Migraine

Hi,

I'm very frustrated with this medication circle i'm going around in. I'm on my 3rd Neuro Dr. I feel like I have Cervogenic Headaches. My pain all started in my neck, lasted about 3 months, then turned into pain in my neck AND migraines.

Today i've been crying all day. I'm losing hope that I will find a Dr. that will look at my neck. My x-rays and MRI's all say everything is fine (even though in them it says i'm having muscle spasams in my neck and shoulders).

So today I go to this new Doctor and he puts me on Pamelor. I've tried Doxepin and Elavil, both which made me hungry, i've gained 20 lbs, my breast hurt, and i'm constipated. Why put me on another class of this drug? I've also tried Topamax but I lost it on that drug. Yes I only lasted a week on it. But I was confused, couldn't drive, was emotional and didn't sleep that whole week.

Is anyone on Pamelor?

I don't know what to do. I just want to grab someone and hold on and scream help me! I can't take this pain. It's in my head, neck, shoulders, makes my hands ache and tingle.

Sigh.

Welcome Amy.


Sometimes drugs in the same class will act differently on a person. It's a good idea to give at least a few in the same class a try.

Here is link to all preventive medications - you have options!
Migraine preventive medications: too many options to give up!

I'm so sorry, Amy. We're not physically present, but you can "grab" onto us. Please keep us posted on how you are doing.

Tricyclic antidepressants such as Pamelor are often used as migraine preventives. It doesn't necessarily mean the doctor thinks your migraines are triggered by depression. Here's some info on Pamelor:

Pamelor

Please hang in there, and keep us posted on how you are doing, OK?

Hi thanks for the welcome,

I understand that one might work over the other but I discussed this weight gain issue and ALL of the ones from this class seem to make me gain weight. I can't take the weight gain. I have issues with weight and I don't want to go out of the house anymore because I feel fat and I feel overall blah with this neckpain, weight gain, and migraine.

I guess I didn't make my question clear. Is anyone taking this medication and NOT gaining weight?

Hi Nutcracker,

This medication just has the same side effects of the other two. I'm constipated, I already take a medication because I sweat too much, so now i'm combating it with this med, and i'm gaining weight. I just don't want to take another drug that will do the same thing as the other two. Does that make sense? The side effect read exactly like the other two.

AND I don't sleep. Sleep is like Kryptonite to me these days. Not to mention this anxiety. I know he didn't prescribe it for depression, though I AM depressed. I also live in constant fear of when is the next neck pain/migraine going to happen and if I have Imatrex.

I'm frustrated, I hope my tone doesn't come off as snappy.

I took pamelor for over a year quite successfully. I did not gain weight while on it. The biggest side effect I had was I had difficulty achieving orgasm. After about a year the pamelor stopped working so I had to go off it. I would give it a try. Good luck.

Hi Amy, and welcome. I've been on nortriptyline (generic for Pamelor) since last April, at varying dosages between 10 and 50 mg. I'm currently at 40 mg, the maximum dosage I can tolerate. I have not gained any weight on this medication. In fact, I've lost just over 20 pounds since November (due to a significant and strict diet change in part due to my migraine issues).

The side effects I've had from the nortriptyline: constipation and dry mouth. At 50 mg these become intolerable, and I also get increased appetite for sweets (sugar and all artificial sweeteners are big migraine triggers for me so this is a bad side effect for me).

Keep in mind that side effects are potential. I can understand your concern about this medication, especially since others in this class have caused you such problems, but that doesn't mean that this one will. Just remember, you can always come off it if the side effects are intolerable for you.

Hope this helps.

Hi Hoop and MJ,

Thanks for the feedback. It does help. I guess i'm in freakout mode and it's good to hear some have not gained weight. I want to get back to working out but can't move around or bend or anything because of the headaches. So perhaps if it worked it would help me get back.

MJ, do you mind sharing your significant and strict diet changes?

Amy

Hi Amy,

First, let me welcome you to MyMigraineConnection. We hope you will find this site informative as well as supportive.

I'm sorry you are having a rough time. Although unpleasant, it is not uncommon for Migraineurs to go through a number of Migraine prevention medications before finding the right one. It can take up to three months to adjust to certain medications. During this time if we are experiencing potential side effects, they may decrease as time goes on. I really do know how frustrating it is. I am on my second time around with Zonegran and am experiencing naseua I didn't have the first time around. It's been two weeks, I'm waiting for my head and tummy to feel better!

It really gets old seeing doctor after doctor, trying medication after medication. But that is the only way we can tackle Migraine disease. It is a genetic neurologic condition. Migraine - What Is It?may help answer some questions about Migraine.

Trigger identification and management is very important. Have you tried keep a Migraine diary? You can download that HERE. Our information page on Migraine triggers is packed with helpful tips:Migraine Triggers.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

Hello Amy,
Welcome to the forum. I was orignally placed on Pamelor as the first medication as a migraine prevenative. The final dosage I was on was 75 mg at night. It helped me sleep really well. Unfortunately it did not help lessen the frequency of my migraines.

