Migraines and Medication: Update

I know I've been updating about this constantly, but it's NaBloPoMo so give me a break, alright?

So, two weeks into the new Topomax regimen and I got my first real migraine today since I started that new drug. I thought I had a migraine last week, but then that headache didn't respond to migraine meds and I realized it was a sinus headache connected to my cold and it needed some elicit (had to beg the pharmacist and get my driver's license scanned to buy it) pseudoephedrine instead. But today's migraine was a doozy, with nice visual disturbances (the ceiling was covered with vibrating black spots) and pain like a knife in my skull.

But I was grateful. You might find that hard to believe, but you have no idea how long it's been since I've gone two whole weeks without a migraine. At least a year. Maybe two. This one responded nicely to meds and I felt pretty good for the rest of the day.

The other bizarre thing is that the appetite/weight loss side effect has finally appeared. Truthfully it doesn't feel like my appetite has been suppressed, but it does feel--for the first time in my life--like my stomach finally has a natural OFF button. I don't know how else to explain it. This must be how normal eaters feel; when they are full, they stop eating and push the plate away. This never happens to me. NEVER. Really. I always--always--have room for more.

Last night I opened a small snack bag of dark chocolate peanut M&Ms and ate one and realized I didn't really want them--so I put them away. Perhaps you didn't hear me; I PUT THEM THE FUCK AWAY. This doesn't happen to me!

Throughout my history with food, I have sometimes--with vigorous work and discipline and much self-denial--managed to eat only half of what's on my plate, or weigh and measure my meals, or refuse certain kinds of food (say, food with sugar or flour). But it has always--ALWAYS--been a huge, immense struggle. It's been painful and excruciating at the worst times, and a mere a pain in the ass at the best. It never becomes habit, it never becomes easy, and it always leads to misery and, eventually, failure.

And the pounds always come back.

But now, with this drug, my eating habits have just suddenly and easily changed; at first, I hardly even noticed (in fact, my habits had begun to change when I was still denying it). Now, my weight has dropped. I've lost 12 pounds. Now close your mouths and remember that this comes with migraines and don't get too excited. Plus, 12 pounds for someone my size is like a half pound for a normal weight person (OK, maybe a whole pound).

I don't know if this side effect will last, or if I will continue to need this medication. But for now, I am enjoying the freedom that I feel not being a slave to the food. It's just the oddest thing. It really is. Is this how the rest of you live?

Comments

[Amy in BC]

Have never been a slave to food. Foreign to me. As a teen I would get depressed and stop eating for days. (Healthy or normal? NO, of course not). But have never been a slave to food.

(Cigarettes on the other hand.... but on day 4 of an awesome quit!)

Glad to hear the medications have such a nice side effect for you, win-win!

[Melessa]

Hey, a pound is a pound no matter how many you have to lose. (I'm a WW drop-out, so I have no more words of wisdom than that.) I'm glad the migraine meds are working.

[BethanyWD]

I am so glad the meds are working for you - I've never had a migraine, so I can't IMAGINE the pain.

As for this "pleasant" side effect: I always digress that they can't seem to make a prescription drug (I least that I have ever taken) where "drowsiness" isn't one of the side effects. I would rather be tired and not dreppressed, I guess. Hurrah for a pleasant side effect!

[Natalee]

Awesome! Not about the migrane, of course, but the decrease in frequency along w/the positive side effects.

My experiment to stop eating the moment I no longer feel hungry, or at the first sign of fullness has thus far been a success in as far as I don't comfort eat or eat to the point of bursting. I haven't noticed any change in the way my clothes fit, so I don't think it's helping w/my actual weight yet, but I will perservere. Unfortunately, right now I have a horrendous cold, and I forgot how hungry I seem to get when I lose my sense of smell from being sick. For some reason, all I want to do is eat, and am especially craving the broccoli cheese rice my mom made for Thanksgiving. Thank goodness the leftovers are at her house, or I fear I would've eaten the entire bowl already!

[Eva]

I'm so glad it seems to be working for you--in more ways than one! 12 pounds is really impressive given that you haven't made any effort and it's been so short a time.

How much a slave to food I feel depends on my mood. If I get depressed or stressed then I suddenly find myself eating all kinds of crap, but if I'm not, then food isn't quite so compelling.

[Jenn]

So glad the migraine meds are working for you! I've had one migraine in my whole life -- just enough to know that I never want to have another, and to give me immense sympathy for those who suffer from them.

And I know what you mean about the weight loss. I recently managed to lose 15 pounds (we got a dog who I have to walk several times a day -- does great things for my daily exercise!), and nobody has noticed, mostly because I still have so much more to lose! It's annoying, but I can still be happy about those numbers on the scale, even if no one else knows.

[Melissa in TN]

I have had migraines worse than ever this fall. I am happy that the medicine is working for you. The weight loss is just an added bonus. Twelve pounds is something to be proud of; I'd be happy with 2 right now. Congratulations!

I am looking forward to more updates on this.

[Amie]

Nope, I'm like you, food is my lover and my enemy....the only time it's not is when I'm pregnant and that's only for the first trimester.

[liz]

Hooray for the migraine medicine working and having a pleasant side-effect!!!

[Felicia]

I tired that med. But it didn't work for me, much to my Dr annoyance. I am glad about the weight loss. I am depomax which makes me gain and is antiphychotic. Yeah. Imagine the look on my pharamist when he filled that one!! It is a good thing he knew it was for my migraine. Keep the updates coming. Sometimes I use the hotshower to help with my migraines. I shower with the water really hot and the lights off. I think it just calms me.

[Amanda]

That's exactly how I felt when I was on Phen-Fen. I just totally forgot about food. It was like taking a skinny-brain pill.

