Just goes to show that people respond differently to medications. To me Topamax was the devil in pill form. It was horrid. I was told to take it at night but then I literally could not sleep at all. When I did manage to fall asleep I had vivid dreams that I remembered to the point that when I woke up I felt as if I had been awake watching movies the whole time. I lost about a pound per day while on it so stuck it out for two weeks to see if things got better. The last straw was when I was driving on 95 with two horses in the trailer and I was trying to see who the horses were in the rear view mirror to see if I could figure out where I was supposed to be going.
Any medication powerful enough to make big changes to correct a cerftain kind of problem is likely powerful enough to create major problems of its own when it’s not the right tool for the job. Probably there are several different complex pathways operating on different levels that lead to migraine symptoms, (or depression, or any other brain-related condition) and each pathway may have its own requirements to be set right when it misfires.
What works on one may not only be ineffective on another pathway, but in the process may well perturb another part of the complex system that was functioning okay to begin with.
[QUOTE=PalominoMorgan;5821223]
I am on multiple preventatives and have Imitrex. It doesn’t seem to touch the migraines I get now. I suspect most of what I am getting is because of structural and/or CSF issues. I have the Imitrex just in case though. Every once in a while I take it to see if it helps. What used to help with previous migraines was Excedrin Migraine taken with a BIG Red Bull. That doesn’t work anymore though. The CSF pressure ones though have to just wait for the pressure to die down. That involves sitting as still as possible in my recliner or trying to sleep it off. The ocular migraines I try to sleep off too.[/QUOTE]
I sent you a pm about your earlier post! Thanks for all the info.
Im in the same boat of sleeping off my migranes. CSF pressure I sleep with cold wash cloth over my eyes in dark room and try to keep my eyes still.
Another life long migraine sufferer here. I’ve had one migraine that lasted almost 8 weeks, and one that lasted 6 weeks.
I’m on Topomax daily now at a moderate dosage, but it keeps the migraines down to a managable level.
I also will take Percoset/Phenegram/Benadryl when I get a bad migraine. Or if I can’t crash and must make it through the day 4 aleve/2 no doz/1/2 phenegram will generally make me survive the work day.
I’m alergic to Imitrex in all forms now. Life sucks.
This is very interesting (the Zantac part). Last migraine I had, I couldn’t find my Advil PM, so I took ibuprofen and Benadryl, plus a 150mg Zantac as Benadryl upsets my stomach and I get nauseous enough with a migraine, I don’t need any help!
I slept quickly and well, and woke up sooner than usual with a migraine, and I don’t remember any major pain. Hmm. Next migraine, I’ll try the Zantac again (hopefully won’t happenfor a long long time!).
[QUOTE=sonomacounty;5822110]
What dose Topomax do you all take?
.[/QUOTE]
50 mg/am and pm. Started off lower but this is what is working reasonably well. The brain fog is there but I can work through it. Better than a migraine.
Women of childbearing age have to be very careful with Topamax, its birth defect rate is extremely high if you happen to get pregnant while taking it. Just an FYI.
The local hospital uses Benadryl/Compazine/Decadron for migraines and it works beautifully. I’ve used Benadryl/Compazine/Dex (borrowed from the pony) in dire need, but generally try not to share drugs between the horse and I!
Thanks FT. So sorry to hear about your battles !
I take 25 mg. topamax p.m. but also 300 mg. extended release wellbutrin (for fibromyalgia) supposed to help with the fatigue. Migraines are pretty much controlled but lately the fatigue is near disabling.
Feel better, all.
I’m on a high dose of Topamax 150mg, 175-200mg when I know the day will be bad(finals week). I also split it up though, because taking all of that in one shot usually renders me…stupid. I was taking 75mg morning and night, but now I try to do 50mg morning, 25mg noon, 25mg 4/5, and 50mg before bed.
I’ve taken all forms of Imitrex and never found it worked for more than a month or so, and the side effects for that one freaked me out. The pills did nothing, nasal worked for a month or so. Same with the injectable. Zomig did nothing, Maxalt worked for a little.
