Migraines? I want to feel normal again!

[JC0216]

I was diagnosed with migraines as a child 32 years ago.  An ice pack, a dark room, and sleep would cure them.  Preventative and abortive medication wasn't needed.

About 2-3 years ago, I began having trouble while driving on the expressway.  Things would "move" that shouldn't ~ signs, trees, etc.  I felt like I could pass out, and I would roll the windows down, readjust my posture, etc. to try to snap out of whatever was wrong.  Most of the time, I would get a migraine after this would happen.  

In the last 6 months or so, I've been having the most terrible migraines of my life.  I've been to the ER (CT scan was fine) and have begun to see a neurologist.  I am taking Inderal and Relpax, but I'm not too thrilled with the side effects.  

I have constant nausea even when I don't have a migraine.  I know it's not side effects from medicine since I had the nausea even before I started them.  There is constant pressure between my eyes even when I don't have a migraine and sometimes at my temples and the base of my neck.  My neck doesn't hurt, but when I do have to drive, I always hold the right side of my neck as it feels very heavy, almost like it's too heavy to be supported by itself.  

I've been dizzy for over a year and had an ENG test done in January '09;  everything was fine.  An eye examination concluded that I needed glasses, but I feel like I've never adjusted to them, and I've had them for about 13 months.  I double checked with the eye doctor and another opthamologist and they confirmed that I had the correct prescription.

I had a partial hysterectomy (da Vinci) in July '08.  My symptoms seem to have gotten worse since then.

A MRI is scheduled for tomorrow.  I'm just at a loss on what to do next.  I don't feel like my neurologist is helping much.  He wasn't wanting to do the MRI because he thought insurance wouldn't pay for it since I just had a CT.  He did some blood work (TSH, CBC, CMP, ESR, ANA, RPR, B12 and ACE) and everything looked ok.  I'm tired of the medicine working for awhile, then having to switch to something else.  I'm in a fog, cognitive skills are impaired, and I burp all the time to try to help with the nausea.  I don't want more medicine, I just want answers.

This condition is negatively effecting every aspect of my life.  My kids cry because they see the pain I'm in.  I rarely go anywhere.  My husband accompanies me to the store.  I feel like a prisoner.  I just want to be normal again.

Where do I go from here?  Your thoughts are appreciated.

[marileew]

I have heard that Inderal does have a high side-effect profile. I take the betablocker nadolol and have not noticed any side-effects yet... you might want to talk to your doctor about switching you to a different betablocker if the Inderal is giving you such terrible side-effects... maybe ask about Nadolol, a few of us here take it.. your doctor will know though what the most appropriate betablocker to try next is though.

There are two other classes of preventative medication as well... antidepressants and anticonvulsants. The two that people seem to be prescribed the most on here antidepressant wise are Amitriptyline and Nortriptyline... they are both very similar and their biggest side-effect I think is making you sleepy... so if you don't want a side effect like that maybe not the best for you but your doctor would know. The anticonvulsant that is prescribed the most on the forums seems to be topamax, I take that as well. The biggest side effect seems to be "tingling" like pins and needles but people who experience that actually have a better reaction to the medication working for their headaches. There are some weird side effects that few people have to the medication like hair loss, you can stop it if you were to have that... and eye sight problems is VERY RARE but you'd need to stop it ASAP if that happened. But, your doctor would know anyway if either of those classes might work better than the betablockers. Other than the pins and needles I've had no side-effects from the topamax and I've had no side effects from the nadolol other than slow pulse.

So... maybe ask your doctor about switching meds? I know you don't want more medicine... but maybe Different medicine would be better than the medicine you are currently taking... it might make you feel differently about taking medicine. If we take the wrong medicine, of course we don't want to take it. But if we take the right medicine, it can feel like a life saver.

Good luck. I hope you feel better soon.

[dame_wilbur]

you might be nauseas from the meds. I'm on an anti nausea ever day to deal with the side effects of my meds. I know it's another med, but it might be worth looking into.
Also, have you gotten your heart checked out? You spells while driving sound  similar to what happens to me, with the exception that I then lose consciousness. If you're not used to the amount of pain you're in, then you might be having autonomic issuses and your blood pressure might be going wonky.
Good luck,