listening-pain Sat, 28 Apr 2007 15:00:00 -0400 shrinkgirl It's been a rough couple of weeks, caught in one headache cycle after another.  And nothing's helping- not triptans, not my usual pain med cocktail.  I have very bad seasonal allergies, and the pain, which is concentrated in my face and sinuses, has intensified as the pollen count has gone up and my allergy symptoms have worsened.   I'm also noticing that I'm going back to my old, pre-chronic headache ways.  Just plowing... http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9842/9028/listening-pain http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9842/8144/anger Sun, 01 Apr 2007 17:55:00 -0400 shrinkgirl But it's hard on a day like today.  Day 7 of a continuous level 6-7 headache that started when I tried to use an antihistamine that I've used successfully for years to combat my severe hay fever.  But everything is different now since my brain wiring mysteriously went screwy last year and my headaches mutated into these chronic, consuming cycles of pain.    The lifestyle changes have been as difficult to deal with... http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9842/8144/anger http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9842/8143/anger Sun, 01 Apr 2007 17:53:00 -0400 shrinkgirl But it's hard on a day like today.  Day 7 of a continuous level 6-7 headache that started when I tried to use an antihistamine that I've used successfully for years to combat my severe hay fever.  But everything is different now since my brain wiring mysteriously went screwy last year and my headaches mutated into these chronic, consuming cycles of pain.    The lifestyle changes have been as difficult to deal with... http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9842/8143/anger http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9842/7791/head-wont-hurt Wed, 21 Mar 2007 12:46:00 -0400 shrinkgirl The day after I wrote a post here about how sad it is that migraine is so commonly misdiagnosed and inadequately treated by general medical practitioners, I was talking to a long-time friend of mine who is a nurse practitioner.  We have been friends for 28 years, and since we live quite a distance away from each other, it is primarily a phone relationship.  We talk every couple of weeks, so she knows a lot about what I've been... http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9842/7791/head-wont-hurt http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9842/7733/knew-people Mon, 19 Mar 2007 20:08:00 -0400 shrinkgirl ..until I had them myself.  Now I meet them everywhere - at my job, in my private practice, out in social situations.  And I am horrified at how few doctors know how to diagnose a migraine, or even when to refer a patient to a specialist.  I recently did a psychological evaluation on a 9-year-old who was having severe headaches accompanied by vomiting over several months and was on his 2nd antibiotic for a sinus infection, despite a normal... http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9842/7733/knew-people http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9842/7667/gratitude Sun, 18 Mar 2007 17:55:00 -0400 shrinkgirl I'm a relative newcomer to the migraine community, although certainly not new to the experience of severe head pain.  I've had periodic bad headaches most of my life, but they had always been labeled as sinus.  And I have a high pain tolerance, so I've typically muddled through with minimal disruption to my life. Until last summer, when something apparently short-circuited in my brain, and the headaches became chronic, and I... http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9842/7667/gratitude