migraine

[zuhinaax]

What is a good migraine medication that is comparable to Topamax, without the side effects? I had been taking Topamax for migraines. I was on 400mg a day and it helped really well, but recently found I have a kidney stone due to using Topamax so I am trying to find a different med. I can take for it. For those of you that don't know, Topamax is used to prevent migraines, not to help with the pain. If anyone has personal experience I would prefer your answer. I don't want answers like imitrex, maxalt, zomig, as these are to treat the pain after you have gotten a migraine. I want an answer for a med to prevent the migraines. Thanks in advance.
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[HerMajesty]

I can't give you exactly the answer that you want (a med that prevents migraines), but I have been very successful at warding them off: 1st migraines as a teen literally left me screaming and puking, but they have been nothing but a slight annoyance for the past 20 years or so since I learned to self manage.
The important thing is to be very alert to see if you can identify any signs at all of impending migraines. My signs are extreme tiredness and intermittant mild shooting pains in my forehead. I also sometimes get painless optical migraines before I get any pain. As long as I can ID the warning signs, I can prevent the pain without even resorting to and RX med. I use a combo of 5 advil (equivalent of 1,000mg motrin), a strong dose of caffeine in any form (it is in headache pills such as Exedrin, in No Doz, or use shots of espresso),and sometimes if the pain is developing quickly I will use a strong menthol product on my forehead such as Tiger Balm, Ben Gay, or the sticky "migraine patches" which are made to stay on your forehead and keep delivering menthol.
It can be as simple as that if you can identify early warning signs - I hope you also have some identifyable warning signs and that the simple OTC approach works as well for you as it does for me.

[Emily B]

Zomig, a vasoconstrictor, helps me with my migraines.

Emily B.

[Violet M]

If your migraines are allergy related you might want to be allergy tested and take allergy injections. Allergy shots significantly improved migraines in one of my family members.

[Dave]

Is there a relationship between migraines and PN?

I get cluster headaches, which is a cousin of migraines and is more common in men.

Dave

[HerMajesty]

Dave, I think there can be a relationship based on the cause of your PN. My 2 underlying PN factors were SIJD and tarlov cysts. SIJD can cause headache because misalignment of the pelvis often causes a compensatory joint dysfunction in the neck. Tarlov cysts can cause headache because they can change cerebrospinal fluid pressure. Not sure about other peoples' causes...I wouldn't think that something like a scar tissue entrapment al alcock's canal from cycling would have a mechanism to cause headaches...but on the other hand anyone with chronic pain has autonomic dominance (constant overactivity of the autonomic, or sympathetic, nervous system which is your "fight or flight" response)...so maybe any kind of PN or for that matter any chronic pain could increase headaches.

[Aleclucy11]

Hi Hermajesty, how are you doing these days? We corresponded well over a year ago, as I was trying to wrap my brain around these little Tarlov cysts appearing on my MRI. Just as I was seriously preparing to go to Dr. Kirk Andrew. Dr. Andrew acknowledged the TC and said he would rather not treat me and I should see about them. Well, I traveled to Dallas, saw Dr. F. He determined he couldn't tell for sure and recommended I see Dr. Long for the proper blocks to help determine the likelihood that the cysts are the cause. Well, did that and the blocks seemed positive, however he wants me to repeat them, says it increases the level of accuracy. ( dr. Long). And then since my pudendal nerve is where i feel the symptoms, long sent me to a Neurourologist to get pudendal blocks, ugh!!

Just wondering how u r. I'm thinking about the surgery.

Thanks,
Kara