Topamax

[Brendalu]

Good News on the Topomax front.....I am now up to 200mg a day and the weight is starting slide off!  I might be down to my normal size in a few months.  That alone has got to make me feel better!!!
My yard guy doesn't speak much English (although he is learning) tells me he no weed he use spray!  I tell him he kill my plants I kill him head!  He just mows, edges and trims every other week to give my hubby a break on his six day hundred hour week.  I figure with the heat we have been having he deserves a little break............maybe.
No more Lamictal......it didn't work..............now we are tryin Cymbalta.....we shall see.  Maybe I'll just give it to the hubby and I will feel better.
Brendalu

[Captain Deb]

I think the depression and mood swings we get at menopause are from being married to grumpy old men! Give the happy pills to THEM, I sez! AAAAARRRRR!!!!!!!!!

I got into 2 pairs of "skinny pants." You know, the ones with the recipts stuffed in the pockets? J.Jill will take stuff back even if you've had it for 2 or 3 years!

Capt Deb
no "bad bad brainwreck" headache for 1 week!

[Captain Deb]

Don't you love people who reply to their own posts?

Studies report that the average Topamax weight loss is 10% of the body weight, which would make me shed those last 12-13 pounds to put me a little below my pre-surgiery weight and put me at my "Honeymoon in the Virgin Islands with Dr Love Weight". I was walking along Cinnamon Bay, St John,  in an itty bitty red bikini  and got a compliment from a young woman on my bathing suit--she couldn't believe I was 50 and hoped she looked that good at my age. Little did she know the pain I went through at the gym 5 days a week to get there!

What a way to kill to birds with one stone, aye?Actually I'd try the Topamax even if it made me gain weight, I'm so desparate to have a normal life without brainwrecks on a regular basis.

Be Well and sail on,
Capt Deb

[Static]

Well you two, when I said I had no side effects from topamax, I meant I had "NO" side effects whatsoever meaning I had no weight loss  .  I have been on a diet and the most I coud lose was 10 lbs and have been able to keep that off but I still want to lose another 30 lbs so I can be my "before AN" weight.  I'm up to 300mg of topamax daily.  I don't think they'll give me any more than that! Maybe I should stop eating altogether! 
~Karen

[ceeceek]

Although I am not on topomax, it was recommended and I passed...know it had some side effects but did not realize so many....funny about the reactions to caffiene....it is what I take for headaches..I guess just proves each is an individual.....whmmmmm, who knew...I will keep reading as I know several people whom are on this, and so far they have no side effects at all,,I wonder if the side effects are more severe due the ANs? any opinions on that subject?
Ceeceek

[Captain Deb]

The headache specialist I see, who has experience with post op AN patients, has me totally off caffeine. And one of the foremost headache specialists on the planet, with mucho mucho experience with post AN surgery headache patients, said the drug he's had the most sucess with has been Topamax.  The only side effect I'm having are bitc**iness and weight loss.  Which counter-act each other. Ha-ha.  You do the math! Buth then again, my headache were positively diagnosed as having migraine components  and not tension headaches or any other kind.

Capt Deb

[ceeceek]

Just goes to show, each person is different..I would like to have an update on how it goes though,,I am unsure how my headaches will increase or decrease after CK...so far,,after surgery they are actually better..( I beleive due to more room....) but still consider topomax cause the med I take now is lots of Tylenol..lots of caffiene and not too great for the liver, kidneys or a good nights sleep....lol
Let me know in the future how it goes if you dont mind...
and if I were losing wieght,,I would have to be in a good mood....lol
Ceecee

[Larry]

Hey Deb,

Seems like the topomax is having a benefit for you - poor Dr Lurve but having to put up with the bit**iness but he'd be used to it by now  !!!!!

Are you having any impacts on your eyes at all?

I'm too nervous to go down that drig because of the effect on my eyes really early on. It's one thing having SSd, it's another to hav eye problems.