Did I gain weight from it. I'd love to blame the weight gain i had from it, but in retrospect, I don't think it was. As soon as I made a decision to lose the weight, modified my diet and begin to exercise, the weight stated to come off, even while still on Pamelor.

I have since been taken off Pamelor. My neurlogist felt that since it was not contributing to the control of my migraines and I was not experiencing depression, she would like to remove any unnecessary drugs from what I am taking. I've been off of it about 3 months now.

The help with sleep started almost immediately for me.

Hope this helped.

Cindy

Hi Amy, I'm perfectly willing to share my diet changes. Just keep in mind that I'm not a doctor, so I obviously can't say these diet changes would work for anyone else. I'll also say that I'm not keeping this diet with the intention of losing weight. If you're thinking about any major diet changes, I will encourage you to talk to your doctor about those changes first as he/she will be able to guide you in your choices.

The biggest changes are that I've eliminated gluten and dairy from my diet. I've also eliminated MSG, caffeine and processed meats. I've severely limited salt, sugar/artificial sweeteners, nitrates/nitrites, sulfides and chemical additives in general. I eat organic meat and vegetables when I can.

I don't have celiac disease, food allergies or any other condition that would necessarily prevent me from eating any of the foods listed above, but gluten and dairy sensitivities do run in my family. There's also an egg sensitivity in my family, so I usually use egg substitute instead. I don't have any food triggers I've found, other than sugar and artificial sweeteners. (MSG and other additives may be stackable triggers, but it's been hard for me to tell definitively, so I've taken them out of my diet as much as possible since there's no real reason to be eating them.) Unfortunately this diet hasn't made any difference to my migraines, but my digestion is a lot better. So that is a lot of the reason I'm keeping to the diet.

Committing to this has meant that DBF and I (mostly DBF since I usually don't have the energy) cook a lot of food from scratch. It's hard to find salad dressings, sauces etc that I can eat. Forget about pretty much any preboxed foods (rice/pasta mixes, canned soup, frozen dinners - none are allowed).

To make this easier on ourselves, we sit down every week and make a menu. We focus on new meals for dinners (leftovers for lunches, since I have to bring lunch to work). We try 1-2 new recipes per week, modified from our cookbooks. We take into account how many servings the recipe makes to be sure we have enough meals over the week. We then make our grocery list from the menu and the menu goes on the fridge. The easy meals are made during the week after work, and the slow cooker meals are made on weekends.

Without a doubt I would not be able to keep to this diet without DBF's help. The amount of daily pain I cope with from my migraines means I have very little energy at the end of the workday, so DBF does most of our cooking. I help by choosing recipes and suggesting substitutions/modifications. We've got our system worked out pretty well but still end up with bum recipes sometimes and keep a stock of basic ingredients on hand, like you would imagine. It just takes a little more creativity to figure out what I can eat.

In all honesty, I do occasionally cheat on my diet, especially when we're talking about dark chocolate - my big weakness - or when I go out to eat, just because it's difficult to maintain such a strict diet if we're not cooking it ourselves. But I can tell when I've been eating things I shouldn't be so I'm pretty motivated not to cheat.

This is probably a lot more information than you were asking for, but it's more than just a diet; it's become a part of my overall healthier lifestyle changes, so it's hard to just give one part of it without explaining more. And like I said, losing weight has been an unexpected, but not unwelcomed, side effect of this new diet.

quote:

Originally posted by AmyWeen:
Hi Hoop and MJ,

Thanks for the feedback. It does help. I guess i'm in freakout mode and it's good to hear some have not gained weight. I want to get back to working out but can't move around or bend or anything because of the headaches. So perhaps if it worked it would help me get back.

MJ, do you mind sharing your significant and strict diet changes?

Amy

When you mention the neck/shoulder pain - was this what came on 3 months ago or have you had it longer?

Was there an event that you can remember - maybe even a long time ago - that could have brought up the current problem?

Let me explain:

I was in a car "accident" (not bad, got ran off the road, hit a sign). But I had a passenger with me, so my natural reaction was the "dad or mom" thing to do, which was put my arm out and stop her from going through the windshield.

I ended up with whiplash and went to a chiropractor a few times. I thought I was fine. This was in '95.

Fast forward to '99 - I get the job I have now, doing medical billing - being on a computer 8-9 hours a day - typing....

One day my mouth and fingers go numb. I go to the dr, just my primary. He gives me muscle relaxers and sends me on my way. He orders neck x-rays - and refers to a chiropracter again (this time I go to a different one) and come to find out I have major damage to my shoulder/rotater cuff and have pinched nerved near my brain stem. The pinched nerves caused the numbness.

My new job had supposidly aggrivated this long ago injury and caused all this to pop up years later.

So long story longer.....ugh! Not that I'm 100% sure in chiropractors or anything - but I think the massage part of my therapy with it was more beneficial.

Migraines came on hard and heavy not too long after this.

I'm not saying that this is possibly what is going on with you, it's just a suggestion, since I saw you mention numbness and I was not sure if it was constant or not.

I know you mentioned Topamax and that you only tried it for a week - was that at 25mgs?