When I have a migraine and take the Relpax and Furoset, I literally wake up feeling like I got hit by a truck, but it’s the only thing that helps 
What about Maxalt (rizatriptan)? Nobody’s mentioned that one yet. For my muscle tension headaches (not migraines, thank the gods) my doc gave me some samples, but after looking at the package insert, I decided I wasn’t interested. I’ll just stick with my fiorinal with codeine.
Maxalt was such a bad time for me. First/only time I took it, I sat up all night with such shortness of breath from it thinking that if I went to sleep I wouldn’t wake up.
Maybe. The data sure do not bear out a significant improvement in migraines after PFO closure, when you look at large numbers. Certainly there are numerous cases of remarkable improvement, enough to hear about, but also very many where there is no benefit. To me this says we don’t understand enough about the connection.
I have a PFO, and migraines, and have no interest whatsoever in getting it closed. Maybe if I didn’t have a drug that was 100% effective I’d feel differently, but my reading of the available literature does not convince me I need an invasive procedure at this point. 
If memory serves, you’re a board certified cardiologist, correct?
I suffered heavy migraines for a couple of years, went to the neurologist, must have tried all medication offered at that time.
I had migraines 4 to 5 time a week, could not see well form one eyes, terrible pain, sometimes lost of balance…Even my boss told me I might have a drinking problem ???
Anyway to make it short since migraines affect so many people…this is just incredible !
What really worked for me was acupuncturist, then a serious look at how I was seeing my life, how I dealt with stress in general. I made along the way the proper change, actually change job if I recall, learned how breathing was important.
Then a diet helped a lot, like cleaning my hole body.
Just with the acupuncturist, we reduce the migraines period from 4 to 5 a week to one a week, then gradually to 4 or 5 a month.
Then a massage therapist along with a good diet made the migraines goes to zero…maybe 1 or 2 a year.
It is incredible how I put myself into heavy stress with very high expectations in my life, and sometimes living some situations when I had no control but just taking everything too much serious, overly responsible for everything. I was 25 and finally got rid of those around 30.
Good luck in your search and I feel so sad for anyone how suffer those very painfull migraines… Love to everyone xxx
Interesting, Leena–I don’t have any sort of food correlation (though when I’m recovering from a migraine I crave carbs) but have a lot of tension and I did have a professor who swore by acupuncture for his stress headaches. I suspect hormones + light + muscle strain trigger mine, and I’ve debated trying acupuncture as I HATE taking meds for anything. After my car accident they had to bully me into taking a baby dose of coedine just so I would be able to move the next morning. Not a fan of long-term things. How did you find a…certified, or at least pretty-sure-he’s-not-a-quack acupuncturist?
[QUOTE=danceronice;5828503]
Interesting, Leena–I don’t have any sort of food correlation (though when I’m recovering from a migraine I crave carbs) but have a lot of tension and I did have a professor who swore by acupuncture for his stress headaches. I suspect hormones + light + muscle strain trigger mine, and I’ve debated trying acupuncture as I HATE taking meds for anything. After my car accident they had to bully me into taking a baby dose of coedine just so I would be able to move the next morning. Not a fan of long-term things. How did you find a…certified, or at least pretty-sure-he’s-not-a-quack acupuncturist?[/QUOTE]
He was an anaesthetist ! a real one but he also had an acupuncture pratice. He told me he was treating a great worldwide pianist when she was in Montreal so he told me he could help me.
I was there for almost 2 years. A fabulous doctor, a real humanist and with him I began to look and think about how I was looking also at my life. Today I realise I was holding so much on my shoulders and was so tense.
Where did I find him and how ? Well I come from a doctor family so by contact. I recall he putted a needle on my foot and the foot suddenly moved; he looked at me and said that from a medical point of view this reaction was not supposed to exist…Then he laughed.
I have had migraines my entire life. And by entire I mean I don’t remember EVER not having them.
When I was little I would get the most excruciating neck pain right before I got sick. I mean I couldn’t move my head and I would be in hysterics from the pain. My mother took me to the Dr more then once fearing meningitis.
