ANY SUGGESTIONS?

wenmarie, I don't know if your doctor thinks you are faking them, but the kind of meds you are getting are not ones one would typically ask for if one wanted "drugs" It took me a long time to find an abortive drug that would stop the headache before it became a migraine, If I woke up with the pounding, nothing short of a shot at the ER would stop it. I too have tried maxalt, effexor,laxapro,ativan and topamax, which I had to stop because the side effects became too severe. The headache was (dare I say it) almost better than the drug. I also took Migrainol (which is a spray up the nose) and that helped for a while.
I now take axert (pill) if I catch the warning in time, and if it does not help within an hour I give myself an injection if Imitrex. (I took the pill form and that did nothing)

Sometimes I feel like my body is getting used to the drug I am using or the headache is getting smarter because I will take something and have it work for a few months and then it stops.............. so far, I have been using the axert and Imitrex injections for about 6 months and only had to go to the hospital 3 times (twice in one week) so I think that is great progress since they were coming about every other day. now only about once a week and usually I can control them. It is when I wait too long that I cant stop it. And I figured out what my triggers were... drinking alcohol and not enough sleep.... I have to get at least 7 hours or I will get a migraine for sure, and one or two drinks is fine, but any more and I am sorry tomorrow!

Keep trying, and keep taking the samples from your doctor, No use in buying a whole prescription if it won't work... don't give up... there is something out there for you.

Tracy

Hey I just wanted to let you know that I am on Topamax & yes I did too have a hard time at 1st too on it. I used to get headaches about 3-4 times a week, now I only get a dull one about once aweek. The Dr. wanted to up it after only a week but I had to wait to atleast 2 weeks & even at that it would not have bothered me to have gone another week before upping it. If you can put up with the side effects for a couple weeks Topamax is worth it. It also helps to have a Dr that is understanding like mine is & allows me to up it when I am ready & not when she thinks it should be done. I need to up my dose again but have been putting it off for that last few weeks due to the side effects. The one that gets me is it makes my jaw,gums & teeth hurt. They hurt so bad that I don't want to talk, eat or anything that I have to move my mouth or chew anything. I eat alot of mushy stuff during that time. I wish you luck with whatever you decide to go with.

hope It works better for you this time around! I have not had any problems with my mouth. Just being so darn tierd and slow!! I have a new found hope now! Thanks

Hi Wenmarie,

I realized I have responded to several of your messages but not officially welcomed you. So "Welcome", I am glad you have chosen to join us here, unfortunately suffering like you are from migraines. Hopefully we can provide support to help you feel better.

I read your post and was saddened to read that you think your doctor thinks you are faking. Are you seeing a neurologist? I have read several books and learned that doctors often blame the patient when they can't fix the patient. Migraine headaches are a difficult phenomenom to deal with. There isn't a known cure and everyone is different so there isn't a "common" fix that works for everyone. I have found that educating myself, going into the doctor with a list of questions and keeping a headache diary are several ways to build credibility with the doctor. Asking to be referred to a neurologist is another step towards pain free or reduction of pain.

When the doctor's change your medication do you make the changes very slowly or quickly? I find that I suffer almost as much from changing medications as from regular life. When you change things only change one thing at a time. Keep track of what you try and the effects.

Your relationship with your doctor / neurologist should be a partnership. You should be aware of how you react to medications and then demand that when you change medications that the change be done keeping this in mind. For example, I have severe reactions going on and off medications, so whenever I go on one or come off one I do it very slowly so that I don't suffer much.

I also see a psychologist who specializes in chronic pain. She helps me develop a pain management plan, ask the right questions and stand up for myself.

I hope this helps.

Good luck.

Hi Wenmarie -
Welcome. I know what you mean about doctors. I AM a doctor and I have migraines, and yet when I lost my (great, empathetic doctor who also had migraines herself) neurologist the new one I inherited just did not seem to listen to what I was telling her. And I am a fellow physician! So I can only imagine how difficult it must sometimes be for regular (non-physician) patients to get an MD to listen to them. I got a new neurologist who is more of a partner with me in the whole thing, and certainly does not seem to think I am a drug seeker (this is actually more a problem for physicians than for non-physicians, because no doctor wants to be the one accused of helping another MD become a drug addict!!) I am on Topamax like you are, and I had a hard time at first - a lot of tingling in my hands and feet, difficulty with word-finding, felt tired. But those things went away or decreased significantly over time...it really did cut the severity of the migraines I was having. My big triggers seem to come on a monthly basis and with approaching low pressure fronts...although more than 1 glass of white wine is living dangerously...If you are only on Midrin as a treatment when a migraine begins no wonder you are suffering! There are other triptans besides Imitrex (sumatriptan) and Maxalt (rizatriptan). Have you tried any of them? Different people respond differently to the various triptans. Maybe you just have not found the right one yet. And then you should have a rescue medication to take in case the triptan doesn;t cut it -- Stadol nasal spray has the most evidence supporting its efficacy, but you can also take Vicodin (hydrocodone and acetaminophen) or Percocet (oxycodone/acetaminophen). Some people take other things like Fioracet -- the main thing is to have a rescue medication available that works for you. Then the only time you have to go the the ER is if the triptans AND the rescue meds fail. But the first order of business is to find a decent neurologist who will listen to you (easier said than done....) and include you as a partner in treatment decisions....You could ask your primary care MD for some other names if you do not like the one you have now. Where I live in Mpls/St. Paul they have a magazine that rates the cities' Top 100 Doctors in a special issue each year. It's not failproof, but the ones who are in there tend to be good technically and have good personalities. I don;t know if you have anything like that in your city. In any case, welcome, good luck, and keep us posted on how you are doing.
Laura L.

Hi there, I think I can track down my most recent copy of Mps/St. Paul Magazine (the one that has the Twin Cities' 100 Top Doctors) for you. I assume you would want me to find you a good neurologist? Would you be coming from the north, south east or west? I guess I could give you a few names and you could look them up and see if they are on your insurance. Would that be helpful? [It's too bad my former neurologist moved to Montana. She was great. She was on the cover a couple of years ago (and deserved to be!)] Do you live anywhere near Rochester, because I have the name of a very competent and empathetic neurologist at the Mayo Clinic. She saw a friend of mind (another physician) who speaks very highly of her. Otherwise I can tell you some names from the Twin Cities.
Laura L.