Okay, here goes: good news at last...

I am very paranoid about saying that I am doing better... it seems to spark the interest of the migraine monster, and he comes for me Hard.

But, if something is working for me, maybe it will help someone else so here goes:

I haven't had to take anything, no triptans at all for four and a half months. This is from one or two Maxalt a DAY (for years) to nothing. What changed? In January I had what they called a TIA stroke, and the neuro changed my verapamil ER from 120 mgs a day to 240 a day. (One big pill at night).

Almost immediately, the migraines just shut down.... I still have some headache, esp. in the AM, but if I get up, move around and eat something, it just fades away...

I am 59 years old. I have had steady M's since I was 35.

On the other hand, my fibro and degenerative disks have gotten much worse. My legs hurt so badly every afternoon that I am just desperate. I don't know what it's like to be pain-free. But no Migraines?

I can't believe they are gone for good, and I still get my Maxalt script every month in case... But I am thanking God for any M free time... and I have to think it is the Verapamil helping me, because nothing else changed...

You all are in my prayers - God bless...
Holly

That is such good news Holly. I am really pleased for you, and of course a little envious.
I am a year ahead of you, and still getting worse....but who knows...

I do hope it continues for you, and that you get some relief from the fibro pain.
Great to be migraine free, but shame you still have that.
Fingers crossed ....

Pen

Holly, a real miracle! I am thrilled to hear it!

I'm sorry about your other pain. Is it possible for you to go to PT?

I'm very glad you told us

I have goosebumps, dear Holly!

Cheryl

Holly, that's fantastic news . It's so lovely to hear a story like that, although I'm sorry you've got to contend with the other pains .

Thanks for sharing with us.

Liz

Holly,

It's so good to see some good news! I'm so happy for you !!

Have you tried guaifenesen for fibro? It took 2 years for me, but my fibro is 80% better. The fibro pain is just awful.

Just a thought....enjoy your migraine-free days, and thanks for posting!

Ann

this is really marvelous news, holly!

ann, if you are still online, could you kindly answer this for me......i was reading thru some of your older posts, re: guifenesin. it's terrific that it worked for you. i tried it for an entire year, and it did nothing. and yes, i got rid of all the unacceptable cosmetic things.

i was just wondering about what you said re: tailbones and fibro. i cracked/broke my tailbone when i was 22, and had to sit on a motorcycle innertube for 2 months. this was in the dark ages, before one could buy a donut pillow.

have you read about some connection there? OOPS I JUST FOUND YOUR LINK. i'm always interested in the WHYS of things. dianne

Great news Holly, I suppose you are very pleased, and so am I for you!

Hmm interesting that all that was needed was almost twice as much the dosage.
I wonder if that would work for others too, with their medications??

Risa

that is great news. no M for 4.5 months. I just read that effective dose for verapamil could start at 240 mg to 480. I would not be afraid to add more later if needed. Of course we couldnt get it away from you now. Im happy for you. Never had a relief with a calcium channel blocker maybe i needed a larger dose. also read it could take 4 weeks for results to show.

I really believe that the migraines will be back someday - I have had one other period of relief several years ago with gabapentin. With me, somehow the migraines have always been able to find another way in... And gabapentin caused me to gain about 25 pounds, stressing my back problems... (!)

I will try to ramp up the Verapamil if I have to... I didn't know what the limit was, thanks reminding me.

In the meantime, I will just thank God for the break, and hopefully someone else could be helped by the info---

I love you guys,
Holly

I'm so happy for you, Holly!

Now if they can get the fibro to back off a bit for you, life would be just wonderful.

I hope the migraine monster never comes back.

So pleased for you Holly this is a beacon of hope for us all, long may it continue for you, although i am sorry to hear of your back pain. x

Holly,
this is really good news!
I am sorry that fybro still annoyes you, but no migraine is a gift!
take care

That's great news!

I'm on verapamil and notrtiptyline - my neuro is old school and went with the "old faithfuls" that he's used for years.

Did the meds work for you, newtothis?
What amount of verapamil do you take?

Holly

That's great to hear! Inderal was the only med that even gave me a small amount of relief. At least until I found out what was causing my migs and had it corrected (mostly).

I also had DDD and fixed it over the course of two years. And during that time I was getting spinal epidurals every 4-6 months and those alone were nothing short of miraculous.

