complicated migraines with back problems

[patsfan985]

Hi, my name is lindsey and i am 18 years old and at first i had experienced severe back lower back pain. I then had some stroke symptoms like numbness, tingling sensations etc associated with pain in my lower back and neck. I had seen many doctors and run many tests incuding xrays, mri's and others. i have taken muscle relaxers, 800 mg ibeuprofen, and more than i forget. i went to a neurologist and they did some more tests which all came out clear. finally my neurologist diagnosed me with complicated migraines, and prescribed me topamax about a year and a half ago. Since then he has boosted the dosage twice, and now i actually do have headaches everyday and my back continues to hurt even though he told me i would be only taking this medicine maximum two years. The pain in my back and neck has affected me alot and gets in the way of alot of my activites. do you think the doctor is wrong? i have an appt with him on the 30th of this month. what is your perspective on this?

[patsfan985]

Thanks. I looked at the symptoms but i only had the numbness and tingling in the beginning symptoms. the main problem is my back and neck pain, mostly my back. Since all the tests showed up clear, i don't know what it could have been. Do you think my doctor is wrong? because it just doesnt seem right.

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

Yes the diagnosis of complicated migraine is made by excluding all the other conditions which can cause similar symptoms.
Since Topamax is not providing any relief, I would suggest you to discuss the possibility of fibromyalgia with your doctor. Fibromyalgia is a condition where the patient experiences pain in the body along with muscle cramps and tingling numbness. It is more common in women.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibromyalgia
Do keep us posted!

[patsfan985]

yes i have done many xrays and they have found nothing. many tests have been done and everything has come out clear. do you think the diagnosis was given because they dont really know what was causing everything?

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

Hope you are feeling better.
It is possible that you have issues with your spine which may be causing these symptoms.
Have you undergone X rays of lower back and neck? If yes was there any significant finding?
Complicated migraine is a condition where the patient experiences neurological symptoms like paralysis or other neurological deficits.
I would suggest you to undergo an Xray of the lower back and neck to exclude causes like disc prolapse or nerve compression which can cause back pain and headaches.
You can also try doing some simple back exercises and neck exercises.