Topamax

Hi, Really, and welcome. Boy, that had to be a horrible experience! I do know I would find a different doctor if you think you may be suffering from fibromyalgia. Many here use board certified rheumatologists. But be sure to ask if they treat fibro patients because there still are some doctors in the Dark Ages when it comes to fibro.

Also, I have never heard of Topamax being prescribed for fibro. Most doctors seem to prescribe Lyrica, Savella, or Cymbalta. I don't take any of these. I use ibuprofen with food, extra strength Tylenol. Malic acid/magnesium supplements, vitamin D3 supplements, and a muscle relaxer. I add to that gentle stretching exercises, walking as a gentle form of exercise, and pacing myself when doing things. I also keep a positive outlook and that helps me immensely, too.

Be sure to read Fibro 101 ...the first thread on the forum. There are links to good information about fibro and you will learn a lot there. The very first links are by a doctor who is considered one of the top specialists for fibro and he explains what they think is causing this illness. Other good links to start out with are called Symptoms, What Else Could It Be, and A Thorough Explanation of Fibromyalgia. These will help you if you have not been diagnosed but think you possibly do have fibro.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you. Hope to hear more from you soon.

Sherrine

My neurologist put me in an anti seizure medication for my migraines and it is great! A lot of drs are now using anti seizure meds as migraine preventative so you could ask about that.

It is annoying when drs don't listen and mix up your medications or change ones that were working. My psychologist took me off elavil, which was helping me sleep, and put me on trazodone which leaves me in a weird state between sleep and awake. I never feel rested. I've been on this for 2 months and he wants me to keep trying it. I'm pretty sure that if it was going to work better then it would have already. Some drs should have to spend a week in our skins. That may change the way they see us fibromites.

I was prescribed topamax for fibromyalgia. It worked great till the side affects set in :-(! I've been on gralise for 2 weeks. It worked like a miracle for a week. Now I'm in a lot of pain (my face of all things) and after a week of a lot of iced tea and water, I noticed I wasn't peeing nearly as much as I should. I was right. 10 lbs in 15 days:-(. Ugh!!!

Cymbalta, Lyrica, Savella & Wellbutrin all caused suicidal thoughts. And it seems to happen out of the blue. No pun intended. Meds scare me death and have almost killed me a few times. You have to be on top of your drug interactions, side effects, intuition, I've told my dr to LISTEN. When I had Meningitis & Encephalitis , I had NO fever. Just extreme brain and "knew" it was different. My dr gave me a pain shot and said it was Fibro flare. I went to ER anyway. The ER nurse said I was having rebound pain from too much Lortab. 12 hrs later a new resident came on duty, LISTENED and did a spinal tap. I was in the hospital for 7 days and had anti-viral infusion 3x a day for 10 more days after leaving the hospital. The Neuro said he was amazed I wasn't brain damaged. It was simply a break down of my immune system. Allowing HHV-6 to pass thru the blood/brain barrier. And can happen again. Anytime.
📢MY POINT: Follow your intuition and don't let drs tell you they know more about your body than you do.

You sure have been through the mill and I do understand what you mean about some doctors and medications. That's why I don't take the fibro meds. I do a more alternative thing. As far as doctors go, I lost my husband because we blindly listened to the doctor and not our instincts. I don't do that now. That's why in my first post I suggested you find another doctor. We do have to have our doctors listen to us because we know our bodies better than anyone.

I know if I have a doctor that doesn't listen to me, I'm out of there! After all, we are hiring them to take care of us. We are paying them and definitely should have some say as to our care. I love my Internist because he does listen and he doesn't get bent out of shape if I don't agree with what he wants me to do. He's suggested Cymbalta, Lyrica, and Savella and I've declined. He listens and understands why I don't want to take those meds and respects my decision to do so.

I sure hope you do find a doctor who will listen to you. Everyone is so different and we don't all fit in the molds they think we do. I do hope you will get to the bottom of what is happening to you.

I do hope you will have a comfortable and peaceful Easter. Holidays are difficult when you are alone. I am alone most of the time but I do have a daughter who lives a few miles from me so she will be coming over for dinner. Most of the time it's just me and my puppy and two cats. Animals are so wonderful and help us at times like this. So snuggle up with your pup and enjoy a good movie.

Sherrine