I currently take Topamax and Amitriptyline. Yes, one can drop my weight, one can make me gain. One can make me not sweat, one can make me sweat. My doctor put me on a low dose of the Amitriptyline with a higher dose of the Topa. to counter act the side effects of both.

I went through 6 doctors before finding one I could work WITH. It can be a long road.

We are here for you - we will take the journey with you - good and bad.

quote:

Originally posted by AmyWeen:
Hi,

I'm very frustrated with this medication circle i'm going around in. I'm on my 3rd Neuro Dr. I feel like I have Cervogenic Headaches. My pain all started in my neck, lasted about 3 months, then turned into pain in my neck AND migraines.

Today i've been crying all day. I'm losing hope that I will find a Dr. that will look at my neck. My x-rays and MRI's all say everything is fine (even though in them it says i'm having muscle spasams in my neck and shoulders).

So today I go to this new Doctor and he puts me on Pamelor. I've tried Doxepin and Elavil, both which made me hungry, i've gained 20 lbs, my breast hurt, and i'm constipated. Why put me on another class of this drug? I've also tried Topamax but I lost it on that drug. Yes I only lasted a week on it. But I was confused, couldn't drive, was emotional and didn't sleep that whole week.

Is anyone on Pamelor?

I don't know what to do. I just want to grab someone and hold on and scream help me! I can't take this pain. It's in my head, neck, shoulders, makes my hands ache and tingle.

Sigh.

Hi Amy,

Welcome to the forum!

I am currently taking Pamelor as part of my preventive regimen. I've been on it for 2 1/2 months now. I've had a little bit of difficulty with it, though...I was taking my dose at bedtime (most people find it helps with sleep). I felt restless, nervous, and had LOTS of trouble sleeping after starting Pamelor!

My doctor and I have agreed to try taking it in the AM instead--I'll see if I still have dificulty tolerating it. I'm working my way up to 30 mg (currently at 20).

I've taken other meds in this class, too--without success. But we've both got to remember that we won't know if Pamelor will work unless we give it a good, healthy try!

Oh, and the weight thing...After 2 1/2 months, I was up 1 pound. Remember, not everyone will experience the weight gain!!

I'll keep my fingers crossed for both of us! Maybe we'll both see improvement with Pamelor!

jenny

I've decided not to take the Pamelor. I have an apt. with my brothers neuro. He is suffering from the same symptoms as me, pain originates in neck and travels into my head. We have degenerative (sp?) disks in our c2 region. Why didn't I just go to him to start with? We live about 2.5 hours apart.


I had the neck ache prior to having the headache. My neck was hurting for about 3 or 4 months prior to the onset of the migraines. The last time I was in an accident was sometime in the 90's. But my head did hit the windshield. I dunno how I didn't go through it...Angles and God/dess I suspect.

I've tried hard not to take anything but the preventatives they gave me. I tried for 4 months. I finally cried uncle and asked for a muscle relaxer. I've only taken that for the last week and my headaches are gone. I know this isn't a solution or cure, but I think my neck needs to be treated. I hope this doctor on Monday will agree. I've asked the other doctors to consider these options but I was told "Young Amy, you are suffering from a classic headache my dear". NEXT! Onto Neruo number 4. It does get frustrating. I've been told that perhaps a psychiatrist could help me. I work in an office with therapist (i'm a social worker) they all agree i'm not crazy, just in pain. Well, I mean I am a bit crazy, but "safe" crazy haha

I just posted a very long post that did not post.

I feel as if I have Cervogenic Headaches. My brother has the same condition with the same symptoms (Pain in the neck at c2 that cause mungo headaches, as in eye pop out migraines). I'm going to his Neuro on Monday. WHy didn't I go there to start with? We live 2.5 hours apart.

I'm not going to do the Pamelor for now. I've tried taking noting but preventatives for the pain for 4 months and on Tuesday I just couldn't take it anymore. I called my regualar doctor and asked for a muscle relaxer. The pain in my neck was almost outweighing the pain in my eye. So I took that with an Imatrex and 11pm that night I felt the 4 day Migraine lift. I'm always left feeling anxious and like i've had the stomach flu for a really long time (weak and shaky) after a long bought. It's Saturday and i'm just taking the muscle relaxer and no headache and I was actually able to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes today. I have been laying down and resting my neck when I feel it start to ache and my eye throb. So far that has worked.

I was in a car accident in the 90's. My brother was too (not the same one) but they traced his cervogenic headache back to that. My right side of my forehead hit the windshield. Angels were with me that day and now so are seatbelts!

Thank you so much everyone for being so kind to share with me. I'll post an update on Monday. I'm so hoping this doctor will consider this type of headache for me. My x-rays and MRI's do state I'm having muscle spasams in my neck and shoulders and that there is a slight issue at my c2 and c5. None of them think it's enough to warrant this pain. I was told by the latest "Young Amy, You have classic Migraines my dear". This is what was said when I asked about cervogenic headaches and breathed the word chiropractor in the same sentence. NEXT! Onto doctor number 4!