[grace413]

Lifelong slave to food here. About a year ago I started anti-depressants and suddenly my ever present appetite disappeared. I had exactly the same thought you had - this is how normal people feel.

Unfortunately, the side effect didn't last too long. On the bright side, I'm somewhat less depressed.

[Hetty_Fauxvert]

Maybe you already know this, but it's not clear from your post, so forgive me if I'm stating the obvious ... but migraines can cause digestive problems as well as all the other fun stuff. (I have a friend who is a martyr to migraines, and it wreaks havoc with her tummy.) Perhaps you have always had migraine-related stomach issues, and this new drug has simply fixed that long-standing problem?

In any case, I'm VERY happy for you that it seems a little more "normal" now! I hope that continues for you!!!

[Shauna]

I am glad the medication is helping the headaches! I had the same experience on my current anti-D. I just lost interest in eating when I wasn't hungry...stop when I'm full etc. Like I imagined normal (including my not overweight girlfriends) felt. Its awesome. The effect tapered a little bit, but its so much easier not to dive into food face first now:)

[Lily]

This was the best description of my eating attitudes. Ever. I always tuck in as if there was no tomorrow... until there's nothing left on the table, in the fridge or in my pantry. And the moment I'm on a diet I get a bottomless belly. It's disgusting, and I never find the stop-button.
I too have migraines sometimes, but by far not enough to be on any long-term medication, just about two times a year, I guess.
Perhaps they sell the side effects separately some day...

Have a nice, migraine free day, full of nice side effects.

Lily

[Lily]

This was the best description of my eating attitudes. Ever. I always tuck in as if there was no tomorrow... until there's nothing left on the table, in the fridge or in my pantry. And the moment I'm on a diet I get a bottomless belly. It's disgusting, and I never find the stop-button.
I too have migraines sometimes, but by far not enough to be on any long-term medication, just about two times a year, I guess.
Perhaps they sell the side effects separately some day...

Have a nice, migraine free day, full of nice side effects.

Lily

[alyssa]

i'm so glad the topomax is working and not making you insane (as it made me... i was so jazzed about the weight loss that i didn't pay attention to the fact that i was starting to become manic...)

do you drink any fizzy water/soda? and are you feeling the bubbles differently on your tongue? that's a weird side reaction.

[Amy]

Have you thought about trying something really radical when it comes to weight loss? I'm certainly no expert, and have been up and down for years. But my father-in-law gave me this book called The RAVE Diet and Lifestyle by Mike Anderson. It's a very short read with tons of recipes, but the basic concept is that the diet is so radical, but so healthful, that if you follow it for 3 weeks strictly, you'll change your tastes so you no longer want to eat the junk food. The thing is that it's very an extremely strict diet, but there is no limit on how much you can eat. It only limits what you can eat. I lost weight and felt full and comfortable on it. Of course, with the holidays I sort of fell off the wagon, but I'm back on in full force today! (Hopefully!)

Anyway, I've done weight watchers and tried every other diet, and this one seemed to help me and my binging tendencies because it allowed me to binge if I needed it. I just have to be more choosy about what I binge on.
You might think about picking it up at the library.

[Orange]

Hopped over here from Tertia's link today.

My cousin has been vexed by migraines for about a decade. She loved Topamax and lost so much weight on it, her obstructive sleep apnea disappeared. Alas, after she formed a kidney stone or two, she had to go off Topamax. She'd read online that people called it "Dopamax" because it dulled their thinking, but she never experienced that.

If you find that your assorted medications aren't preventing/treating migraines well enough, there's a research study going on across the U.S. now for an entirely different approach. Doctors had observed that some patients who'd had a patent foramen ovale or PFO (some sort of hole between chambers of the hearts or something along those lines) closed with a patch had far fewer migraines. My cousin's enrolling in one of the study groups. They do an echocardiogram while injecting some bubbles, and if they see bubbles passing through an open PFO, you may be eligible to participate. The active treatment is cardiac catheterization to put a patch over the hole. The thinking is--and I'm foggy on this--that when something pushes the PFO open (e.g., barometric pressure), suddenly a bunch of blood that hasn't been oxygenated travels to the brain and pisses it off, leading to a migraine. No guarantees in medical research, of course, but the eventual outcome may be that migraines that can't be managed successfully with medication can be treated with a PFO patch.

[Chickenpig]

I'm glad that you are getting a GOOD side effect from the meds :) And 12 lbs is still 12 lbs, sister, no matter what your size, it's better than gaining 12 lbs for sure!

I can only imagine what it's like to have a migraine like that. I have had very very bad sit in the dark headaches, but without the nausea and light effects that's all it is, a bad headache. I hope that from now on your migraines are fewer and easier to deal with.

[Barbara]

My migraines are controlled, mostly, with Butalbitol, but I was struck by your description of your hunger because it's the same for me. Always hungry. I stop when my stomach hurts, not when I am satisfied, because I am never satisfied.

[Kim]

Congrats on the weight loss! The "off" button thing with Topamax is so great. I am currently taking Glucophage for PCOS, and it just makes me feel sick all the time. Which has led to me losing 1 pound, but I'll take it, I guess.

I am happy your migraines are gone too! I love Topamax...I miss it...

[Cindi]

Woo the evil Topamax. I am so glad it works for some people. For me it caused me to stop breathing and my facial skin to hive up, scab, and peel off. It was not a good thing.

Maybe you can have my good side effects that I never got to have, and yours too!!!!

Be happy with it babe. Be happy with it.

Cindi

[Shannon O.]

There is a woman at my church that is on that and the side affect that is helping you lose weight is still working for her and she has been on it I think for 6 months or not more (sorry I can't remember they have tried a number of different meds with her and this is the only one that worked for her)... but still 12 pounds is rockin awesome girl!! Great job! Just sucks that you are on this because of the migraines...