![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Festus on January 13, 2005, at 21:39:24
My Little Love is trying to cope with chronic Migraine problems and has for 4 years,now.Her doc has tried so many different med combos and other things,but she has the most luck from Maxalt.We got our insurance cancelled a while back,so it,s been hard trying to live off samples her doc provides,as Maxalt is very costly.Most good Migraine meds are,He says.In addition to the agony of the headaches,she has stopped all forms of exercise,eats when and what she, able to,due to how the headaches effect her stomach,has picked back up on smoking,gained 60-70 lbs.in the past 2 years,and stays wiped out most of the time.She takes Lexapro 10mg.,Inderal 40mg.X 2,and Zonegran 100mg.,on top of the headache meds,Maxalt and Motrin.She asked the doc for something to help with the awful lethargy from the meds,so he gave her Gabitril.That,s a anti-siezure med with fatigue and tiredness as main side-effects!She did,nt get it.We made an app. for her to see my Chronic Pain Dr. this month,hoping for better results.Are these meds all really needed for her headaches?She wants to cut out some but which ones?What is it that,s causing her to not be able to hardly function?Anyone know?Festus
Posted by johnnystats on January 14, 2005, at 7:56:12
In reply to Please HELP my Wife from death by side-effects!, posted by Festus on January 13, 2005, at 21:39:24
I think that your wife's lethargy is being caused by her being on too many medications. Your doctor did the best he could to cure your wife's condition, but after 4 years it's definitely time for her to see a specialist. As far as which meds to specificly cut out, I'd wait to see what the chronic pain doc says first. I'm sure he'll recommend cutting out meds that aren't helping.
Posted by Ritch on January 14, 2005, at 10:06:48
In reply to Please HELP my Wife from death by side-effects!, posted by Festus on January 13, 2005, at 21:39:24
It definitely looks like her current doctor may have lost the rabbit for sure. Yep, see a specialist. Just a thought.. but I've heard that SSRI's can aggravate migraine symptoms in some folks.. maybe Lexapro not the best AD? Also highdose riboflavin (Vitamin B-2) can help:
http://www.cfpc.ca/cfp/2003/Oct/vol49-oct-critical-1.aspHas she tried that?
Posted by Dan Perkins on January 14, 2005, at 10:41:07
In reply to Re: Please HELP my Wife from death by side-effects!, posted by Ritch on January 14, 2005, at 10:06:48
What about occasional low doses of marijuana when the pain strikes?
Posted by banga on January 14, 2005, at 18:56:48
In reply to Re: Please HELP my Wife from death by side-effects, posted by Dan Perkins on January 14, 2005, at 10:41:07
I'm so sorry she is struggling!! Could you maybe tell more--are all these meds just for the migraines? Or is she diagnosed with depression or something in that neighborhood? It sounds like other things are there too(for your doc's sake, I hope there are grounds for having her suffer so many meds!!)
Whoever you meet, I wonder if you could discuss also some help cleansing her system of the meds--nutritional support to help(lots of water, cleansing teas, etc.) NOt to stray from topic, it just feels like her body must be so confused.
Obviously the main thing of course is finding some relief from the migraines, but that's not my department. I am sure someone here could give you more advice, but maybe if you could strat at the beginning--well not a whole essay! but say what the initial problem(s) was, did other problems developed along the way...
Posted by Festus on January 15, 2005, at 21:54:26
In reply to Re: Please HELP my Wife from death by side-effects, posted by banga on January 14, 2005, at 18:56:48
Thanks for the replies,Ya,ll,but as far as I can recall,she originally developed the headaches when she got to be mid to upper 30,s.Her Mom had done the same thing,when she was that age.Her headaches were Hormonal and went away post-menopause.The Doc(He,s a Neuro)says this is most likely a genetic thing for my Wife.He,s only treated her for the headaches,so all the meds she,s been on are for control or abhorting them.She has developed almost a non-existent libido,and depression comes from knowing these headaches are coming and from the drain from them and the meds.She ain,t enjoying her life much,that,s for sure.I hope the new doc will be able to do some adjustments that will help her quality of life.Festus
Posted by Racer on January 16, 2005, at 14:39:48
In reply to Re: Please HELP my Wife from death by side-effects, posted by Festus on January 15, 2005, at 21:54:26
Lexapro and Inderol would be my suspects for the lethargy and weight gain, and I can't see how either would help migraines -- unless the neuro is thinking they're mostly psychosomatic.
I vote for a specialist, or at least a second opinion. Provigil might augment the Lexapro, as well as adding energy, if that turns out to be a good choice for her, although it can cause transient headaches for about three months. Bad thing to hear, but it isn't like migraines. More like a too tight headband.
Anyway, good for you for helping her out, and good luck with the second opinion.
Also, most med companies have compassion programs, which provide meds to the uninsured. Needymeds.com will have contact info for most of these programs.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.