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Topamax Stopped Working
I have been taking topamax for 3 months for migraines. I’ve been getting them everyday for about 2 years (if I don’t have a headache, I have pressure behind my eyes which makes me feel tired). Well, I titrated up to 90 mgs of topamax and since I reached 90 mgs, the past month I’ve been headache free (YAY) until 5 days ago. I do have bad allergies and it is the beginning of the fall so my allergies could causing me to have an allergy/migraine attack; but wouldn’t the topamax prevent the migraines?? Has the topamax stopped working? Do I need to go up? Geez… I forgot how gloomy life is with a headache—people, including myself seem so much nicer and happier when I don’t have a headache. I don’t want to lose hope because I was having such good luck with the topamax (I take the brand-the generic makes me feel depressed and doesn’t work as well for my headaches).
Am I just having a setback? I’m scared and worried…
i see this is an old thread but if anyone is still listening....
i dont 'think' i have migraines (and i should know, right?) but i have had a headache of varying degree, mostly mild, but always there, for a year and a half every single day. My father had a headache every day for 40 years until from 40 until he died- they never found why and he never found a med or treatment that worked, so that is a scary outlook. And the 2 meds I've been on thus far are both ones he'd been on - neurotin and topamax. neither worked much, maybe a little.
on topamax now. my main question is - if a med is for migraines will it work for just headaches?
also, i get a lot of scalp sensitivity. tenderness in patches of hair. but never intense headaches. never pounding. no light sensitivity. etc.
any advice will help.
i dont like the 'mood' these meds give me. i already feel doomed by these headaches - very 'life is going to suck', and these meds are making me feel 'life is not worth even trying'
let me know your thoughts
thanks
i dont 'think' i have migraines (and i should know, right?) but i have had a headache of varying degree, mostly mild, but always there, for a year and a half every single day. My father had a headache every day for 40 years until from 40 until he died- they never found why and he never found a med or treatment that worked, so that is a scary outlook. And the 2 meds I've been on thus far are both ones he'd been on - neurotin and topamax. neither worked much, maybe a little.
on topamax now. my main question is - if a med is for migraines will it work for just headaches?
also, i get a lot of scalp sensitivity. tenderness in patches of hair. but never intense headaches. never pounding. no light sensitivity. etc.
any advice will help.
i dont like the 'mood' these meds give me. i already feel doomed by these headaches - very 'life is going to suck', and these meds are making me feel 'life is not worth even trying'
let me know your thoughts
thanks
I have tried Topamax for many years it did worked well but now it is not working anymore for me I did Botox about 2 month ago didn''t work for me either even it give me a week neck for a bout a month i couldn't put my neck down it was pain full and now Iam having headache every single day (zomig) doesn't help me as much the thing about Zomig the more you take it the more headache you get I try to stay away mange my self with Tylenol and tiger balm and rub it on my neck and side head but over all I'm not doing any well Iam waiting for my neurologist apt. again.
If your topamax is not controlling your migraines and you have migraines for 15 days or more a month you would probably qualify for Botox injections which most help those who are not helped by the daily preventative migraine medications, like Topomax.
The injections have greatly helped me, (until they just stopped working as well after getting them for 2 years). Very unusual for them to stop working as well. The injections can work for up to 3 months or longer.
It's well worth a try for you to ask about getting them. They were approved for migraines by the FDA in October 2010.
All the best to you,
Sara
The injections have greatly helped me, (until they just stopped working as well after getting them for 2 years). Very unusual for them to stop working as well. The injections can work for up to 3 months or longer.
It's well worth a try for you to ask about getting them. They were approved for migraines by the FDA in October 2010.
All the best to you,
Sara
Hi,
I was reading your comment thread about topamax and migraines and I was wondering if you could answer a guestion for me. I am fairly new to the migraines, well kind of, I have been diagonised with chronic migraines 15+ headache days a month. I have been hospitalized twice in the past few months. I have been seeing a neurologist now since October or so. I am on topamax to control the migraines 50 mg but they are not working at all. I take oxycodone w/ acetaminophen and they help with the pain but I was reading and you said that is not good cause that could cause rebound headaches? I was just wondering if you had any advice for me I am only 24 years old and I can not even get out of bed more than half the time. Please anything you have to say would be great, something I should ask my doctor. My regular e-mail is ***@****.
