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hey! so i've had migraines for sevenish years, roughly since puberty happened. they've gradually increased in frequency and severity, and i'm having issues doing life shit, as exertion often triggers them or makes them worse, and i'm consuming a fairly significant amount of excedrin daily (3-10 pills, which i feel like probs won't be healthy to continue indefinitely) to keep things to a dull roar. i'm getting twoish nasty migraines a week and then a constant unpleasant headache that threatens to turn into a migraine if i don't slow my roll/take more excedrin/nap. so i'm looking into meds to deal with migraines but i don't have much experience and am having trouble narrowing down what i'm looking for. my psych suggested daily trazodone but my current med cocktail already fucks with my energy and wakefulness and i have cfs so it'd be nice to take something a little less likely to knock me out. things that need to be considered: tried amitriptyline, ended up in the psych ward for serious mood issues, can't do ssri's, etc because they make me pretty impressively manic. tried maxalt, didn't do anything. need some suggestions on stuff that's unlikely to interact super badly with the current med cocktail that i can mention to my psych. thanks! current meds: latuda 40 mg lithium 1200 mg hydroxide 25 mg relevant dxes: bipolar 2 anxiety chronic fatigue syndrome migraines (lol)

Hello all, I have a brain question and am not sure just where to post it; please bear with me if I'm in the wrong group. I have a history of migraine, GAD, and had a true bout of depression several years ago. I'm on a low dose of Lamictal -75 mg per day as a mood stabilizer and for migraine prevention. My P-doc thinks my depression may have had some bipolar II features so we have stopped using ssri meds. Lamictal has been a good med for me overall; I have descent moods most of the time and the migraines are pretty much the same variety they've always been. My migraines are rarely very painful, but they do give me the sense of being very sluggish in my brain and a sort of "dish rag" like feeling when I get one. There is a pattern to them that I've learned to understand. Something recently happened that has concerned me, however. I had developed the early stages of migraine a couple mornings ago, nothing terrible. Later that evening, after attending a wedding, I was doing some mundane chores and was lost in thoughts about the wedding event. I was using a small scrub brush, but decided I needed a sponge. I looked in my bucket, happily found a familiar yellow and green sponge, and continued scrubbing. I was briefly interrupted for a few seconds, and when I went back to reach in the sink for my sponge there wasn't one. There was only the scrub brush. I searched everywhere and it slowly dawned on me that I had imagined reaching for the sponge...and using it. I immediately started getting a vague, mild migraine headache. I've never had a typical visual aura, I've never had psychosis, and I've not "heard things" that weren't real. This wasn't the sort of migraine aura people describe anyway. It was as if something very typical and mundane was invented inside my brain. I'm sorry to say, but I'm still keeping an eye out for the sponge. That's how real it felt. I also had a different sort of experience happen several weeks ago where I was looking for a particular mirror that I keep on a windowsill. It wasn't in its usual place and after stomping all over the house trying to find it, I looked again and it had been there on the windowsill the whole time. I kept trying to figure out how I didn't notice it when it was the exact thing I was trying to find, all by itself on the sill. I had looked but not seen. I don't know if these events are related to migraine, or if I may be developing a seizure disorder, or something even more sinister. My husband knew I was worried so he gave me a quick early Alzheimer's screening test he'd had at the clinic. I passed easily with 100% accuracy, for what that's worth. 'My questions are-- is it plausible to have this sort of thing happen in a normal brain on occasion? Do any of these experiences sound like some sort of seizure? Is it possible that my thinking I was seeing and using the sponge was part of a migraine? Could a person invent that sort of thing if they were really deep in other thoughts? Im seeing my P-doc about this in a few days. I'd really appreciate input however...I'm sort of worried. Thankyou, I'll let you know if I find my sponge.

