Migraine

I have daily headaches and migraines 3 to 4 times a month. I take 150mg tramadol 2x a day. I have a couple questions...
1. I have taken several preventative and rescue meds that will work for a while then stop. This also happened when I would take meds for depression. My body gets so sick when I have to go through med changes, it was finally not worth it anymore. Does anyone else have experience with med tolerance? Any suggestions?
2. As you all know...pain is VERY tiring! I am so tired by the end of a day at work. Bless my husband, he works 60-70 hours a week and then comes home to do housework! (He's a keeper!!) Does anyone have any experience with meds that help with fatigue. Is it even a realistic request to ask the doctor for a combination?
I would love to hear from anyone with some advice or experiences.
Thanks soooo much!!

btreg, I wish I had an answer you want to hear. I think many of us have experienced what you have with meds that stop working. I find the transition from med to med to be painful and exhausting. I wish there was a better way to switch medications.

That being said, for those of us with chronic pain of some sort, medications are a way of life. You have to weigh whether the side effects are worth tolerating for the relief you may get from a medication. Sometimes they aren't and a new medication needs to be tried.

But don't give up. The transition is difficult, but when you find something else that works, it is usually worth it. There are over 100 different medication possibilities so you're bound to find something that is helpful in time.

I spent from Feb until Aug in pain, having 10-15 days a month of migraines while I was trying different meds. Finally in August, I found Lyrica and it has been wonderful. I realize that this may not last forever (I've been here before with other meds) but I'm not going to worry about that. I'm going to enjoy the Lyrica ride as long as it lasts and try to live life as fully as I can while this medication is working. When (and if) it stops helping, I'll start the search again.

This is just my experience and my opinion.

Hi, btreg. Taking tramadol twice a day sounds to me like a recipe for Medication Overuse Headaches:

Medication Overuse Headache - When the Remedy Backfires

While you are in MOH, no preventives will work, and you will continue to have the daily headaches. Please check with your doctor about whether this may be part of your current problem.

Even without MOH in the picture, people sometimes have to change their preventive, abortive, and rescue meds. Unfortunately, that is part of life with this disease.

Please don't give up. There is too much at stake, and there is hope to improve your quality of life. It really sounds as though you need to get to a headache/migraine specialist. I think we've given you that list before, but here it is again for good measure:

Patient Recommended Migraine and Headache Specialists

Please have a real heart to heart with your doctor about your fatigue, as well. Only your doctor will be able to determine all the causes of your fatigue--there may be more than one cause--and determine the appropriate treatment.

Would your husband want to use the Significant Others Only folder of our forum? If so, have him email Teri Robert at the address in her forum signature to request access. We hosts are not allowed in that folder.

Take care, and keep us posted. I wish you all the best as you seek out the appropriate medical care and work with your doctor. Please keep the questions coming.

Hi btreg,

It surely sounds like your DH is a keeper! My DH is also a wonderful and compassionate man, we are lucky to have such a wonderful support system in place in our homes aren't we?

I've also experienced medications that worked for awhile and then quit working causing me to have to trial another medication. I think that's what makes us Migraineurs such strong individuals, we just don't give up, we keep on going until we find the right medication combination for us:

Migraine preventive medications: too many options to give up!

Nut mentioned seeing a Migraine Specialist. I began seeing one almost a year ago and he has helped me so much, I'm truly amazed by my progress with him. He has been able to help me reduce the amount of migraines I get, how severe they are and how long they last. It's the best thing I've done for myself and my Migraines:

Headache and Migraine Specialists – What’s so Special?

I also agree with Nut about being aware of MOH. It is something you need to consider and talk to your doctor about. You can take this quiz to see how well you understand MOH:

Medication Overuse Headache: What Do You Know?

Please keep us posted on how you are doing, k?

Hi btreg -

I'm a newbie too and had given up on preventatives until joining this forum last weekend. I had tried propranolol, nortryptaline and topomax. I'm now on botox every three months, which I have to admit, I absolutely hate! Everyone says how lucky I am to get botox treatments - I'm sorry - I hate them. Getting stuck in the head - I almost pass out and throw up every time.

Anyway, because of the encouragement of this forum, I have decided to try another preventative, verapamil.

Also, summer of 2007, I showed up at my internist's office and just started crying. I was so overwhelmed with everything in my life. She referred me (immediately) to the psychiatry department where they put me on a very low dose of zoloft and neurontin (an anti-anxiety pill). Although I hate being on them (not because of side-effects, just because I'm taking handfuls of meds everyday), they really have helped me. The zoloft has really increased my energy level. I'm still having a hard time getting into an exercise routine, but at least I can contemplate exercise now.

I hope you improve with whatever decision you take next. And yes, hold on to that husband! What a great guy....

Good luck, Sara

Oh yeah, I forgot. Every triptan that I have tried has worked once or twice and stopped working. I've also had this problem with every pain killer I've tried, including advil. I try to rotate them around - it helps a little. I've definitely experienced what you are experiencing - you are not alone!

Thanks, Sara

Sara, here is some info about Neurontin. It is not an anti-anxiety med; it is an anti-seizure med. It is sometimes used for migraine prevention, as well.

Neurontin Oral

Take care.

Thanks for the info. It was prescribed for me for anxiety, so I was confused looking at the info you sent me as to why. I looked on wikipedia, and they do mention it being used as a migraine preventative and for anxiety and a bunch of other things, but it doesn't really sound promising for migraines or anxiety. Makes me wonder if I should be on it at all...

Thanks again!

Sara

Sara,

Please don't depend on Wikipedia for health information. I've been there times when information on important pages has been changed by people with nothing better to do with their time than mess with the pages and put up incorrect information.

Neurontin is actually a very good Migraine preventive for some people. Unfortunately, I'm sure you know the drill -- we never know until we try it for ourselves. I've never heard of it being prescribed for anxiety though.

quote:

Originally posted by sarabatch:
Thanks for the info. It was prescribed for me for anxiety, so I was confused looking at the info you sent me as to why. I looked on wikipedia, and they do mention it being used as a migraine preventative and for anxiety and a bunch of other things, but it doesn't really sound promising for migraines or anxiety. Makes me wonder if I should be on it at all...

Thanks again!

Sara

Thanks for your input. I ended up at the Dr. office today to get the "combo" shot! Demerol, tordol (sp) and phenergan. I am only 43, but I am so tired of feeling sick and tired!! I just read someone saying that we are warriors...i don't feel like a warrior!! I feel like a complainer that nobody believes. I don't know where to put "vent" posts...sorry!

Feel free to vent to me anytime you like!

We all do a certain amount of venting in each folder, but the "official vent folder" is here:

Support, Vents, & Gripes

Keep the vents and questions coming!