Thanks for reading
and thank you for all the things you wrote on this website it was all very informative.
I was reading your comment thread about topamax and migraines and I was wondering if you could answer a guestion for me. I am fairly new to the migraines, well kind of, I have been diagonised with chronic migraines 15+ headache days a month. I have been hospitalized twice in the past few months. I have been seeing a neurologist now since October or so. I am on topamax to control the migraines 50 mg but they are not working at all. I take oxycodone w/ acetaminophen and they help with the pain but I was reading and you said that is not good cause that could cause rebound headaches? I was just wondering if you had any advice for me I am only 24 years old and I can not even get out of bed more than half the time. Please anything you have to say would be great, something I should ask my doctor. My regular e-mail is ***@****.
Thanks for reading
and thank you for all the things you wrote on this website it was all very informative.
Three weeks is such a long time to have the same headache... I hope it goes away soon! If you can't wait until your neurologist appointment, you could always go to the emergency department at your local hospital if the pain becomes just too much. They might be able to give you injections of medications... like an injection of sumatriptan (some people who do not respond to triptans in general DO respond to sumatriptan injection for some reason) and metoclopramide by IV (this is a stomach medication, an antiemetic, tht for some reason helps with migraines when given by IV). If the sumatriptan injection and the metoclopramide by IV, along with IV fluids (saline) 100mL to 500mL... doesn't stop the headache completely, the people in the ER can sometimes "restart" your system by stopping the pain cycle by just completely knocking you out with pain meds. It's obviously not the first choice... the first choice is the metoclopramide+saline IV and sumatriptan injection. But... anyway... that is a possible option if you can't wait for your neurologist appointment. It doesn't always work, but it works for a lot of people. I hope that your neurologist has some answers for you and that you feel better soon!!
Hello,
So I'm STILL suffering from that SAME headache. I go to my neurologist next week and am hopeful that we will be able to find a drug that will help me. I just can't believe that I've had a headache for 3 WEEKS-- I'm scared!
So I'm STILL suffering from that SAME headache. I go to my neurologist next week and am hopeful that we will be able to find a drug that will help me. I just can't believe that I've had a headache for 3 WEEKS-- I'm scared!
Hi Pam,
Did your neurologist tell you that the fact the side effect of hands and feet tingling is actually a good sign? It has been shown in clinical studies that patients who get the side effect of hands and feet tingling show a MUCH better response to the topamax for migraine relief!! So, the hands and feet tingling side effect and the topamax actually working as a migraine drug go hand in hand... this is a very good sign for you!!
Birth control can make migraines much worse... it is good that you got the old birth control removed when it made your migraines worse... if you are on a new type of birth control that does not trigger your migraines, that is okay... although some women find they cannot use hormonal birth control at all. If this is the case for you, you might not be able to use any hormonal method of birth control at all... and i do believe that the Mirena IUD has some hormones in it... although it is one of the BEST choices for migraine users I believe because it does NOT have estrogen in it and estrogen is the worst type of birth control for migraine sufferers.... so, you have picked a good type of birth control to use for now... but, if it turns out that you can't use any type of hormonal birth control, then just make sure to use other non-hormonal methods when you do not want to get pregnant... but yes, the hormones could for sure make the migraines worse... that is not grasping at straws, it makes perfect sense. So it is good that you stopped the birth control that was making it worse... and if your migraines don't go away this time, if you try a few new drugs and they still don't go away, you might consider stopping the other birth control too... i know it is a big decision because you probably do NOT want to get pregnant... but some women need to make this decision so that they do not get migraines.... remember that you can always use 2 methods of birth control to be safer if you can't use hormonal birth control, such as condoms AND spermicide, or condoms AND fertility awareness, etc... talk to your doctor about other dual methods you can use other than hormonal birth control if this turns out to be the case.
