Most Inevasive Preventative Med

I was started on amytriptaline in December - took it for one month and weaned myself off. It was only 10mg and it turned me into a total nutcase - full of anxiety, crying all the time, I couldnt handle it. If it had a hand in getting rid of my severe migraine vertigo then it worked but the rest of it had to go.

My doctor suggested the next step would be Topomax - I heard it was one of the worst ones for personality changes. Right now I'm on nothing - just plugging away trying to treat my triggers naturally thru diet, exercise, stress reduction, vitamins etc. I have migraine everyday and only one or two days have been unbearable. The rest I'm managing.

I guess my question is through everyone's experience on this board, is there a preventative med that is considered more tolerable? I know it's different for every person but if I decide that I need to try another med, what would your suggestions be? My doctor is very quick to write Topomax and I really want to stay away from that one.

I get atypical migraine - all the aura, numbness, tingling, strong phantom smells, and pressure on back of head but not so much the headache. I was told beta blockers are not good for people with atypical/complicated migraines.

Thank you!

I've tried amitripyline, nortriptilyne, topomax, keppra, neurontin and other beta blockers too. My experience with topamax wasn't so bad- it actually had less negative side effects for me than the others. It didn't help my migraines though. Now I'm on zonegran which apparently is very similar to topomax. I've read it has less side effects than topomax so may be worth asking your doctor about. I also found neurontin to have almost zero side effects when I took it. It's in the same class of drugs as well. Good luck!

My best has been a combo of Inderal and Welbutrin. Very few side effects except weight gain and fatigue. Hope you find something that works for you.
Hugs,
Cindy

I just had my second try on topamax. It really helped my head, but I couldn't tolerate the side effects.

I still think it's worth a try...just a very, very cautious try.

Although Topomax has not worked for many of us, it does work for some. Unfortunately you won't know how it works for you until you try it. Just go slow and watch for the side effects. If you get them, tell your doctor right away. Maybe you'll get lucky and do just fine.

Everyone reacts to a given drug differently. Topiramate may be a good drug for you... I would give it a shot. If you don't like after you've given it a fair chance, then you can always come off.

That being said, if migraine associated vertigo (MAV) is what's giving you the most trouble, you can always try verapamil. It's first line treatment for MAV and it has a favorable side effect profile (I couldn't handle the stuff myself... just goes to show what I stated earlier).

Best of Luck!

I was on Corguard, a beta blocker, plus aspirin, and had absolutely no side effects. Normally, I have horrible side effects to everythin, including other beta blockers

It was not particularly effective for me, but maybe it will be for you.

I'm another pro-topamax person. Yes, the tingling side effects are kinda freaky but they went away after a while. I never had the taste-altering side effect. I take it in combination with nortriptyline and it has helped greatly.