Whohoo!
Now, normally I wouldn't discuss medications on my blog. I'm gonna get all kinds of crazy hits on my site from people looking for drugs from Mexico. Move along, people. Nothing to see here.
But you, my friends, know my struggles with migraines. I'd been to see a neurologist five years ago– she didn't do much but throw handfuls of triptans at me and wish me well. They didn't work. I've tried narcs and acupuncture. I've changed my diet and my sleep patterns. I know the migraines are driven by hormones, and I've tried supplements, both synthetic and natural. No dice. Every year it gets worse.
I went to a new neurologist the other day, and I think I have been given the miracle drug. Really. It's called T0pamax, and I think it might wash my dishes if I train it to. It's an anti-seizure med (thank god! No more seizures! Not that I get them anyway!), and it's used for depression, too (I'm a little weirded out by that. Definitely don't need need anti-depressants. Will I get even more chipper? Ick). Also, it decreases the desire to drink alcohol (couldn't hurt) and the desire to eat (COULDN'T HURT). The most common side effects are tingly fingers and mouth with no ill effect, bad taste when drinking carbonated beverages (which I don't drink anyway), and weight loss (HELLO!).
I think it might make me taller someday and maybe give me the brown eyes I always wanted. AND my doc says it really might help with my migraines.
OH! And it helps you sleep! Me, insomnia girl, is sleeping! What the hell? I love this stuff.
And my darling chickens, of course I've read the literature and I know the other side effects and watch to watch out for, yes, yes, yes. But I can't help but be excited. I'm so tired of the thrice-monthly pain, excited that maybe this might help. YAY!
As much as I like Maxalt, I’d love a drug that would help me lose the “Hawaii 20” I’ve gained, and one that would beef up the sleep quotient! Yay for the neurologist!!!
Hubba hubba!
As someone who has taken Topamax before, I can tell you that the tingling feeling is not fun. The first time I was one it I was taking my EMT class. The tingling sensation was so bad, I had to medically withdraw from the class until my body adjusted to it. I didn’t lose weight that time. The second time I took it, I gained about 10 pounds. The last time I took, I actually lost about 25 pounds.
The doctors always mention the weight loss but never the weight gain potential. But the drug is worth the side effects. It is the only drug I can take for migraines since I have low blood pressure and asthma. I can only stay on it for about 6 months before having to go off it. But the effects of the drug seem to work in my system for almost 2 years afterwards before I have to go back on it. Weird but that is my body.
My trigger is changes in teh weather so I can not avoid my trigger. I am happy to hear that you have finally found something that works.
So glad to hear that you’ve found something that’s working! I have a friend who was given Topomax for seizures and it was terrible for him (and this is a guy who knows his way around side effects). It just goes to show there’s some matchmaking required for these things. A good neurologist is key!
I think of you fondly when it gets hot and humid here, because I do get miserable, and it’s nice to know there’s someone else out there who’s happy and has fortitude for lots of things but can’t stand the heat!
Topomax really worked for me too. But they gave me Effexor on top of that and the combination almost did me in, now I can’t take *anything*. The weight loss was great though.
I hope this is it! Imitrex is still my wonder drug, but my migraines are mild and infrequent compared to many. We have a friend who is virtually incapacitated by his; I’ll see if Topamax is a possibility that’s been floated yet.
I hope it works out for you, I have “mild” migraines and they are bad enough. Actually, there are a couple anti-depressants are also used as headache medications… probably has something to do with leveling out the horomones…
One of the theories about migraines is that they’re actually a type of seizure activity, so her choice of drug isn’t too surprising. I wonder if it’d work for restless legs, ’cause I’d far prefer a drug with those side effects to my current one, which causes nausea and compulsive gambling.
I am a PA in Tennessee and have a couple of my patients on Topamax for migraines. They have loved it and are doing really well and I hope it helps you, as well! The “triptans” aren’t for everyone, though they can be really helpful, too, so it can be frustrating to go through the trial and error of ANOTHER medication to try.
Good luck!!!
OMG. Does the package include the winning lottery ticket? (So glad you’ve found “the cure”…)
WOW I’m so excited for you!
Yay! Sounds good. 🙂
congratulations on finding a potential solution to the migraines! keep us posted and hope the 3x monthly pain is a thing of the past! :o)
You do not need to lose any weight. Srsly.
YAY! All the drugs I take for my fibromyalgia are also seizure-related, and have cut my migraines down to 1 a month I can drown in a dose of Midrin. Now I want to switch to Topomax so I can have extra help losing the 40lbs I gained -back- after getting so sick for so long.