Also... are you taking a daily allergy medication, such as an antihistamine, right now? Since it is the start of allergy season, maybe you should be taking a daily allergy medication in order to avoid the allergy triggers that are making your migraines so much worse right now. If you aren't already taking one, you can buy these over the counter at the drug store... I find that the following work really well: arius (but it is really expensive), reactin (it works excellent and is usually quite affordable) and allergra. If you don't already know a brand that works well for you, you can ask the pharmacist for advice on which they would suggest. If you find that your allergy symptoms are extremely bad on their own in addition to triggering your migraines (runny nose, stuffy nose, sinus pain, etc.) you could also talk to your doctor about trying out a glucocorticoid steroid nasal spray such as nasonex, your doctor would have to prescribe it for you and you would use it every day... it will not cause rebound allergy symptoms or infections like a decongestant will and it won't make you sleepy like some daily allergy medications can and it is completely safe to use every day and it will reduce or stop your allergy symptoms and if your allergy symptoms are reduced or stopped, then you might avoid migraine triggers. So... talk to your doctor about using some sort of daily allergy medication if you think it's the allergies that are triggering the migraines right now! It's worth a shot!
Also... about the triptans... yeah... some people do not respond to triptans. Then again, triptans will not work if you take them after a migraine has fully formed. So, if you take them after the pain is extremely bad, the triptan will not work. You must take a triptan at the first sign of pain... or for people who get an aura (visual symtoms) they must take them at the first sign of the aura. The longer you wait to take the triptan, the less likely that it will work. Since you said you have always tried triptans in the middle of migraines... maybe you should give them another shot but next time take them at the first sign of a migraine, as soon as you feel the pain coming on, and see if it prevents you from getting a migraine... you might find that you will avoid getting migraines from now on if you do this. Many people can completely avoid getting migraines if they use triptans at the first sign of a migraine. Also... some people need to combine triptans with another type of drug called naproxen in order for the triptan to be effective. This is why the newest triptan on the market actually put naproxen into the triptan... it's called treximet. It comes in a quick dissolve tablet. That's another thing that is important, is that the triptan come in a quick dissolve format... triptans are basically useless, I find, if they do not come in a quick dissolve format... so, make sure the triptan that your doctor prescribes you is in the form of a nasal spray OR a quick dissolve tablet OR an inject... NEVER accept a triptan in the form of a tablet, they are completely useless in my opinion!!! Treximet is the only triptan on the market that combines naproxen and a triptan together in one drug... BUT, you and your doctor can easily do this yourself by combining 2 prescriptions together, you don't NEED to take treximet to do this!! You can take zomig + naproxen (it's a nasal spray triptan + the tablet naproxen) OR maxalt + naproxen (a quick dissolve tablet triptan + the tablet naproxen) OR injectable sumatriptan + naproxen (it's an injectable triptan + the tablet naproxen). Then, just make sure to take the triptan at the FIRST sign you have a migraine and then you can take the naproxen (it's an NSAID) at the same time or you can wait 10 to 15 minutes to see if the triptan will work without the naproxen if you like. Depending on how bad my migraines hit me, I will sometimes wait or I will sometimes take both at the same time... for me, it all depends on how bad it is or even how bad I think it will be. So, that is my suggestion for triptans. I'd say... give them another shot, but make sure to take them ASAP when you feel a migraine coming on and take them WITH the NSAID naproxen (as long as you are not allergic to NSAIDS and you don't have any sort of stomach ulcers or bleeding disorders, you should be fine taking naproxen). But... if they still don't help even if you take them at the first sign of a migraine and with a little help from the naproxen, then probably you are just one of the people that triptans don't work for. It happens sometimes. Do you use anything else for acute therapy? Naproxen on it's own might be a suggestion. Or, oxygen might work for you too... it is often used for people who can't take triptans for other reasons... like because they get cluster headaches and triptans are actually bad for cluster headaches. Or a mild opiate (that isn't mixed with any sort of acetaminophen because that can cause rebound headaches). Basically... I think acute therapy is just as important as daily treatment too... because, you want to be breaking these pain cycles so that the headaches stop. Week long headaches aren't anything you want to be dealing with!
Did your neurologist tell you that the fact the side effect of hands and feet tingling is actually a good sign? It has been shown in clinical studies that patients who get the side effect of hands and feet tingling show a MUCH better response to the topamax for migraine relief!! So, the hands and feet tingling side effect and the topamax actually working as a migraine drug go hand in hand... this is a very good sign for you!!
