My battle

I've been tormented by headaches for years. At times I have felt like a guinea pig trying different medications....some making me feel WORSE. One of which that had a negative effect on me was Topamax, which was prescribed to me as a preventative medication. Topamax is used for seizures and weight loss but now is being prescribed for migraines. Although I've heard that it has helped some migraine sufferers it caused me to have some bad side effects such as loss of appetite, fatigue, and irritability.

So far what has been most effective for treating my migraines is Zomig, a triptan. I also take a low dose of Inderal daily and I've somewhat got my headaches under control now. Inderal does cause me to have a little fatigue but it's much easier to deal with than a pounding headache. In addition to the Inderal and Zomig I also have Phenergan if I start to get nauseated, which commonly happens with migraines.

If I do end up with a headache I try to take action as soon as possible. First I take a Zomig and then if it's the early part of the day I will try to drink a cup of coffee. The caffeine and warmth of the coffee seems to help the symptoms subside. If the headache occurs later in the day or at night I take a Zomig and I lay down with an ice pack or heating pad or sometimes both. I can also take a little more Inderal to try and help the headache pass. I have Maxalt and Axert and although these medicines help, the Zomig works much better for me.

AND then there are those dreadful times when NOTHING works. My only choice is to let the headache run it's course while trying to ease the pain with my routine treatment of medicine and hot/cold therapy and retreat to the darkness of my bedroom. Sometimes I have headaches that last for days and those are the worst!!! Headaches that linger leave you with even a deeper feeling of desperation and helplessness.