I don't want to step on any toes, or say that you should do this or that, but I went from 14 years of chronic migraines (15+/month) to now only one a month. This is my story. I got my first one in kindergarten. It was unbearable. I laid in a dark room in tears, begging for relief. This never stopped. I got one every other day for 14 years. I missed so much school I had to place special request forms to repeal my absences other wise I'd be kicked out. I slept for my entire elementary and junior high years. When I was awake and out of pain I'd only do school work. I managed to keep an A average, something I know many aren't lucky enough to have. I didn't have friends. It was sleep and school. I went to doctor after doctor after doctor, no one had an answer. My brain scans all came back clean. I was hypersensitive to drugs and with every one I was prescribed I endured every symptom alongside. I tried alternative medicine, I tried voodoo (kinda joking, but honestly some of the crap I did may as well be), I tried every pinterest suggestion, I tried every kind of therapy, aroma, oils, cleanses, I tried everything. I held out on going to the ER. My parents aren't well off and each trip was a kick in our bank accounts special parts. In 2015 I had a three month period from hell. Every day I was in pain. Every. Day. I lived in a dark room, black paper taped to the windows and extra thick black curtains cover those. I had my own mini freezer filled with ice packs and empty bottles of excedrin and ibuprofen (three excedrin and four ibuprofen were my friends) scattered everywhere. I dropped most of my college classes except for the online ones and those who didn't take attendance. (I was 21 at this point). After three weeks straight of a migraine, no break, I couldn't take it. I had been in my room drifting in and out of sleep and agonizing hours of being awake for three weeks. I didn't go to school, I didn't leave my room except to use the bathroom and take hot baths in the middle of the night. It was hell. I finally had a mental break down and stumbled into my parents room balling. I laid in their bed as my mom held me, rubbing my temples and whispering to my dad. They finally made the call and rushed me to the ER. It was a clean bill, of course, but the doctor hooked me up to an IV and I got my very first migraine cocktail. After three weeks I finally felt nothing. The next morning the migraines returned and continued three days in a row for the next two months. I had a new doctor who was very attentive and sweet, she gave me a list of options to try to combat it. My body rejected it all. Finally my mom called her doctor. She had been getting hormone pellets to make up the lack of estrogen in her body from her hysterectomy. An appointment was made and my road to relief was paved. Before my appointment my doctor had my hormones tested. I was perfect. In every aspect I was completely healthy. She sat down with me and reviewed my history, what I had tried, what never worked. She then proposed an experiment for me to try. She'd give me 6mg dose of estrogen, a pellet that she'd slit into a cut on my hip, and my body would feed off of it for the next three months. Every three months I'd be required to get another dose. She said that by doing so, I'd get constant level of estrogen, my hormones would no longer fluctuate and my body would no longer be triggered from the ups and downs. Three months of straight pain, a day or two of relief in between, I signed right up. She cut a slit into my side, slipped it in, covered it with a bandaid and sent me on my way. Immediately I went from a migraine every day, to once a week. From there it only got better. By the three month period I was down to once a month. Unfortunately that wasn't permanent for me. Within the next six months stress from school and family issues (ER visits aren't cheap, and we didn't have the money to get me another pellet), I was back to every other day. It got to be too much for me so I left. I moved across the country into a new, stress free environment and I'm fine now. It's been 18 months. I get one migraine every month, right before my period. The hormone pellet helped me as I was stuck in a stressful situation. I've been mostly migraine free for 18 months because I'm in a happier place, I don't have pressure of family and I'm in an entirely new environment. I'm a big believer that air pressure and stress has a lot to do with why I was in pain for so long. Anyway that's my tale. From 14 years of hell to one a month triggered by hormones, I'll take that anyday. Hang in there, I know it hurts. Believe me, I know it hurts. This isn't forever.

Hello! I've been on Trintellix for 10 weeks now. Started at 5mg for 1 week, then 10mg for 4 weeks. Bumped up to 20mg for 2 weeks but the headaches were so bad that I went back down to 10mg since then. As per PDOC - Wanting to increase dosage back to 20mg and then slowly to 30mg in hopes of getting anxiety under control. Do the headaches ever go away? If I know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel I think I can knuckle through the rough part. Headaches (migraine quality) are my only side effect. No nausea.