Birth control can make migraines much worse... it is good that you got the old birth control removed when it made your migraines worse... if you are on a new type of birth control that does not trigger your migraines, that is okay... although some women find they cannot use hormonal birth control at all. If this is the case for you, you might not be able to use any hormonal method of birth control at all... and i do believe that the Mirena IUD has some hormones in it... although it is one of the BEST choices for migraine users I believe because it does NOT have estrogen in it and estrogen is the worst type of birth control for migraine sufferers.... so, you have picked a good type of birth control to use for now... but, if it turns out that you can't use any type of hormonal birth control, then just make sure to use other non-hormonal methods when you do not want to get pregnant... but yes, the hormones could for sure make the migraines worse... that is not grasping at straws, it makes perfect sense. So it is good that you stopped the birth control that was making it worse... and if your migraines don't go away this time, if you try a few new drugs and they still don't go away, you might consider stopping the other birth control too... i know it is a big decision because you probably do NOT want to get pregnant... but some women need to make this decision so that they do not get migraines.... remember that you can always use 2 methods of birth control to be safer if you can't use hormonal birth control, such as condoms AND spermicide, or condoms AND fertility awareness, etc... talk to your doctor about other dual methods you can use other than hormonal birth control if this turns out to be the case.
Also... are you taking a daily allergy medication, such as an antihistamine, right now? Since it is the start of allergy season, maybe you should be taking a daily allergy medication in order to avoid the allergy triggers that are making your migraines so much worse right now. If you aren't already taking one, you can buy these over the counter at the drug store... I find that the following work really well: arius (but it is really expensive), reactin (it works excellent and is usually quite affordable) and allergra. If you don't already know a brand that works well for you, you can ask the pharmacist for advice on which they would suggest. If you find that your allergy symptoms are extremely bad on their own in addition to triggering your migraines (runny nose, stuffy nose, sinus pain, etc.) you could also talk to your doctor about trying out a glucocorticoid steroid nasal spray such as nasonex, your doctor would have to prescribe it for you and you would use it every day... it will not cause rebound allergy symptoms or infections like a decongestant will and it won't make you sleepy like some daily allergy medications can and it is completely safe to use every day and it will reduce or stop your allergy symptoms and if your allergy symptoms are reduced or stopped, then you might avoid migraine triggers. So... talk to your doctor about using some sort of daily allergy medication if you think it's the allergies that are triggering the migraines right now! It's worth a shot!
Also... about the triptans... yeah... some people do not respond to triptans. Then again, triptans will not work if you take them after a migraine has fully formed. So, if you take them after the pain is extremely bad, the triptan will not work. You must take a triptan at the first sign of pain... or for people who get an aura (visual symtoms) they must take them at the first sign of the aura. The longer you wait to take the triptan, the less likely that it will work. Since you said you have always tried triptans in the middle of migraines... maybe you should give them another shot but next time take them at the first sign of a migraine, as soon as you feel the pain coming on, and see if it prevents you from getting a migraine... you might find that you will avoid getting migraines from now on if you do this. Many people can completely avoid getting migraines if they use triptans at the first sign of a migraine. Also... some people need to combine triptans with another type of drug called naproxen in order for the triptan to be effective. This is why the newest triptan on the market actually put naproxen into the triptan... it's called treximet. It comes in a quick dissolve tablet. That's another thing that is important, is that the triptan come in a quick dissolve format... triptans are basically useless, I find, if they do not come in a quick dissolve format... so, make sure the triptan that your doctor prescribes you is in the form of a nasal spray OR a quick dissolve tablet OR an inject... NEVER accept a triptan in the form of a tablet, they are completely useless in my opinion!!! Treximet is the only triptan on the market that combines naproxen and a triptan together in one drug... BUT, you and your doctor can easily do this yourself by combining 2 prescriptions together, you don't NEED to take treximet to do this!! You can take zomig + naproxen (it's a nasal spray triptan + the tablet naproxen) OR maxalt + naproxen (a quick dissolve tablet triptan + the tablet naproxen) OR injectable sumatriptan + naproxen (it's an injectable triptan + the tablet naproxen). Then, just make sure to take the triptan at the FIRST sign you have a migraine and then you can take the naproxen (it's an NSAID) at the same time or you can wait 10 to 15 minutes to see if the triptan will work without the naproxen if you like. Depending on how bad my migraines hit me, I will sometimes wait or I will sometimes take both at the same time... for me, it all depends on how bad it is or even how bad I think it will be. So, that is my suggestion for triptans. I'd say... give them another shot, but make sure to take them ASAP when you feel a migraine coming on and take them WITH the NSAID naproxen (as long as you are not allergic to NSAIDS and you don't have any sort of stomach ulcers or bleeding disorders, you should be fine taking naproxen). But... if they still don't help even if you take them at the first sign of a migraine and with a little help from the naproxen, then probably you are just one of the people that triptans don't work for. It happens sometimes. Do you use anything else for acute therapy? Naproxen on it's own might be a suggestion. Or, oxygen might work for you too... it is often used for people who can't take triptans for other reasons... like because they get cluster headaches and triptans are actually bad for cluster headaches. Or a mild opiate (that isn't mixed with any sort of acetaminophen because that can cause rebound headaches). Basically... I think acute therapy is just as important as daily treatment too... because, you want to be breaking these pain cycles so that the headaches stop. Week long headaches aren't anything you want to be dealing with!
