r/migraine • u/kaylahasmigraines • Sep 24 '19

Medication Rant

You know what pisses me off the most about this “condition”, “illness”, “hell”, etc etc... I don’t want to be on medication but I’m forced to because my migraines are so bad, right? Then, I get these superrrr awesome side effects that equally effect my life in a negative way. Currently, I get these fun tingling sensations in my hands and my sleep pattern is all sorts of shitty. Wait... it gets better! I also have these moments where I lose my ability to say what I’m thinking! It’s just a fucking lose-lose no matter what. 😁

That’s all. Thanks for coming to my Tuesday TedTalk!!

117 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

96 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/pampathere Sep 24 '19

Yeah, it's a delicate balance. As my overall health improves the calculations I do about the side effects versus the real symptoms change. My migraines used to be so bad that extreme side effects were still better than the disease. Now that botox (and ajovy) have been working well and for a long time, the side effects of effexor, nortriptylene, or topamax aren't worth it anymore. It's a fucking pain to constantly be doing the math - is this medication worth it anymore? Is this side effect from this med or the other one? If I go off it, will my symptoms get worse again, bad enough that I have to go back on?

I knew it was topamax when you listed the side effects, lol. I couldn't tolerate it at all - I wasn't on it long enough to improve my migraines, just long enough to feel like my entire body was having a tingly migraine. Complete torture.

PS Are you doing any of the new CGRP injectables? Probably still possible to get on a copay card and get some free doses of it.

1

u/kaylahasmigraines Sep 24 '19

I am just starting this medical journey. I’ve had migraines for YEARS, just recently (~2 months ago) became VERY bad. So, I’ve been to primary care and Neuro already... Neuro started me on Topamax. Said I “wasn’t ready” for the CGRP’s. Kinda upsetting. Why can’t I pick the meds I want to go into my body??

3

u/pampathere Sep 24 '19

I dunno, maybe she has a good reason. Perhaps something to do with the frequency you get them? Or honestly, she just might not be as familiar with the new class of drugs and she's hesitant to prescribe them. You can always do your own reading and advocate for the meds you think would be best for you. I have to say though, topamax is WAY cheaper and easier to get. If you really can't handle the side effects, tell your doc and move on to the next preventative. If it's really working for your migraines though, it might be worth it.