Hey All, I'm newly diagnosed with what my pshychiatrist put to me as "mild bipolar", whatever the hell that means, but I've had depression and severe anxiety disorder for years. I've been taking 300mg wellbutrin for my anxiety for a few years now, and I've been on 200mg Topamax for chronic migraines for almost 4 years. My new Psychiatrist just added Lamictal to my regimen today to try to aid with my mood swings. Has anyone been on this combo before? And Did it help? just looking for info on what I might be expecting. Thanks ?

Well I posted a couple of weeks ago that my doctor was looking into a possible diagnosis between seizures, narcolepsy, and migraines. I am still waiting to see how that goes. Wednesday I had my consult with the sleep clinic which flagged me a lot for narcolepsy, which may or may not be relevant as I know these intermesh a lot with each other. I have continued logging all of my seizure like episodes since I've noticed that they were more than just typical chills. If I knew how to link that post I would .The gist is for those who have not read it is it a chill like feeling in the back of my Neck, head and shoulders. My eyes would roll back and eye lids would flutter. Started out lasting roughly 2-3 seconds then progressed over time to 3-5 seconds. There was a cold shiver included with the eye roll and my head would snap backwards. As time passed by symptoms slowly progressed. Some nights I would have 5 or 6 back to back, mainly if I were in a vehicle that had wind and ac sometimes none. Seems to be triggered by wind and cool/cold air. I cannot induce it nor does it happen all the time. Afterwards, I am sometimes sick or have aa headache, but I am always sleepy for the rest of the day. I have continued to maintain awareness. In the last week or so my arms have begun to jerk upwards during these 'episodes' and shake a touch. Not long. Like I said they only last a couple of seconds. Now...the newest thing that would freak me out if I were not on an awesome bipolar regimen that squashes my anxiety..... Yesterday I had an epidose. The heat index was about 100 degrees and I was sitting in front of a huge fan trying to stay cool. Hair was pulled up. Next thing I knew my arms, shoulders, neck, and head tensed and jerked. My head snapped back. Eyes rolled. Lids fluttered. I can't remember if I felt the usual cold shiver or not because when my arms jerked upwards I felt a warm tingle that felt like electricity [best way I can describe it] go all the way to my finger tips of both arms. It matched perfectly. It was not painful like neuropathy, not pins and needles, just a warm electrical tingly feeling if that makes sense... I don't know how else to describe it. It started and stopped with the episode. Does anyone have any ideas on this???

I've had migraines since I was about 6 years old. When I was 12 I was prescribed sumatriptan and I feel like it's been a miracle drug for me. However, more recently I've had migraines more frequently (once or twice a week), and sometimes the sumatriptan isn't helping as much as it used too. I went to the ER once a few months ago because I had a migraine so bad I felt like I was actually going to die. I'm prescribed the highest possible dose (100mg). I'm thinking of opting for some sort of treatment that would reduce the frequency of my migraines. I know of some of them I wanted to know if anyone has personally tried preventive treatments, and how they worked and how effective they are.

Hey guys, Just joined CB, seems like like a community with some respectable feedback. So,hello. Issue at hand: Around the clock jaw tension and headaches Prescribed: 2x15 mg IR Adderall 1x morning // 1x late-afternoon 30 mg XR Adderall 1x with 15 mg IR in morn 2 MG Clonazepam 1 MG Xanax Fioricet The pain in my jaw is located just below my lobes, closer to my temple than my rear neck, but still the jaw. I clench, I crack, rub, warm cloths, but still solution that ends with relief. Went to my GP and was prescribed Fioricet but have not recognized any significant relief. The only relief is on heavy benz dosages. I'm taking Magnesium supplements and my last option it seems is the mouthguard. Any suggestions? Experiences?