A very dear friend of mine recently switched to Topamax for migraines and positively swears by it! And thankfully, she’s noticed none of the dreaded side effects, other than feeling fantastic and not having migraines!
Isn’t pharmacology wonderful?
Topomax was awesome for me. I only had to take a small dose and the side effects were minimal. The hands and feet tingling were weird but manageable, certainly better than migraines. I had to stop taking it to get pregnant, or I’d still be on it.
Careful before thinking you have a miracle drug there. Topamax is also nicknamed “Dopamax” because it makes you…wait for it…dopey. Sometimes you can have trouble finding the right word, and you might be less witty, which can be a liability in your profession.
It does treat migraines fairly well. We don’t completely understand how any of these drugs work on the brain, which is why for some people, it treats migraines, and some it balances their mood, and some it cures seizures. I have seen the appetite suppression in action on both my husband and my MIL, and it can be pretty serious. Make sure what you do eat is packed with nutrition, and if you don’t now, take a multivitamin.
I also saw the “dopamax” effect on both my husband and MIL, and it ended up being a dealbreaker for my MIL. We all hated her on it. She still had headaches sometimes, but she refused for a year to consider a different drug because she liked the weight loss. My husband took it for PTSD, and he got a lot of benefit from it for a couple of years, until he couldn’t take some other side effects any more.
Anyways, I have a lot of experience with this drug, so if you have any questions, let me know.
Yay! Glad you finally found something that works. One ray of hope, my hormone-related migraines ceased after menopause. I only get the occasional visual migraine that doesn’t last very long and doesn’t really bother me.
Hooray for finding something that works! Hope it does the trick for the migraines.
P.S. I am with Lala. I think you look great how you are.
Great to hear you found something that’s working. I’ll happily take your green eyes if you don’t want them anymore (and whilst we’re at it, some of your drugs too acshually, I get reeeeally bad headaches, but no idea if they’re migraines – really, I should go and see a doctor…) xx
I hope it works for you! My doctor told me it varies tremendously from one person to another. It didn’t help me, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. Good luck!
Does it come with a pony?
oh, best best best thoughts for this to work.
Yay!for finding your solution 🙂 and double yay for sleep! My migraines were caused by the flickering computers at my old job – so my only solution was to get a new job!
That new drug you can get to help your eyelashes grow may also change the pigment of your eyes to some degree of brown….
I don’t need it! I’m a brown eyed girl already! :)))
Congrats on finding something that works. Better living through chemistry.
Congrats on finding something that works. I hope that it continues to have positive effects!
i think a LOT of “anti-depression & helps you sleep” meds actually are prescribed for other stuff (and work). my dad was one for months when he messed up a nerve and it worked wonders.
YAY NO MORE MIGRAINES!!!
Awesome! I also suffer from migraine’s and I’ll keep this med in mind. I’ve tried almost everything else. I hope it doesn’t make me taller and brown eyed, I’m already tall enough and have brown eyes. Skinny… I’d like that side effect 😉
Oh, I hope this works for you! Keeping my fingers crossed on this one…
My daughter takes Relpax (not sure of spelling) for the severest of her migraines and it works fast.
(Late for the party – I’ve been neglecting blogs for Facebook time.) That switching to bold thing was kinda cool. (If my comment is not in bold, then just never mind.)
Congrats on finding something that helps you. My answer is Maxalt (I know that didn’t help you, but it’s done wonders for me). Life without migraines is a good thing.
I wonder if the tingles can be helped by chewing a Tums? That’s what they give me when I donate platelets and my mouth tingles. I don’t think it would hurt anything to try!
let’s see. decreased desire to eat, drink alcohol, drink soda. Increased ability to sleep. Weight loss.
Does it clear up adult acne too? if so, i’ll pay black market prices for some!
Topamax made me incredibly skinny and stupid. I would get lost driving to work. (There are two prisons, side by side…couldn’t remember which one I worked at. No matter. If I showed up at the wrong one, they would call MY prison for someone to come over to fetch me.)
I’m still on the Dem-Tur-Phen-Benydrl shot routine, with Migranol nasal spray. Not perfect but it works most of the time.
I hope the Topomax helps you. My teen DD takes a daily drug from the triptyline family of anti-depressants to help prevent her migraines and lessen the severity. It does help, but of course it doesn’t prevent them all. But she hasn’t had a really bad one since we started on this.