Laz

[Captain Deb]

Had a total Topamax emotional meltdown the past two days so have had to back off to 25 mg again. How am I ever going to frigging get up to frigging 200 mg of this stuff? Oh also had a migrain attack after 2 1/2 hrs in the dentist chair getting a crown prep(drilll, drilll, drilll,) followed by a neurologist appt. Had full aura and every thing. God bless the nursie at the neuros office who hooked me up with injecta pen with 4 mg (instead of 6) so I shot myself in the arm on the way home right in the car! (Dr Love was driving) Kinda freaked out the neighbor who he had pulled over on the side of the road to talk to about his friggin TRACTOR! At least I didn't have to scramble for the syringe and the vial and pull down my jeans in from of him. "What's wrong with your wife?" "oh she's just having a full blown migraine with aura and I've stopped to talk to you about your tractor instead of taking her home to get her medication." Good thing I took my gun outta the glove compartment.

AAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!!!!
Capt Deb
please pass the Xanax

[Larry]

Oh Deb,

wish I could help but as you know, I'm looking for you for the magical cure and all you can do is keep getting these headaches - how inconsiderate!!!!

My empathies Deb, these meltdowns are crap - I hate them and I want a cure. (should have gone in the vent thread i guess).

Take care Deb, you have a ship to run.

Laz

[Captain Deb]

No I do not have a bullet hole in my arm. In reading my last post, it is pretty rambly (is that a word?) I GAVE myself a shot of Imitrex in the arm and WANTED to shoot my hubby in the head.  Clear enough? It's amazing that the after-effects of a major headache can last for days.  BTW Laz have you injected the Trex yet?  They make a 4g size now, which you can use 2-3 times a week. Don't know about Landownunder, though.
 
Topamax update--back to 25 mg from 50 due to extreme wheepies and emotional meltdown. trying for 37.5 tomorrow. My GP (a female) said sh'ed help me manage the depression. Her practice treats psch disorders, too. (Who me, a psych disorder? Just cuz I think I'm an 18th century swashbuckler?) She said there are some good generic meds that my crappy ins will pay for since I lost my prescription drug benefit (excepting generics)So trying for 1/2 a 25g dose AM and a full 25 mg dose PM starting tomorrow.

Capt Deb

[Static]

Good luck with that Deb, Topamax is good stuff.  I just wish it helped sinus headaches too!  I was doing so well with the topamax and now I just don't know how I'm doing with it because of these sinus headaches.  I'm gonna hold off going to the headache clinic at Jeff until I get the sinus thing taken care of because I don't know which is which but I do know that these headaches I have now are mostly sinus and definitely different in location and intensity to what I had been experiencing since I had been on the topamax.  Geez, this sucks!  I was finally getting relief from the Topamax and now this, ugh!  Try to stick with the Topamax tho, it's good stuff (when you don't have any sinus issues).
~Karen

[Larry]

Deb,

I haven't done the injection yet - I'm a little nervous about it coz it works by restricting the blood flow and I was told, given family history of heart problems, that I should do the first one at the medical centre. If thats not enough to put a hornet in the trousers, I don't know what is.

Beam me up Scotty - pleeeeeeasse.

Laz

[Captain Deb]

OK,  upped the Topamax to 37 mg--12 in the AM and 25 at nite--no meltdowns or crazies yet.  Will let ya know.

Laz, ya should just shoot up the stuff experimentally at the clinic just to make sure, headache or no.  I must admit it is scarey at first just the thought of giving yourselfself a shot.  I just went to the pharmacy and got another BOX of syringes. Went through the first one in, lessee, 8 months?  There's 100 syringes in each box.  Giving myself a shot for a headache now is like popping an aspirin for most prople--just second nature and no big deal.  Sure beats laying in bed crying! All you need to do is grab a hunk of fat and stick it in! The thigh works for me, but the injectapen works in the upper arm pretty well, especially in the car.

Just do it!

Capt Deb

[marie]

Static--

For years I had terrible sinus headaches.  Finally, my husband insisted that I go to a "sinus doctor".  That doctor sent me to an allergist.
Had numerous tests.  As a result , we found allergy to many things.  What was causing the sinus headaches was dairy and soy        (( and  if I eat too  many bananas within a short period of time (3 or 4  in 2 days) and  if I eat fresh apricots and fresh sweet red cherries at the same sitting)).
As long as I stay away from these things, I don't have headaches.  No more pizza, ice cream, yogurt, etc!!

My point is that if you haven't done so, you might try allergy testing.

Good luck