A month ago, I began to have symptoms of lithium toxicity after eight years of relative stability. In the subsequent batch of bloodwork, my TSH was found to be too high, suggesting a dx of hypothyroidism, for which I was promptly prescribed Synthroid. My start-up side effects on Synthroid were dramatic, taking me to a manic state, with insomnia, and severe appetite suppression (lost 10 pounds in 1 week), and yielding an ecstatic plan to save the world in a series of disjointed, delusional essays. I saw my GP as I had developed a goiter, which likely resulted from the overtaxation of my thyroid. It was also discovered at that time, and confirmed with an EKG, that my heart rate was too low (which perhaps explains the unproductive fog I'd been in at work all week). My GP deemed my migraine prevention medication, a beta-blocker called Nadolol, the cause and promptly discontinued my use, which took me to a lovely place of at least one migraine a day after a relatively pain-free year. She didn't increase my Imitrex to compensate, so pain. Without proper migraine treatment, I find myself relying on over-the-counter pain medications in amounts far exceeding recommended doses, so that I can have just enough relief to fulfill a shadow of my resopnsibilities. She re-ordered a lithium level, as apparently it is known to interact with Synthroid. The critically high result came in later that Friday evening, though no one actually contacted me about it until after the weekend. Thankfully, my local laboratory allows me to see my results online, so I took myself off of the lithium, as otherwise the toxicity would have only continued to increase. The lithium had also affected my kidney function, depressing my glomerular filtration rate (GFR) to stage three chronic kidney disease levels. My psychiatrist told me I could not resume my lithium until my kidney function returned to normal, which fortunately it has. (She believes the thyroid damage is permanent, which isn't terribly worrying as Synthroid seems to be a rather effective replacement.) An ultrasound of the thyroid was inconclusive. A radiologist astutely confirmed that the gland was enlarged, which is also visible with the naked eye, that blood flow to the region was increased, which is slightly worrying as it suggests to me the possibility of increased cellular mass, and also said the result was consonant with Graves' disease, which doesn't make sense as Graves is essentially hyperthyroidism and a TSH of over 85 is most definiately indicates hypothyroidism. Some MA or other clinical support person called to say that they were in receipt of my ultrasound result but gave no indication as to what the result actually was, and I had to go to the hospital medical records department to obtain the result, as their online results system didn't seem to be working properly. It is not clear what my psychiatrist intended me to do without any mood stabilization medication. Of course I went into a deep depression. I missed several days of work. I used an antidepressant in the safety-net sort of way I've long used it, an off-label method which I will not propagate here, but which I credit with saving my life many times. Unfortunatley, it has a rather ugly rebound which doesn't aid overall stability. My psychiatrist had sent in standing orders for labwork, which apparently I can avail myself of at will. So once I'd obtained results that my renal function had returned to normal--textbook normal, which is excellent as there doesn't seem to be any lasting kidney damage, I restarted myself on lithium at the lowest possible dose. After several days on that dose, I had myself retested, and as kidney function remained normal, I have gone to the second lowest possible dose and will retest before my doctor's appointment next week. Meanwhile, I have heard from neither my GP's nor my psychiatrist's offices regarding either lab results or treatment plans. ("How's your mood been with the lithium withdrawal? Let's talk about how we're going to deal with your bipolar symptoms while you're not on your mood stabilizer." "We realize that in taking your migraine prevention medication away, you're probably going to experience a rebound in migraines. Let's talk about a healthy way to manage that pain." "Way to go! Your kidney function is normal. You can now resume lithium at dosage x.") What am I paying them for?! What do patients do who aren't able to what I'm doing? It does not seem an extravagant expectation that they should be able to manage care in the areas for which they have been trained. And what, exactly, has that training prepared them for? Lobbing anti-psychotics and mood stabilizers like grenades at our symptoms until something hits the mark, but in rapid fire succession, so that start-up and withdrawal effects overlap, and resulting changes in symptoms are overdetermined, and thus it isn't entirely clear whether a positive result is brought about by medication A, medication B, or some interaction of the two. I lost a job during a period of such medieval science. To them we may just be charts, problems to be solved, but whether I am stable determines whether I can continue my education this Fall, whether I will be able to keep the job which provides my healthcare and funds my education. My goal, above all else, with my mental illness treatment, is to regain the highest level of function possible, so that my life can be more than suicide defense and a perpetual need for pharmaceutical smoke and mirrors to mask my symptoms, not just in public, but around those most near and dear as well. I want to use my experience of pain and powerlessness to ameliorate and eliminate suffering in others. But to do this, I need my brain. I find it rather absurd that I should be expected to repair my own diseased organ with that same diseased organ, but so it seems.

