I knew I shouldn't do it!

Every time I say I am better, I am guaranteeing myself a relapse within a week or two. The Neurontin/Elavil combination that was working so well... My head has now found away to circumvent it, and the M's are once again a daily thing...

Also, the combination caused me to gain 10 pounds, which I have no confidence that I can lose any time soon.
The new weight is stressing my back...

I am so tired of walking a tightrope, juggling side-effects, and feel even half-way decent.

Holly

Sorry to hear the effects have worn off. Hope you can get to feeling better again soon.

It never fails does it Holly, I'm the same, I jinx myself every time. Maybe you will start getting more breaks from them.

So many of the med's we take have a trade-off don't they? Topamax-you'll feel better but be dumber than a box of rocks. Depakote-at as high enough dose to be effective, trembling. Beta-blockers-stand up too fast and go right back down.

Frustrating. Then to have the trade-off not even work! I'm sorry that happened to you.

Charlotte

paradox wrote:So many of the med's we take have a trade-off don't they? Topamax-you'll feel better but be dumber than a box of rocks. Depakote-at as high enough dose to be effective, trembling. Beta-blockers-stand up too fast and go right back down.

Frustrating. Then to have the trade-off not even work! I'm sorry that happened to you.

Charlotte

There's always a trade off, you're exactly right. It also seems that our bodies can sometimes become, for lack of better words, immune, to the drugs prescribed to treat the migraines.

I now count as one of my prodrome symptoms that me saying, "oh, I feel really well", or, "my head's not too bad today" will generally herald a bad day! So I know that jinxed feeling well

Take care

Amy

Holly, I am sorry you are back to daily headaches. I agree with the feeling that the migraines have a way of figuring things out. Sometimes I wonder if I would be better off going back to a few really bad days a month and not taking anything. But, of course, I cant get myself to try it. I think my combo of Inderal and Welbutrin is helping, but I am not sure.

I am afraid to mess with it and chace going back to daiy headaches. I do not know if I am nbetter due to Lyme treatment or the meds or both. I still have 10 or more days of migraine a week... I hope you are ust having a short bad spell and the good days will return.
Hugs,
Cindy

I love when I'm on a combo of drugs and the doc says "is drug A working for you? How about B, C, etc.?" How the heck do I know which drug ishelping and which isn't? By what I tell him, shouldn't he be able to figure it out?

And here's something: I am taking Mexiletine. It's a lidocaine pill. I get the hiccups after I take it. I mentioned it to the NP and she said she never heard of that side effect. So what?!?!! It's sill happening. I can't pretend to have the hiccups.

Oh - and please don't talk to me about weight gain. I used to be skinny. Now I'm not.

Rachel

I used to be skinny too. sigh (I totally understand - my ex used to complain that I was "scrawny"...)

My ex had to take fosamax, and when he did, he had terrible stomach problems. His doctor was just like yours... "never heard of that"....

Then several months later, they changed the small print advertising for the drug to read 'may cause stomach upset"

Makes you nuts, doesn't it...?

Holly

The visual image I always get when thinking about how our bodies always circumvent the success we get from a medication or a cocktail of meds is an empty lot. You clear it of vegetation and after a short while, nature comes back and the vegetation grows right back. So, you fix the migraine and after a while, nature comes back and it's right back to where you were.

Just thought I'd throw that in there....for what it's worth!

Poor Holly

I hope you are able to paint ... a real angry picture. I am real frustrated for you ... know exactly what you mean.

I know exactly what you mean too. I had one good month recently and thought, wow, this is great. Thought maybe I will have another month like that, and wham, right back to the normal of about 10-12 migraines a month. The good month came after 4 days of topamax. I had to go off of it (dr. told me to because of a side effect) but weirdly even though I had only taken 4 days worth I went 3 weeks without a migraine. It was wonderful. And then they came back.

Holly - Try Topamax. That will lose you the 10 lbs. Might even work for your migraine. Just prepare to become "dumb". All depends on your priorities I guess.

25 extra pounds later and my pain is somewhat better and migraines are slightly lessened. Still almost daily with a week break in between every once in a while. TN is better with daily pain at mostly 2-3 with the usual spikes to 5-8. SO what is making me gain weight? Effexor like my doctor thinks? Neurontin? or the new one Lyrica, which comes with the warning may cause weight gain? All I know is that if I start hurting more than I am and the migraines get worse again, then it is off this lovely cocktail and on to something else.

Alli

I always have to factor in the weight gain, because of the degenerative disk disease, and the herniated disks. Just 10 lb. causes quite a change in my ability to get around, and much more back pain.

So since the Neurontin always causes me to gain weight, and the M's are creeping back, I am tapering off the N/Elavil combo... If I can get a little bit of the weight off, I might try it again. But usually things that work for me for a while, and quit working --- they never work again.

I hate living this way---

Holly

Holly,
I like topamax so far.

Its helping with the severity of my migraines. I'm now up to full dosage of it.
Yeah i'm dropping lbs like crazy.
it is definitely a drug for weight loss and migraines combined.
Yeah I was dumb for the first few weeks, but it is getting better.

I think the tingling is staying with me though. I tingle all over, especially when I get mad.
My whole face feels like its on fire when I'm angry, its kind of funny. It distracts me when i'm boiling over,
making me less angry and more, ahh what is this strange sensation!?!

I think the dumbness lasts forever in some, and not in others. Maybe i'm really dumb and just don't
notice it lol.

I believe its stabilizing my moods a bit too. I still get stressed, I still get mad, but at least its not
over extremely dumb stuff.

If you like beer though, be prepared to give that up. All carbonated drinks for me taste like cows poo.
I'd recommend it, but stick with it through the dumbness. Its bad, but it did get better for me.

"Every time I say I am better, I am guaranteeing myself a relapse within a week or two. My head has now found away to circumvent it, and the M's are once again a daily thing... " Same thing with me.

I wonder if there is a "Shaman" we could consult so we can perform the proper rituals and/or say the right prayers to whatever spirit has jurisdiction over migraines. Obviously, we are displeasing this spirit and we are being punished for some transgression we committed in this or in a pass life.

hahahaha! The joke in my family is that I was Hitler in a former life. Nothing else can explain the multitude of pain disorders and accident I have had. My next life is going to be one of health, wealth and happiness!

Alli