Discouraged

I have been taking 10 mg of nortryptaline for about a week now and I was doing much better of late after a horrible 4 months of daily migraine, dizziness and tinnitus. I am also on 30 mg of Cymbalta. Doctor told me to up the dose of nort to 20mg after one week. So on Friday night I took the 20, had a dead to the world sleep, woke up extremely sedated until way past noon, then got a doozy of a migraine. Decided NOT to take the 20 last night and went back to the 10. Slept not too bad, woke up once, and woke up to my aura (numbness, tingling, heavy arms and legs, phantom smells) with a headache in the afternoon.

I am SO discouraged!! I was doing so much better the past couple of weeks - maybe 3 migraines a week instead of 6 or 7 and was in such good spirits! I am on disability from my job and thought for sure I could go back soon. Now I dont know. It's like I take one step forward and then 2 steps back. I am SO tired of all of this! Its amazing too how one finds out who your true friends are. The ones that I thought would be in constant touch barely acknowledge me anymore. It's like I dropped off the face of the earth. Two friends and my sister have been fantastic. If it wasnt for them I'd be in the looney bin.

I want to back to work, see my friends, feel NORMAL again. At this rate I dont think it will ever happen! I'm bored, frustrated and tired of being in constant migraine!

Sorry, I just need to vent to people that understand!

Tamsha,

So sorry you've had a set back. Hard to say if you would get used to the 20 mg. Or would do bettrer staying at 10 mg, or if the current headaches is coincidental. Probably won't be able to tell without giving it a bit longer. You should probably check with doctor if the 20 mg dose continues to be a problem.

Don't worry too much about your friends, many people just don't know what to say after a period of time. It's not that they don't mean well or want you to get better. Just try not to get discouraged with the set backs. We have to keep trying.

You've tried something and it didn't work too well, but you learned something from the experiment. So you can regroup and plan your next attack. It does get tiring but you've lived another day to fight.

Some friends can't and won't be there for you, but count yourself lucky that you have 3.

Oh I know the frustration. It can eat away at you! It can also cause your stress rate to increase, and along with that your BP, and anger then you get that damn migraine!!!! UGH. It is unforunately very often one step forward and two back, but don't give up. Don't let your frustration, and anger at not having your previous abilities get to you. I know, I know, easy to say, harder to do. Please just trust though that I am only speaking from personal experience. As hard as it is for me to accept that I can't work, I can't even think of doing most of the things I used to take for granted as being able to do whenever i wanted to, I have accepted it and I also have to. Maybe it is time to discover a new normal for a while. And you are right you will find out your true friends, this migraine crap has made me a better friend as well. It has made me take those true friends and cherish them more than I ever thought about. You can do this, maybe not exactly the way you want to, but you can do it!

Losing people I thought were friends has been one of the most difficult parts of living with chronic migraine. I really feel you there on how horrible it can be.

hi,

can't blame you for being discouraged. i remember your past posts. a lot of people gave you great advice, not going to repeat.

one thing about the med. you tried, i took that and it did not work. when i took amiltriptyline (sp?) the first time i got hit hard, had to leave work because i was so over medicated. did not work either.
years later i tried it again and did not have the same overly sedating response. still did not work.

my point is it was just one of a long line of meds. that i tried. it stinks but it seems to be part of the migraine "lifestyle". we keep trying till we find something.
you are right to feel discouraged, but you might find something sooner than later.

i def. feel for you. fingers crossed.


rose