Is it Really As Bad As I Think It Is?

coquitlam55 · December 7, 2005, 6:03am

Hello Everyone,

philski · December 7, 2005, 6:34pm

Curious about the botox, is that because your migraines appear in a specific region?

very interesting,
-philski-

hopeful82 · December 7, 2005, 6:47pm

I am also wondering about botox. Has it been shown to work for tension headaches? I would think so since it would paralyze the muscles that are causing the pain.

ali

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for our own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful." - Marie Curie

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

Laurenbaby · December 7, 2005, 10:13pm

I am also curious about botox, seeing as all my daily headaches are in my forhead.

LEIGH_ANN · December 8, 2005, 8:38am

WHOA NELLIE!!!!

STOP THEM HORSES!!!

What ever you do, DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT, mix AMERGE with Effexor. Very bad drug interaction. Cardio or Pulmonary arrest I believe. Can't really remember, but it was one of the fatal ones. This interaction can get missed when you go to different doctors or different pharmacies. That was my case, and luckily, father caught it in the knick of time. I've come to the opinion that you have to research your medications before you even have the scripts filled. Plus, if you don't see the same doctor each time, there is no continuity. Amerge is supposted to be used as an abortive medication, when a migraine attack first begins, not as a preventative, just like the other triptan family of drugs. Triptans should be used no more than twice a week, certainly not daily.

Topamax is the drup that is supposed to be the preventative. Most people max out at about 200mg. The slower you move up to 200mg, the less you feel the side effects. I, on the otherhand ,was already taking 200mg, and although my neurologist says that his regulart patients usually only take 100mg, he wanted to move me up to 400mg. My, aren't I a special girl. Well, I didn't want the side effects to last for months, so I just jumped from 200 to 400mg cold turkey. I would not recommend it to anyone. I'm pretty much a psychopath. Can't remember, anything, very vegatative. I wouldn't even think about driving right now. I do some hallucinating from time to time. If I'm asleep, I can make phone calls on my cell phone and wake up in the middle of them. It's just one big adventure.

I went into my Clinic for a migraine shot the other day. My Doctor wasn't available, after waiting three hours she asked one of the other doctors to see me. I wasnt' sleeping, which she thought was making thing worse (I agreed) so she gave me a prescription for Trazadone. Fine, then she decided that I was having too many migraine attacks (no brainer), so she whipped out her scripts pad and wrote me prescription. I couldn't see it, she wouldn't explain it to me, she didn't check my drug history for a listing of medications I've already tried. Nothing. She just said it would decrease the frequencey of my headaches. Geez, was I pissed. She also once before denied me a shot of Nubain because she though I had had one too recently and lied about the clinic changing policy on how often they could give those out. B***H. Well, I get the prescription home, and it's a (drumroll please........a calcium channel blocker). OK, I'm on the heavy side weight wise. However, I have very low blood pressure (the last time at the hospital was 90/62), I have low choelesterol, normal blood sugar. I'm very healthy for a really miserable person. Last time I had it checked warning on the bottle not to use on patients with low blood pressure. DUH

Another bottle of pills in the trash.

I seem to have digressed. Hope that helps some. Let me know.

Leigh Ann

"The weather is here, I wish you were beautiful."

coquitlam55 · December 9, 2005, 4:56am

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your replies and input.

Philski - My neurologist tells me that the theory behind Botox is that it weakens the muscles which are thought to "possibly" trigger migraines. They inject the Botox in the regions you generally get your migraines. I tend to get mine in my temples / forehead so that's where I get my injections. The doctor says some people also get them in their necks, though he says some people end up having difficulty holding their neck up as a side effect so my neurologist only injects it in your neck if you really suffer in your neck.

LaurenKunz - I was taken Tylenol 1s, Tylenol with a small amount of Codeine and Caffeine we can get over the counter in Canada, I think it only has 8 mg of Codeine compared to 30 mg in Tylenol 3s. Unfortunately when you're taking narcotics the more often you take them the less effective they are. I am now taking Nadolol, Topamax, and Celexa daily. At the neurologist's direction I am now taking Amerge for a week as a test 2x a day. I have never taken Midrin. I took Amitriptyline once with no affect.

Midrin is like Imitrex, though in it's own category. Imitrex is a triptan used when a migraine occurs. Triptans stops the dilation of blood vessels. Amerge is another triptan. Midrin also stops the dilation of blood vessels and also contains aceptaminophen and a mild sedative.

Topamax, amitriptyline and nadolol are taken daily and used as preventative medications. Topamax is an anti seizure medication, amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant and nadolol is a beta blocker.

Leigh Ann - Thanks for the input. I am under the care of one GP and one neurologist who know my history well and don't prescribe medications without checking with each other.

My neurologist is known as one of the best in my province so I feel confident that when he gives me the direction to do somethinng that its okay. Though that doesn't mean that I don't educate myself so that I know what to expect when it comes to potential side effects.

My neurologist has me taking 2 Amerge a day as a test for a week based on a recent study that he has read and analyzed and feels comfortable in the results. If this is successful I will stop for a week to test that it is the Amerge working and then will retest. If I find that the Amerge is working after three weeks I will return to see him. He is monitoring my progress closely because this is new territory.

Zomig and Amerge both have warnings about interactions with anti-depressants and I'm taking Celexa right now and have not had any interactions. My GP and my neurologist are both aware that I'm taking Amerge and Celexa and I have discussed the switch from Celexa to Effexor with both before deciding to go ahead with it. I have considered stopping Celexa because of the possibility that it is triggering my migraines, but I'm concerned about the emotional effects of the Topamax.

Nicky

Fall seven times, stand up eight.
--Japanese proverb

tysmyboo · December 9, 2005, 6:09pm

Nicky-

I had no idea about the quantity of pain pills...How are you doing with that?

Sara-Migraine/Headache Forum Moderator

Thanks for Visiting HealingWell.com