Jeff/nortritiline
Jeff, I also have had the same migraine for the past fifteen weeks. Out of that I had five migraine free days. I just got off of Nortriptiline about 3 months ago. I experienced extreme weight gain, kidney problems and a dry mouth that could not be quenched. I had to take a drink of water between every sentence just to be able to talk. The thirst problem is now gone, the weight is still here and also the kidney problems even after getting off the med although I did not have these problems until the nortriptiline. I am also on deprakote and tegretol for seizures. They have had little to no effect but also no problems except adding to the problem of weight gain. My neuro took me off of both of them today. As for memory problems, you are talking to the champ. It is so humiliating, especially when your mind was once so productive and active. I was a workaholic up until four years ago and now I can hardly function in my own home. My kids have really given me a hard time about my memory and this hurt greatly. Only recently have they come to understand. I forget whole days sometimes. It is horrible and I feel for you being out there with such a responsibility and having to explain it to your peers. You have great courage and hoorah for you! Best Wishes, Sandra
Jeff, I also have had the same migraine for the past fifteen weeks. Out of that I had five migraine free days. I just got off of Nortriptiline about 3 months ago. I experienced extreme weight gain, kidney problems and a dry mouth that could not be quenched. I had to take a drink of water between every sentence just to be able to talk. The thirst problem is now gone, the weight is still here and also the kidney problems even after getting off the med although I did not have these problems until the nortriptiline. I am also on deprakote and tegretol for seizures. They have had little to no effect but also no problems except adding to the problem of weight gain. My neuro took me off of both of them today. As for memory problems, you are talking to the champ. It is so humiliating, especially when your mind was once so productive and active. I was a workaholic up until four years ago and now I can hardly function in my own home. My kids have really given me a hard time about my memory and this hurt greatly. Only recently have they come to understand. I forget whole days sometimes. It is horrible and I feel for you being out there with such a responsibility and having to explain it to your peers. You have great courage and hoorah for you! Best Wishes, Sandra Hi Sandra, I'm not sure if I replied yet or not. I was away for two weeks and came home to a backlog of about 1200 e-mails and due to migraines, I haven't checked for new messages every day and I haven't replied to all of them, either. I first went on Nortriptyline at a rate of three 25 mg capsules a day, then four, then six. The headache clinic was shut down for quite some time due to the death of the doctor conducting it, but they have a new neuro now and he seems every bit as good as the previous one. He had some blood tests done and said that I should cut back to four per day again as the amount in my bloodstream was higher than necessary. The worst side effect for me is constipation. I'll omit the gory details but the only reason I tolerate it is that the Nortriptyline is *supposed* to be helping reduce my migraines. That said, I had a migraine last for exactly 17 weeks. It went away for a day and a half, and I've had it back for 2-1/2 weeks now. I was using Stadol at the rate of a bottle every three days. That was causing some memory problems but generally, if I stopped and thought hard enough, I could remember things. It's become very convenient for my wife to insist that she or I said or did somehting and that it's my fault I don't remember. In some cases, that's likely true, but I know damned well that in other cases, she's the one who doesn't remember. Even when I've been able to prove I was right, it makes no difference. She seems to think that as a result of my "memory problem", anything I say can either be discounted or even dismissed outright. Needless to say, this is not the sort of thing I need and is the source of some marital discord, to put it mildly. I've cut back my Stadol use to a bottle every 10 to 14 days, primarily due to financial reasons. We're both self-employed and we don't have a drug plan. The new neuro put me on Epival (aka Divalproex and Depakote) and all hell broke loose. I had severe hallucinations and would often lose all sense of balance. I wasn't getting dizzy, or lightheaded from standing up too quickly, or blacking out. When I fell over, I knew it was happening, I just couldn't do a thing about it. I'm off the stuff now, fortunately. The neuro says he's never encountered such a reaction before and that the literature says it's extremely rare. He had me taper off Sandomigran as I tapered onto the Epival. Presumably, he'll try something else as my daily "preventive". I also take Corgard daily, both as a migraine "preventive" and to deal with some heart arrythmia (which it almost eliminates). When a migraine starts, I take Voltaren Rapide and Metoclopramide. Most days, I need Stadol, too. I doubt I'd still be here without Stadol. I have a fairly high pain threshhold but some days, my migraines have been horrible. In October, I had my worst-ever. I threw up for five hours (and you know how much throwing up once during a migraine can hurt). I used eight doses of Stadol before there was finally a bit of improvement. I don't think I could face another night like that. I'm on a disbality pension as a result of the migraines. I do writing and photography for aviation magazines on the days when I'm able to do some work, but there's no way I can hold a regular job any more. Before the 17-week marathon began, I was getting 4 to 6 migraines a week. Most were 1- or 2-day events. As far as I can remember, I've had three 3-day migraines and one 7-day one. Having a 119-day migraine was quite an ordeal and I certainly hope the current one doesn't set a new record for me. Both the current and previous neuro said they're confident that they'll be able to find the right combination of meds to allow me to be employable again. The other helpful thing is that in men, migraines usually fade away in their late 40s. I'm almost 43, so I hope the end is coming into view. Sorry if I've gone on too long. It's nice to be able to talk about something with someone who knows about it first-hand. Cheers! Jeff