Source: https://justgetflux.com/ It claims it automatically adjusts your computer screen to the time of day according to your location (and it does). However after downloading it and playing with the settings, I found it has the ability for manual control so you can change it to warmer or cooler colors per your own eyes. Most of their research and links about light (and their entire sell point) are about sleep and circadian rhythms, but I posted it here because it has helped me with eye strain and phtotosensitvity/photophobia of the computer screen and my neurological craziness. I am extremely photosensitive during my Migraines and my Seizures have a definite Photosensitive trigger; so I was very excited to find this. I am mostly hoping for not having to pry myself away from the computer at 2AM because my brain feels electrified while seeing spots, flashing colors, and zigzags - just to lay in bed for 4 hours staring at pure blackness and nonexistent colors. And also - it's free. So bonus. I'd just thought I'd share my find (: ETA If this topic needs to be moved, it won't bother me one bit. It's a link about software - specifically sold for sleep/circadian rhythm - successfully used by the poster for Temporal Lobe Weirdness (which apparently is not an actual board topic LOL) - posted in the Migraine Board.

Sorry so long. I'm just really frustrated here So, I have migraines and I've been prescribed Imitrex for about a year and a half now. I am also on Prozac. I don't think I was on Prozac at the time I was originally prescribed the Imitrex. I've been on Prozac in the past, though it was before I was ever really diagnosed with migraines. So, I'm Bipolar-I and I've been having a really hard time coming out of a recent depressive episode. I told my pdoc that Prozac has helped me before, and while she was originally hesitant, she finally gave me some, first 10mg and now up to 20mg. The other day, the pharmacist asked me if I was taking the Imitrex and the Prozac and I said yes and he told me not to, that it can cause seizures and serotonin syndrome. Well, I am shocked and dismayed. I had no idea, and I've been taking them both. I looked it up, and sure enough, Triptans (such as Imitrex) act on serotonin in the brain, so taking SSRIs with them can basically poison you with serotonin. I'm already on anticonvulsants (Lamictal and Trileptal), for my Bipolar that I are also sometimes used for prevention of migraines. I have a little less migraines, but I still get them. So, I need to call my neurologist and see if there's anything else that can help me. Has anyone here actually taken Triptans with SSRis, or am I really basically shit out of luck on this one? I certainly don't want to get serotonin syndrome. But I tried looking up what else can help me with my migraines and I didn't find too much, aside from something called Midrin. I also saw that beta blockers or calcium channel blockers "might" be preventative. I often take store brand Aleve to try and help my migraines before they get worse, but it doesn't usually do anything. And I don't thing plain old pain killers are going to help me with my nausea and cognitively impaired feeling. The fuzzy feeling I get is very bothersome, especially while I'm at work. Imitrex clears it right up usually, and I become functional again. Also, has anyone per chance had any luck with any other migraines medications that don't act on serotonin? I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place here. Don't know if I should get rid of the Prozac and ask for Wellbutrin instead. All I know is I need both an anti depressant and something to abortively treat my migraines, as I'm already on things that slightly prevent them. Again, sorry this was so long.

