<p>Some time ago, my neurologist recommended that I try Topamax to limit the onset of migraines. I was a bit reluctant to try this because of potential side effects. Has anyone tried this or other meds and found them to be successful?</p>
<p>I have been taking Verapamil daily for several years and have had a noticeable decrease in my migraines. I can manage them very effectively with Midrin when I feel one coming on.</p>
<p>Topiramate (Topamax) does have a number of side effects. With headache medicine, it’s always a battle of effectiveness versus side effects, and a 60% reduction in pain is considered a good rate of effectiveness. The NIH has a good website with clear and detailed drug information: [MedlinePlus</a> Health Information from the National Library of Medicine](<a href=“http://www.medlineplus.gov%5DMedlinePlus”>http://www.medlineplus.gov)</p>
<p>If your headaches are frequent and severe enough for a preventative, you should get another consultation on them because of the newer medications. There is a wide choice besides Topamax; some even do double-duty for secondary conditions, and others are a no-no with coexisting conditions. A class of drugs you will hear discussed are the triptans; they are a widely used preventive. Your doctor needs to be knowledgeable about the range of medications available.</p>
<p>There is an herbal preventive named Petadolex that is the most common preventive used in Germany and other countries. It has many fewer side effects than most medications. You should discuss its use with your doctor.</p>
<p>Feverfew prophylactically three times a day keeps them under control for me. In the almost 20 years I have been using feverfew, I have had three migraines, instead of the previous 3-5 a month. (I also gave up peanuts and all peanut oil products.) Good luck.</p>
<p>I take Atenelol, a beta-blocker, daily. It’s blood pressure medication but has few side effects and it has been holding off my migraines for years. It makes you a little tired at first but I adjusted fairly quickly. The only major drawback is if you’re really into exercise, it holds down your heart rate.</p>
<p>^ ^ I took Inderal, also a beta-blocker for about two years. I didn’t really see much benefit from it, and the doctor was about to increase the dose. I happened to be watching the news one night, and it listed Inderal as one of the 10 medications that contributed most to weight gain! Well, that explained my unexplained weight gain of 20+ pounds (which was another headache in itself.)<br>
Glad that you’ve had success with Atenelol.</p>
<p>My D uses a generic of Inderal. It has made a huge difference for her.It has greatly reduced the migraines and it has made a huge difference in the number of days of school missed. She has not noticed any side effects. No weight gain but she also takes Ritalin and has no weight loss. Maybe they balance each other out.</p>
<p>I was taking the generic too. Glad it is working well for your daughter!</p>
<p>I used Inderal and had a good result but had to stop taking it because my blood pressure was going too low. I felt all the time like I was going to pass out. Topomax did nothing for me but has worked well for my sister in law. </p>
<p>I am on amitryptaline right now. I still get break through headaches but not like my life 5 years ago. The biggest side affect for me when I am on this is hunger. When I take 50mgs or more, I am hungry all the time. I have gained 25 pounds in the last 2 years. Now I try to take 30 or 40 mgs and bump it up higher if I seem to be having a couple of tough weeks.</p>
<p>If I am getting a migraine I take Maxalt. One or two tablets of this really makes a difference. Only rarely to I have to take something even stronger.</p>
<p>I think it is hard to find the right medication because we all have different triggers. There are some foods I can’t eat. My biggest trigger is sitting and reading for an hour or so. I hardly read now compared to earlier in my life. I find most books not worth risking a migraine. I also can’t take a lot of glare and wear polarized sunglasses outdoors.</p>
<p>I was interested to see that Lorelei uses Feverfew. One other person mentioned that to me so maybe I should give it a try. Did you have to have it build up for a week or so in order for it to take effect?</p>
<p>I use maxsalt for my A-typical migraines. basically like you get the bad symptoms before the pain. and 5mg Maxsalt has worked wonders without any side effect, just take one and lay down for fifteen minutes and youll be fine.</p>
<p>I’m surprised that Topamax would be the doctor’s first suggestion. I thought it was more typical to suggest a beta-blocker first (unless it is contraindicated for some reason, such as asthma), with a tricyclic such as amitryptyline as second choice. Tricyclics do promote weight gain, though.</p>