When I was older and first started getting treated for them it was ferreted out that I had these neck pains as a child. The conclusion was that they were migraines that were triggered by getting sick.
I am not triggered by food (although I was recently thinking Crab was giving them to me but after eating yesterday with no problems I can safely rule it out) I am not triggered by heat or cold, by light or noise. SOMETIMES an extreme lack of sleep can but not every time. It’s not hormonal, after tracking them for a few months it was discovered that they have no set pattern; as in always before my cycle or two weeks before. The pattern is just to random.
When I was younger they were so debilitating that my mother would have to pick me up from school and I would go into my dark room and crash, for a few days.
I tried every type of preventative and aside from making me sick they didn’t work. Tylenol, Advil, Excedrin Migraine all do nothing. I use to take Imitrex but at some point it stopped working. They upped the dose and it just made me sick to my stomach.
About 7 years ago I had my first child, the migraines almost completely stopped maybe 2x a year as opposed to the 3xs a month I was getting them. Then I had my second child and they are back 
I don’t know what happened in that 5 year gap.
Now they have changed. they still start at the same point (back left of my skull near the neck) but I have an aurora now. (Not the pretty lights kind I am not that awesome, but a set of symptoms before. ) I now get a little light headed, nauseous, and light sensitive BEFORE the migraine. Before I always had them during the migraine it self and the migraine just came out of left field. It takes me a while to figure out whats going on since this part is new BUT if I figure it out BEFORE the pain starts load me up on meds then I can usually make it.
Oh and at some point in High school I had a GP tell me when I felt one starting to take a Tylenol, an Advil, drink a 20 oz Mt. Dew and take a nap…ummm yeah I am sure my teachers will buy that…not to mention it didn’t work.
I now take fioricet. If that doesn’t help (50/50) then I take 25 mg of Imitrex, 1/2 hour later another, 1/2 hour later another etc up to 100 mg. It helps keep my stomach from getting sick.
Oh and as far as coping, I have had them my whole life so I kind of just keep going in my dazed state. I have had people who also suffer from migraines that I don’t since I can keep functioning. When you have head them since childhood you learn. doesn’t mean the pain is not there it just means I have a higher pan tolerance then most (which my mom ALWAYS tells the Drs in the ER when she takes me for an injury :lol: "If she says its a 3 it’s really a 7 or 8 DO NOT believe her :lol:)
I think we are twins???
I used to go around in my dazed state, my Bio teacher sent me to the office because she thought I was high?!?!
Except I supplement my Fioricet with Relpax
[QUOTE=nlk;5828847]
Oh and at some point in High school I had a GP tell me when I felt one starting to take a Tylenol, an Advil, drink a 20 oz Mt. Dew and take a nap…ummm yeah I am sure my teachers will buy that…not to mention it didn’t work.
I now take fioricet. If that doesn’t help (50/50) then I take 25 mg of Imitrex, 1/2 hour later another, 1/2 hour later another etc up to 100 mg. It helps keep my stomach from getting sick.
Oh and as far as coping, I have had them my whole life so I kind of just keep going in my dazed state. I have had people who also suffer from migraines that I don’t since I can keep functioning. When you have head them since childhood you learn. doesn’t mean the pain is not there it just means I have a higher pan tolerance then most (which my mom ALWAYS tells the Drs in the ER when she takes me for an injury :lol: "If she says its a 3 it’s really a 7 or 8 DO NOT believe her :lol:)[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Grasshopper;5823476]
This is very interesting (the Zantac part). Last migraine I had, I couldn’t find my Advil PM, so I took ibuprofen and Benadryl, plus a 150mg Zantac as Benadryl upsets my stomach and I get nauseous enough with a migraine, I don’t need any help!
I slept quickly and well, and woke up sooner than usual with a migraine, and I don’t remember any major pain. Hmm. Next migraine, I’ll try the Zantac again (hopefully won’t happenfor a long long time!).[/QUOTE]
The Benadryl probably played a part in that too. You basically took two histamine blockers and an antinflammatory. (Migraine - can’t spell and don’t care.) Sounds like a good mix to get ride of a migraine/masto reaction to me.