If you give your body the correct amino acid building blocks your disks will repair themselves. By getting the spinal epidurals the inflammation was reduced so that optimal healing can take place. Separately, neither one would have had any long term benefits.

Any time someone comes to me for low back pain care I look at their fingernails. They are pretty much the same tissue as joint cartilage. If they grow very slow, crack and peel then your joints will likely be doing the same. Except it's far more serious to have your skeletal shock absorbers waste away.

If they have bad fingernails then I tell them to get evaluated for DDD first and that massage therapy will not help much.

And people with DDD will almost always have knee or hip pain also. Joint cartilage is a rapidly growing/regenerating tissue that is very amino acid hungry. Too many people do not have very good digestion so the proteins we eat do not get broken down into aminos very good. Age is the worst culprit and closely followed by all the indigestion meds we take. Less digestive acid = less available amino acids for cartilage repair.

One again don't wait for your doctor to tell you this. They won't.

Dear Brent-
Thanks so much for this information...
My fingernails are not strong, I can't grow them out, they begin to break...

I have had epidural steroid injections in the past, but they never seemed to help at all.
Things have gotten worse with my back recently; I have involvement with my left hip and sacro joint...

and so much pain...

I don't eat properly, I know that... my appetite just isn't there usually.
How can I get the right amino acid balance in my body...???
Holly

That's so wonderful Holly..yea !

Greeneyes

hpilgrim wrote:Dear Brent-
Thanks so much for this information...
My fingernails are not strong, I can't grow them out, they begin to break...

I have had epidural steroid injections in the past, but they never seemed to help at all.
Things have gotten worse with my back recently; I have involvement with my left hip and sacro joint...

and so much pain...

I don't eat properly, I know that... my appetite just isn't there usually.
How can I get the right amino acid balance in my body...???
Holly

It's not a good diet/bad diet issue. We just start losing digestive efficiency as we age.

By taking digestive enzymes we can break down the proteins we eat much better. And we can also take a full spectrum amino acid supplement. The one I used is only $12 a can which is a three week supply for me. I double dosed it also. It's not a medicine, just a concentrated food product. It's mixed with juice and has a slight salt like flavor from the MSM in it.

But the biggest problem is the very long time it takes to get the effects. People lose interest in it and stop taking it. It took most of your life for the disk to degenerate so it's not going to regenerate over night.

It's not going to help everyone but when it comes to DDD or osteo arthritis you don't have too many good options so it's worth a try. If you notice your finger nails getting healthier and growing like mad then it's probably going to help.

I had no choice but to try it since my L 4,5 disk was dark gray on the MRI. I was only 40 y/o and had the next 40 to live and to so without pain. There is a new synthetic rubber disk but it only lasts for about ten years and they are not replaceable.

hpilgrim wrote:Did the meds work for you, newtothis?
What amount of verapamil do you take?

Holly

Holly ~ I think we've finally found the right mix! I take 80mg Verapamil 3X a day and 20mg Nortriptyline at bedtime. I can still feel the neurological symptoms in the background sometimes but luckily this mix and dosage seems to keep them there. They do sometimes break through however I haven't had anything near to the severity of what landed me in the hospital for a week!

I'm very lucky to have found something that works for me!

Debbie

That is great, Debbie.. I have been taking Verapamil for years, but at small doses. Finally a neuro took a real interest. In his opinion, M's and high blood pressure are connected, and in my case, I guess he's right...

Brent, where do you get your supplement? That actually sounds like I could afford it : -) My lumbar disks are little flat black lines on the xray ...
Thanks,
Holly

http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Joint-Support-Powder-11-oz-312-g/660?at=0

Once I took some calcium supplement that included oyster shells ground up.. my arms broke out all over itching like mad. I assumed I am allergic to the oyster shell, and have avoided it since.

I saw that sadly, this product has shellfish products as well, and I am afraid to try it...
It's always something, isn't it..??

Thank you VERY much for the info, though, and maybe it will help someone else...
Holly

You can get other non-shellfish amino acid supplements. Many people have shellfish allergies or are vegetarian and the supplement manufactures are aware of that.
http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Glucosamine-and-MSM-Vegetarian-120-Vcaps/604?at=0

I had one guy that was due to have both his knees replaced that just used Knox gelatin and mineral whey for four months and had a massive improvement. He was 71 y/o.