Migraine Episode?

[chris31915]

I was recently diagnosed with migraine equivalent by my neurologist. He gave me Topomax which i reacted very bad to so I got off of it. I was only on it for two weeks and I've been off of it for three days now so I'm pretty sure most of it is out of my system, especially since I started on a low dosage.

Today out of the blue I became extremely dizzy, faint, with extreme anxiety for about 20 minutes which was immediately followed by pressure on the left side of my head and extreme fatigue and nausea. Was this a migraine attack? I trusted my neuro but after the bad experience with the Topomax I became discouraged.

As well, if anyone has any advice on a good preventative med with few side effects or some abortives I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? Migraine headaches usually present with one-sided throbbing headaches with associated nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to sound and light. There are plenty of medications available for preventive and abortive migraines. Sometimes trial and error is done to determine the suitable medications for each patient. However, rest, ice packs, and avoidance of triggers will help prevent recurrences. Take care and do keep us posted.

[John987]

Hi, sure sounds like it could be your version of a migraine.  It can be a bit different for each individual.   Propranolol (Inderal) is a good preventive, and a variety of triptan drugs are good abortive drugs.  Ask your neuro to try you on some new things.  Keep in mind that everyone is different in their tolerances and reactions to meds.  But, there's enough out there that something should help.

John