Topamax Users: Your Experiences Please!

[Mandy_in_NC]

I am glad I found this thead. I am going to see the Neuro for the first time on Thursday and I want to ask him about topamax as a preventative for my migrianes. I have some type of headache everyday. And my migraines have been getting worse so hopefully he can help me. I will let you know what he says.

 

[Jennasis]

The pain in my head is driving me mad! It isn't debilitating...just constant and nagging. Sometimes it throbs, and it moves around. Sometimes it's on the left temple, sometimes the right...sometimes the back of my head, sometimes between my eyes. Right now it's in my right temple and just above my right eye and JUSt nagging enough to let me know it's still there. Sometimes I get tired and a little nauseous (never throw up though) too. It is beyond frustrating. It'll be one year at the end of May that I've had them. I can't live like this. I want to cry and nobody understands how awful it is. I get NO relief from any kind of medication at all. Neck and shoulder or scalp massages help for a few minutes and laying down helps too, but I can't live like that! MY DH is so patient and understanding but I must be making him insane.

All last year I though I was dying of brain cancer/a tumor. I went for an MRI (it was clean). I can't find any daignosis on the net or in any medical journal that matches my headache symptoms! It isn't like a normal migraine. Especially since none of the migraine therapies are working (we've done beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, different rescue meds like Relpax/Axert, OTC meds, even narcotics like Ultracet which only made me vomit and tired.) I'm scared and tired.

Please pray that Thursday may have some new answers or alternatives when I go to the nuero. In a way I'm glad the Topamax isn't working...I'm tired of feeling stupid too!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Jennasis,

Do you take OTC pain relievers? If so, how often? If more than once a week you could be gettin rebound headaches. I hope you are able to get some answers. I know how frustrated you are. Sometimes when I have a bout of headaches I just want to scream. It is really hard to understand unless you are living with them or other chronic pain.

 

[Christine]

Fortunately, I am not much of a headache sufferer, but I've been getting more as I've aged and over the past 3 years, I have had some of what I call "migraine-like" headaches. I get very light/noise sensitive, queasy, weak. The only thing that helps is for me to go to bed.

My own *theory* on this is that, for most women, they are hormonally related. And the older you get, the more wacky the hormones are, the worse the headaches are.

I know several women who have suffered YEARS with migraines, been through all the therapies, and had it all disappear with menopause.

 

[Jennasis]

Geesh...I'm only 29. So if these are hormonal, what can I expect at menopause??? I try not to take any OTC stuff because it simply doesn't work. Prior to getting these chronic, persistent, daily, headaches, when I would get the rare occassional normal headache (once or twice a month) two ibuprofren would knock it right out. Now NOTHING works at all. I've tried changing pillows thinking that I had pinched a nerve in my neck. No help. I just want to feel normal again. This past winter I was actually depressed about 80% of the time because of the pain. DH noticed it. Irritable, grumpy, sad. I don't want to slip back into that. The only reason I haven't gone completely depressed is because I did experience those two months of brief symptom free time.

DH thinks it may be stress or even psychosomatic. So if we can't find a physical cause I'll be heading off to the psychiatrist next.

 

[Christine]

Geesh...I'm only 29. So if these are hormonal, what can I expect at menopause??? I try not to take any OTC stuff because it simply doesn't work. Prior to getting these chronic, persistent, daily, headaches, when I would get the rare occassional normal headache (once or twice a month) two ibuprofren would knock it right out. Now NOTHING works at all. I've tried changing pillows thinking that I had pinched a nerve in my neck. No help. I just want to feel normal again. This past winter I was actually depressed about 80% of the time because of the pain. DH noticed it. Irritable, grumpy, sad. I don't want to slip back into that. The only reason I haven't gone completely depressed is because I did experience those two months of brief symptom free time.

DH thinks it may be stress or even psychosomatic. So if we can't find a physical cause I'll be heading off to the psychiatrist next.

Jennasis--
Yes, at 29, even then hormones can wreak havoc.

I will tell you that my cousin (who is almost 43) had all of her start in her mid-20s. Like you, at that point, they were just starting and didn't rule her life. As she has progressed in age, the headaches have worsened and they do rule her life. Her doctor is concerned because she has almost developed an anxiety condition over them. She says that now, even if the headache might be small, she is constantly in fear that it will progress and she thinks she *makes* it progress when it might not.