Hi Marileew! Thanks for responding to my posts and giving me hope. Sometimes I'm the type to look at the glass half empty and fail to consider the positive aspects of a negative situation. I guess things could be much worse than they are right now. I was headache free for about 5 weeks after having a headache or at least pressure behind my eyes for about 8 months. The migraines then came back once allergy season began and I panicked.
As I said before, I have been taking topamax- am at 100 mgs. I go on these boards to find answers and it scares me to read about all of the people who have been experiencing migraines for 10 years, 20 years. it's actually very frightening!! I am only 29 years old, been having headaches on and off for about 2 and it's very anxiety provoking to read certain people's stories who have not found answers after x amount of years... ya know? Anyway, I thank you for your kind and helpful words.
I see my specialist in 2 weeks but am hopeful that the headaches will be under control by then. If not, maybe we will increase the topamax again or add another drug. I don't really have any side effects of the topamax (except for the hands and feet tingling)-I take the brand topamax- I had a bad reaction to the generic. I am hopeful that I can kick these migraines in the butt-- I don't want them to run my life. I also started acupuncture last week. Have you ever tried it?
Triptans don't seem to work for me. Then again, I've always tried them when I'm in the midst of a headache and never at the beginning. Botox could be an option as well but I am unsure if my insure will cover it... I'd have to look into that.
I have the Mirena IUD and before I had the Copper Paragard IUD but got that removed because it caused me acne. My migraines got worse when I got the Paragard. Maybe I'm grasping for straws but I never really had headaches like this before.
Anyway, thanks again for your input. I am glad to hear that you are no longer in chronic pain and that you will be trying botox next week-good luck to you! Please let me know how it goes!
Pam
As I said before, I have been taking topamax- am at 100 mgs. I go on these boards to find answers and it scares me to read about all of the people who have been experiencing migraines for 10 years, 20 years. it's actually very frightening!! I am only 29 years old, been having headaches on and off for about 2 and it's very anxiety provoking to read certain people's stories who have not found answers after x amount of years... ya know? Anyway, I thank you for your kind and helpful words.
I see my specialist in 2 weeks but am hopeful that the headaches will be under control by then. If not, maybe we will increase the topamax again or add another drug. I don't really have any side effects of the topamax (except for the hands and feet tingling)-I take the brand topamax- I had a bad reaction to the generic. I am hopeful that I can kick these migraines in the butt-- I don't want them to run my life. I also started acupuncture last week. Have you ever tried it?
Triptans don't seem to work for me. Then again, I've always tried them when I'm in the midst of a headache and never at the beginning. Botox could be an option as well but I am unsure if my insure will cover it... I'd have to look into that.
I have the Mirena IUD and before I had the Copper Paragard IUD but got that removed because it caused me acne. My migraines got worse when I got the Paragard. Maybe I'm grasping for straws but I never really had headaches like this before.
Anyway, thanks again for your input. I am glad to hear that you are no longer in chronic pain and that you will be trying botox next week-good luck to you! Please let me know how it goes!
Pam
Hi Pam,
I added the Nadolol to the mix of stuff I use for my migraines because currently I am still classified as having severe chronic migraines (15+ a month)... so for me the topamax isn't working to reduce my migraines to under 15+ a month. That is why my neurologist added Nadolol to the mix of what I am taking.