<p>twomules: I started the feverfew almost 20 years ago, do not recall how it progressed, just that since then, along with giving up peanuts and peanut oil products, I have only had 3 migraines. When I mentioned it to my physician, he said it was an excellent thing to do, long known to be effective. I do get headaches, but they are mild, easily handled with acetaminophen.</p>
<p>How is your blood pressure? For years I had borderline high blood pressure that doctors wanted to “keep an eye on” but didn’t feel a need to medicate. When it finally got high enough to start taking blood pressure medicine the blood pressure went down and my incidence of migraines came way down with it. I still get one every now and then - but a lot fewer and milder.</p>
<p>I considered going on Topomax, which a neurologist I was seeing for other reasons was going to suggest (I’ll admit what also intrigued me is that Topomax can also lead to weight loss.) however, enough reading up about it and it’s nickname, Dopomax, convnced me not to. I already have some memory/concentration issues from a head injury; I can’t afford any more. Overall, I don’t like to be on anything daily that I can avoid, so I stick to medicines that control, not prevent. (Zomig, OTC stuff, and caffeine.)</p>
<p>I’ve heard feverfew recommended before, will look into that.</p>
<p>Marian: I was on a beta blocker (Inderal with weight gain) and specifically told the doctor that I would not take anything that would contribute to more gain. He felt that Topamax could be the “magic bullet” i.e. control headaches and trigger weight loss as an aside. </p>
<p>I’ve never heard of feverfew - will look into it.</p>
<p>I take Relpax to control the migraines but am careful about not taking it often. That class of medication is dangerous and could lead to stroke.</p>
<p>Coureur: My blood pressure is fine - don’t think headaches correlate. Interestingly, one of my triggers seems to be a drop in barometric pressure.</p>
<p>The Petadolex that I mentioned in an earlier post is feverfew, but in an improved and patented form. (It is hard to control the amount of active ingredient in an herbal; the Petadolex uses a specialized form of the plant that allows for more consistent efficacy.) </p>
<p>“Natural” does not always mean “safe.” Please talk to your doctor about medications. Only he or she will know about your medical and psychiatric history, and issues like weight gain should also be considered.</p>
<p>I had migraines related to my periods but I like to try alternative solutions before taking medication that may be worse than the initial condition.</p>
<p>Niacin ( over the counter) works for me and ( not sustained release).
[Nutrition</a> Journal | Full text | The treatment of migraines and tension-type headaches with intravenous and oral niacin (nicotinic acid): systematic review of the literature](<a href=“The treatment of migraines and tension-type headaches with intravenous and oral niacin (nicotinic acid): systematic review of the literature | Nutrition Journal | Full Text”>The treatment of migraines and tension-type headaches with intravenous and oral niacin (nicotinic acid): systematic review of the literature | Nutrition Journal | Full Text)</p>
<p>Garland- I completely forgot the mental issues with Topomax. I felt really slow and stupid and told my husband that I shouldn’t be making any major decisions.</p>
<p>My nurse practitioner suggested the feverfew. I had not thought much about it because she said to take it in conjunction with a supplement called Co-Q 10. She said that the Co-Q can help some people. I started it without the feverfew since some foods give me migraines and I wanted to check for reactions. For me it backfired and I woke up every morning at 5am with a headache that did not respond to ANY medications. I waited a few weeks and tried again with the same result. </p>
<p>I am just about ready to go see a neurologist but I don’t know that one can offer much beyond what I have done. I’ve already had a CAT scan.</p>
<p>One of my friends suggested asking the dentist about TMJ because her son’s headaches were caused by that. Is a TMJ headache as bad as a migraine? Would my headaches not be TMJ because they respond to migraine medications?</p>
<p>Petadolex is OTC.</p>
<p>Have to correct my earlier post: the plant from which Petadolex is derived is butterbur (Petasites hybridus) and not feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium).</p>
<p>Lots of good headache info is available in the articles section of the American Headache Society: [Information</a> for Patients - American Headache Society Committee for Headache Education](<a href=“http://www.achenet.org/education/patients/index.asp]Information”>http://www.achenet.org/education/patients/index.asp)</p>