I've suffered from chronic migraine my entire adult life and the little buggers are resistant to most medications for some reason (or I end up have an adverse reaction to the meds). When they are bad, they are really bad with an average of 21 - 25 migraines per month; or in sort I have more migraine days than not. Earlier last year we finally found a routine that at least worked well enough and it brought my migraines down to the 14 - 15 range which while still a lot, was a godsend from before. We did have to tweak the dosages over time, but that was about the best it was going to get. Then my mental health went down the crapper (living with constant chronic pain tends to do that right?) and we've been doing nothing but adding, removing, adjusting, etc. psych meds over the past year. For some reason my body really doesn't like it when we mess with my brain chemistry and now my migraine medication routine is no longer working and my migraines are back up over the 20+ range and worse than ever... Really can't think of any questions per say, just needed to vent more than anything...

Hello there! Allow myself to introduce... myself. I am the 31 year old mother to a 16 month old, light-of-my-life, cute-as-a-button son. I'm currently in the midst of a separation and divorce from my husband. I have a fairly complex story, so let us begin at the beginning, shall we? I can remember being anxious as young as age four. I was formally diagnosed in my early teens with Clinical Depression and have undergone various forms of therapy and medicinal therapy throughout my teenage and adult life, off and on. Let's just say that I'm a mental disorder veteran! I used food as comfort. I then underwent bariatric surgery in 2007. As I lost the weight, my anxieties only increased to the point that it became intolerable. Not only was I having panic attacks, but I was experiencing excrutiating headaches, cluster migraines, neck, back, and shoulder pain. I ended up leaving my country (the U.S.) in the meantime and moving to Canada to be with my then-online boyfriend. I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder in 2007 and moved to Canada in spring 2008. I underwent treatment for anxiety and eventually my diagnoses grew: agoraphobia, ADHD combined subtype, and social anxiety were added to my list. We married in the spring of 2009 and I became a permanent resident in 2010. I was well-managed at this point. By the time I decided to conceive a child, I was in the best place mentally that I'd ever been. When my son was born in the spring of 2012, I experienced severe Post-Partum-Anxiety in addition to the Baby Blues. I was obsessed with SIDS and developed insomnia. My husband was not much of a help. He retreated further into his computer addiction -- through which he had had an internet affair whilst I was pregnant in months 6-8 - and was playing 8-12 hours daily following working all day. It was then that I began to think about leaving him. I entered into counseling again. Readjusted medications. Joined support groups. Entered into some marital counseling. Things got a bit better as our son grew into a toddler; but they were never the same between us again. He would ease off the computer addiction slightly, then relapse. And he sees nothing wrong with it. It got worse and worse to the point that when I finally read a marriage book just a little over a month ago, I realized that I was finished. He had drained any romantic love left for him that I had had. I moved out to my best friend's house with her family for a few weeks and then found a basement apartment. Things have been immensely difficult, especially because my family is still in the US and I work full-time for his mother (at least until March). In the meantime, an old friend and supporter that I'd met through another anxiety support site years ago admitted his feelings for me. We developed a relationship after the separation (I know this has only been a short time) and he plans to leave his country to move here to be with us. He was an amazing friend and support; and now he's even moreso. We have a very special bond. But I am still in the stages of grief over losing the home I've made here and homesick for my family of origin. Things are chaotic. I haven't worked full-time in several years, and it's been a huge adjustment. My anxiety has relapsed due to the "acute stress" (thanks, doc) and so half the time I feel like I'm drowning and grasping for every rock, every branch, to slow myself down. My soon-to-be-ex husband is amicable, so long as we don't get into the financial details. He doesn't see his son as much as he should so far, then wonders why our baby cries when I leave the room. It's immensely painful and stressful and right now I feel like I have no base of comfort. So that's where I am right now. I alternate between recovery and relapse. I think it will always be a battle to stay afloat; but even for a "healthy" person, this would be a tremendous challenge. It's nice to meet you all and I hope to be able to speak to some of you through the chat support. Best Wishes, "Crimmy"