I also use zomig nasal spray (a triptan, migraine medication) and naproxen (a NSAID, pain killer) for acute treatment of migraines. I also use hydromorphone for very serious migraines that the zomig nasal spray and naproxen combo do not help at all after a few hours... I used to have to go to the hospital for this and get an IV, but now I take tablets instead and it is much better because it means much less hospital visits (I used to spend most of my time in the hospital).
I have also tried using 400mg of magnesium and 400mg of B2 and 300mg of CoQ10 a day. I found that the 400mg of B2 did reduce the number of headaches I got a month. I haven't taken the CoQ10 long enough to notice if it has made any difference or not. I can't really say if the magnesium helped me or not.
For me, the topamax did stop the daily low grade chronic headaches I had. I used to be in constant chronic pain. Now I am not.
I still get terrible acute chronic headaches though... over 15 a month. That is why my doctor put me on the nadolol and also why my doctor is going to be trying the botox next week on me.
In Canada, our government does NOT cover botox as it is not an approved treatment for migraines yet according to our government even though it is an approved treatment for migraines according to the doctors and pharmacies and hospitals. My student health plan does not cover a cent of the botox. My work health plan covers half of the botox... in Canada, botox costs about $400 a treatment, so... that means that with my work health plan, a treatment of botox costs about $200... and that is just the cost of the medication. The doctor's appointment, and the doctor injecting it, is completely covered by the Canadian government. If you live in American... then, you will have to check with your own health plan at work... many health plans do cover it or part of it... but you have to send them a letter from your doctor explaining that this is MEDICAL botox for MIGRAINES and NOT cosmetic botox... because there is a difference... and you must make sure that when your doctor prescribes you the botox, it is for MEDICAL botox and NOT cosmetic botox, because the prescription numbers are different and your health plans will NOT cover cosmetic botox. Your neurologist is usually the only person that will give you botox and is probably the only person you should TRUST to give you the botox. If you see a chronic pain doctor, you can also trust them to give you the botox, or if your family doctor has given botox for migraines before, then you can trust them to give you botox for migraines... but, in most cases, for migraines, it is better to have a neurologist give you the botox.
I can understand how frustrating it is that your headaches came back after a month of being pain free. My headaches are extremely frustrating for me too... but, stay hopeful! There are so many more medications to try... and, with the start of allergy season... it is probably just a set-back because of severe allergy triggers and once the severe allergy triggers settle, you will be fine. Also, it is good that you are now taking the standard dosage of the topamax, that is 100mgs... that should probably work much better. :)
I added the Nadolol to the mix of stuff I use for my migraines because currently I am still classified as having severe chronic migraines (15+ a month)... so for me the topamax isn't working to reduce my migraines to under 15+ a month. That is why my neurologist added Nadolol to the mix of what I am taking.
I also use zomig nasal spray (a triptan, migraine medication) and naproxen (a NSAID, pain killer) for acute treatment of migraines. I also use hydromorphone for very serious migraines that the zomig nasal spray and naproxen combo do not help at all after a few hours... I used to have to go to the hospital for this and get an IV, but now I take tablets instead and it is much better because it means much less hospital visits (I used to spend most of my time in the hospital).
I have also tried using 400mg of magnesium and 400mg of B2 and 300mg of CoQ10 a day. I found that the 400mg of B2 did reduce the number of headaches I got a month. I haven't taken the CoQ10 long enough to notice if it has made any difference or not. I can't really say if the magnesium helped me or not.
For me, the topamax did stop the daily low grade chronic headaches I had. I used to be in constant chronic pain. Now I am not.
I still get terrible acute chronic headaches though... over 15 a month. That is why my doctor put me on the nadolol and also why my doctor is going to be trying the botox next week on me.
