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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Reggie BoStar on March 29, 2007, at 0:06:49
I previously posted about starting a combo of Seroquel and Trileptal. I had to stop the Seroquel because even 12.5mg (quarter tab) was way too sedating.
Starting early Mon the Trileptal knocked me down. 3 migraines in a row over 2 days and nights. I have Maxalt-XT which kills the pain component, but the other ones stay put all day: nausea, trembling, unbelievable depression, warped thinking, chills, constant urination, needed a quiet dark room.
The "warped thinking" makes you believe that the migraine will never end, even though when you're not having one you know they're temporary. Although, after the second went away and the third started coming on, I wasn't so sure about that.
Last night I remembered that I felt the same way years ago when I went into the "serotonin syndrome" when my prozac dose was boosted too high. For some reason it took until then to figure out that the culprit was Trileptal. I screwed up and took my nighttime dose by accident along with my usual meds, and sure enough, I felt that crappy migraine mood for the next few hours.
I stopped taking it today and I'm starting to feel much better now. I'm still sick but I'm starting to eat again without getting nauseous or weak.
Hey folks, this really was pretty bad. Has anyone else been knocked flat on their backs for days like this on Trileptal, or any other Rx med at the low starter dose? My pdoc talked about doubling the dose in the next few weeks. I don't think so. If I had started at that dose I'd still be comatose.
Had to vent again. I'm getting really angry about this, even compared to what I have been in my other posts. It's one thing to have meds not work, or even make me feel a little down, but bedridden-sick should not be happening.
Maybe I'm naive. Or maybe not. My pdoc gets a call tomorrow. I wonder if he'll still be my pdoc on Fri.
Reggie BoStar
Posted by Phillipa on March 29, 2007, at 11:36:28
In reply to Trileptol disaster, posted by Reggie BoStar on March 29, 2007, at 0:06:49
Reggie how horrible. I feel for you. Can't imagine a headache that bad. So I guess you're off the trileptal for good. Love Phillipa ps please feel better
Posted by linkadge on March 29, 2007, at 12:14:15
In reply to Re: Trileptol disaster » Reggie BoStar, posted by Phillipa on March 29, 2007, at 11:36:28
If it makes you feel any better, I didn't have much sucess with trileptal either. I hated it.
Linkadge
Posted by Reggie BoStar on March 30, 2007, at 23:49:22
In reply to Re: Trileptol disaster » Reggie BoStar, posted by Phillipa on March 29, 2007, at 11:36:28
Hi Phillipa,
You're right, Trileptol is now blacklisted. I wouldn't dare even think about trying it again just to verify that was the cause.As I work my way out of all that, though, it's becoming more and more apparent that Trileptol did this to me. I haven't even told my pdoc about stopping it because I haven't been very functional during business hours yet. He's one of these pdocs who has no voicemail. Instead he takes messages that I dictate to one of the receptionists. I don't mind doing that with the regular staff during the day - what the heck, they all know me on a first name basis by now - I just don't want to give any detailed reports to an anonymous third-party "answering service" at night.
I'm still going off on tangents. As far as the migraines go, I've found out that there's a LOT more to them than the head pain.
I always knew about the nausea, photophobia, isolation, bizarre moods and so on. But these had always been so masked by the pain that they were inconsequential.
Now there are all these fantastic meds for the pain component. Most of them are in the "Tryptan" class, like Imitrex, Zomig, Maxalt (I think). There's also one called Axert that I have but haven't tried yet. I'm not sure how that's classified.
Anyway, these meds really do take care of the pain component, and fast! It takes as little as 15 minutes depending on the delivery system. Pills take the longest. The nasal sprays (like Imitrex) are next.
Suprisingly, the fastest one is Maxalt, which is dissolved on the tongue. There are Maxalt pills too, and they're not bad.
Anyway, with the pain gone everything else comes to the fore. They're awful in their own right, especially the bizarre moods. Even though I logically know about migraines, i.e. what they are, how they work, how long they last, etc, when I'm having one I become absolutely convinced that it's never going to end.
This is when the suicide thoughts start coming in. Fortunately all the other symptoms and moods make suicide only a dark fantasy and nothing more.
Strangest of all is that I still want to be in a dark, quiet room. I still tremble and sometimes feel numb in places. And I urinate like a fiend, even though my fluid intake (and all other intakes) are low.
So, they haven't quite perfected the "cure" yet. The best route is prevention, for which I take a mix of Neurontin and Gabitril, both GABA regulators.
Normally these work fine. In fact they have an EXCELLENT track record. This is why I'm so b*-blasted when something like Trileptol comes along and breaks everything.
Another long message. Gag. Now how are things with you? Any updates on the new pdoc, therapist, et al?
I was glad to hear that the pdoc is making some attempt to pick up the communication shortfall with your endo(?).
What was that other specialist you mentioned?
Anyway, I hope you're doing well.
And watch out for Trileptol!
Reggie BoStar
Posted by Reggie BoStar on March 30, 2007, at 23:52:01
In reply to Re: Trileptol disaster, posted by linkadge on March 29, 2007, at 12:14:15
Hi Linkadge,
Thanks for the input. As you can see from my later posts in this thread, the main reaction I had was a brutal resurgence of migraines.I've been off it for 2 or 3 days now (memory is foggy) and I'm finally getting up and around. I still cave in fast at night but that's OK. At least I'm getting out of the house and taking care of things (at my speed, anyway).
Take care,
Reggie BoStar
This is the end of the thread.
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