Re: Prophylactics: Any Success Stories?

LG Wed Jan 27, 2010 6:36 pm

Exactly how I feel. Plus the pain is controlled in the hospital with morphine easily. No questions asked, go in, say "I have a kidney stone" They run a few tests, if your smart you bring a cup of pee with you so they can test it and soon enough they have you with a morphine IV, comfortable, sleeping and passing it. Sometimes it's worse then that and they have to break them up but hey, they still give you morphine and the morphine makes it completely manageable. I have no pain at all during my kidney stones with that stuff.

Migraines are a PITA! Nobody can confirm them so therefore they give you a hard time about treatment. Nobody agrees on a form of treatment so that makes it worse. On top of everything, most of the stuff they give you they send you on your merry way STILL IN PAIN! No thanks. I'll take a kidney stone every few months any day over migraines. God, i'd welcome it if they'd just GO AWAY!

charmed quark Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:52 am

"No more preventatives for me neither. No idea what long time effects are and none of them worked good enough to gamble on"

My problem was that I was in bad enough shape that I was willing to make that gamble IF something worked even half-way decent. I had no quality of life when my migraines were at their worst. If a doctor gave me a drug that would stop the migraines but might eventually knock ten years off my life, I would have made that trade.

Topamax, however, had short-term side effects I couldn't put up with. The Dopamax effect. Don't know if it might be effective as I was never able to build up the dosage.

pen Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:58 am

charmed quark wrote:"decent. I had no quality of life when my migraines were at their worst. If a doctor gave me a drug that would stop the migraines but might eventually knock ten years off my life, I would have made that trade.
.

You said when your migraines were at their worst. Does that mean they have improved. How and why.....
And NO preventatives. I have got to the point where I just dont trust them.
I am embarassed to say I am now scared to take them...

estre004 Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:11 am

I said I wasn't going to try anymore preventatives either but then I read Terri Roberts success story above. Might change my mind.

theresae Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:32 am

hi teri do you think that some of your reduction of migraines can also be attributed to being the age that you are, i think i have read somewhere that around 55 years is the age when arteries(?) start to harden making them less responsive to migraines, just a thought ?

i am really holding out for that as my mother had migraines for 20 years until she reached around that age and they slowly disappeared, reducing down to headaches first and then nothing, and now she leads a full active life and it is lovely to see after watching her spend day after day in bed for all those years.

theresa

estre004 Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:36 am

Don't mean to be negative Theresae but I was looking forward to that age and it came and went without any changes in my migraines. Hope it changes yours!! Actually, mine could still change--I'm 59.
You've made a good point though. Terri's change could have nothing to do with what she is taking.

BaadDawg Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:52 am

Well my migraines started as I got to that magic artery hardening age, so there are no "rules" with the brain and migraine. As far as some women seeing reduction or elimination of migraine later in life (my wife's migraines pretty much vanished just as mine appeared) it probably has more to do with hormones and again affects some and not others.

pen Fri Jan 29, 2010 9:15 am

I'm with Linda, we have discussed this often. I am 60 in March....oh boy!!!
Since perimenopause when I had my very first migraine, and I thought I was so bad....
they got worse.

I longed for my periods to stop because they told me the migraines would probnably go.
Not a chance, they are much worse, I didnt realise how well off I was with a migraine every 8 days or so....
Now I am lucky to get 3 days off with constant pain in between.

Dont hold out for a change, live the day and travel hopefully.
Wish I had.

Very Happy

TeriRobert Fri Jan 29, 2010 1:25 pm

Hi, Theresae,

No, I don't really think the reduction in my Migraines has anything to do with age, for more than one reason:

The reason "they" so often say Migraines get better at this age is that women who have had the hormonal fluctuations of their menstrual cycle as a major Migraine trigger, sometimes do see a reduction in Migraines after menopause.
I've had a heart attack, and I take medications specifically for my heart and the arteries.
I've tried reducing my preventive medications, and when I do that, my Migraines increase in both frequency and severity.

I WISH there were something going on as I age that would reduce my Migraines so I could get rid of some meds, but so far, that hasn't been the case. Neutral

Teri

theresae wrote:hi teri do you think that some of your reduction of migraines can also be attributed to being the age that you are, i think i have read somewhere that around 55 years is the age when arteries(?) start to harden making them less responsive to migraines, just a thought ?

i am really holding out for that as my mother had migraines for 20 years until she reached around that age and they slowly disappeared, reducing down to headaches first and then nothing, and now she leads a full active life and it is lovely to see after watching her spend day after day in bed for all those years.

theresa

TeriRobert Fri Jan 29, 2010 1:26 pm

Charlotte,

Topamax was disastrous for me too, but as you are, I'm glad for the people it works for.

Was the "K" drug Keppra?

Teri

paradox wrote:I'm am so happy for those of you who have success with Topamax. Honestly, not just happy, but jealous too.

My experience was horrendous...suicidal, mental breakdown to the point I was diagnosed bi-polar (at 47 with never having had any other symptoms!). I've posted about it before.

What I love about this site is it makes us aware of what can happen to different people on the same drugs. We can gather up the knowledge and make decisions based on us as individuals. Plus, be aware of side effects that aren't always told to us up front.

I was put on one, can't even remember, there have been so many, I know it starts with a K, that my neuro flat out told me "it may turn you into a b**ch". Whoa, that was blunt! And whoa, was he right!!! Even knowing that it was drug causing it didn't help me to control it. I went off it because I'd rather be in pain and have people love me, then drive everyone away!

Charlotte

TeriRobert Fri Jan 29, 2010 1:29 pm

For what it's worth, after the Topamax debacle with the last neurologist I saw before getting to a real Migraine specialist, I'd sworn I wouldn't take any more preventives either.

But it was to the point where I had no life at all. I was in bed all day an average of five days a week with a Migraine, and when I didn't have one, I was afraid to leave the house because of the possibility of one striking while I was away from home.

It was truly to the point where, if that was life, I wasn't sure I wanted it any longer.

My fondest wish is for everyone with Migraines or other headache disorders to get to the point I'm at now.

Teri

estre004 wrote:I said I wasn't going to try anymore preventatives either but then I read Terri Roberts success story above. Might change my mind.

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Prophylactics: Any Success Stories?