In Canada, our government does NOT cover botox as it is not an approved treatment for migraines yet according to our government even though it is an approved treatment for migraines according to the doctors and pharmacies and hospitals. My student health plan does not cover a cent of the botox. My work health plan covers half of the botox... in Canada, botox costs about $400 a treatment, so... that means that with my work health plan, a treatment of botox costs about $200... and that is just the cost of the medication. The doctor's appointment, and the doctor injecting it, is completely covered by the Canadian government. If you live in American... then, you will have to check with your own health plan at work... many health plans do cover it or part of it... but you have to send them a letter from your doctor explaining that this is MEDICAL botox for MIGRAINES and NOT cosmetic botox... because there is a difference... and you must make sure that when your doctor prescribes you the botox, it is for MEDICAL botox and NOT cosmetic botox, because the prescription numbers are different and your health plans will NOT cover cosmetic botox. Your neurologist is usually the only person that will give you botox and is probably the only person you should TRUST to give you the botox. If you see a chronic pain doctor, you can also trust them to give you the botox, or if your family doctor has given botox for migraines before, then you can trust them to give you botox for migraines... but, in most cases, for migraines, it is better to have a neurologist give you the botox.
I can understand how frustrating it is that your headaches came back after a month of being pain free. My headaches are extremely frustrating for me too... but, stay hopeful! There are so many more medications to try... and, with the start of allergy season... it is probably just a set-back because of severe allergy triggers and once the severe allergy triggers settle, you will be fine. Also, it is good that you are now taking the standard dosage of the topamax, that is 100mgs... that should probably work much better. :)
Hi Marileew, thanks for reponding to my post and offering me hope. I still have a headache- it's been about 8 days. My doctor just increased my topamax to 100 mgs so I am hoping that will help my migraines. I am just frustrated because the topamax was doing so well in controlling them and then BOOM they came back. What made you add Nadolol to the Topamax? Were you having breakthrough headaches?
Do you know if insurance covers Botox or where you can get treatment?
Thanks,
Pam
Do you know if insurance covers Botox or where you can get treatment?
Thanks,
Pam
I wouldn't get too worried... the start of allergy season could really trigger some headaches. The topamax isn't going to stop all of your headaches, it is just going to reduce the number of headaches you get and hopefully the severity of them too. You will still get headaches even on the topamax... but, just not as many or as bad. So... don't worry if you have been having a headache week... you probably will have a headache free rest of the month!
BUT... if the topamax has stopped working for some reason... remember there are lots of other things to try... topamax is just one of the anticonvulsants used to treat migraines. you could also try valproic acid if the topamax doesn't work. i tried valproic acid first... and then i tried topamax, i found the topamax worked better, but lots of people find that the valproic acid works best. and... if anticonvulsants don't work for you, then there are still the antidepressants such as amitriptyline. or, if those don't work... there are the beta blockers... i am currently taking Nadolol, a beta-blocker, in addition to topamax...
and. if none of the daily drugs end up working out... you can always give botox a try.
so do not be scared or worried! because if the topamax doesn't work, there are lots of other medications that you can take instead of topamax. BUT!!! remember!!! the topamax is not supposed to stop ALL of your headaches forever! it is only supposed to reduce the number of headaches you get and reduce the severity of them... so that they are manageable. the goal of the topamax is to make your headaches manageable... so, i wouldn't get too scared just yet if you are having headaches just this one week.
also. i dunno... i take 100mg of topamax... and i think that's the regular dosage for migraines? so maybe you could ask your doctor about going up to 100mg? it's really not a lot more than you are taking now so it probably will hardly make any difference at all.... but, you might want to ask about it?
BUT... if the topamax has stopped working for some reason... remember there are lots of other things to try... topamax is just one of the anticonvulsants used to treat migraines. you could also try valproic acid if the topamax doesn't work. i tried valproic acid first... and then i tried topamax, i found the topamax worked better, but lots of people find that the valproic acid works best. and... if anticonvulsants don't work for you, then there are still the antidepressants such as amitriptyline. or, if those don't work... there are the beta blockers... i am currently taking Nadolol, a beta-blocker, in addition to topamax...
and. if none of the daily drugs end up working out... you can always give botox a try.
so do not be scared or worried! because if the topamax doesn't work, there are lots of other medications that you can take instead of topamax. BUT!!! remember!!! the topamax is not supposed to stop ALL of your headaches forever! it is only supposed to reduce the number of headaches you get and reduce the severity of them... so that they are manageable. the goal of the topamax is to make your headaches manageable... so, i wouldn't get too scared just yet if you are having headaches just this one week.
also. i dunno... i take 100mg of topamax... and i think that's the regular dosage for migraines? so maybe you could ask your doctor about going up to 100mg? it's really not a lot more than you are taking now so it probably will hardly make any difference at all.... but, you might want to ask about it?
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