Hi everybody, hope you’re doing well (in the parameters of our rocky/spinning world)
Tomorrow is my next appt with my Neuro and I want to be a little more prepare to ask or discuss medications, I’m on my second shot of 70mg of aimovig and I haven’t felt much difference and I know he’s going to recommend trying the 140mg dose but since this is the first time I’m going to talk about MAV with him I think and feel I need to try something else but here’s where I’m a little confused, do medications like nortriptyline, amitriptyline, Effexor & trokendi only work when there’s actual migraine/pain present or do they still work (when they do) for the dizziness part even when there’s no pain?
I ask this because yes I do have migraines, but in my case they happen in clusters of 3-5 days in a month (when they happen) and then I’m without pain, February and abril were bad went it came to those headaches but most of the time my migraines are very responsive to imitrex and as soon as I take one I feel better and go on with my day.
So will those meds mentioned above still work even when you are not having that many migraine headaches?
Hi Diane
I didn’t ever have what you would call typical migraine - I never had a pulsing or throbbing headache that lasted a number of hours and then disappeared, i couldn’t ever point to a spot on my head and say exactly where the pain was. Instead I have a constant pressure in my whole head, it’s not throbbing or pulsing it’s just a pressure as if my head has been inflated, it makes me feel like I am not really present like detached from the world, as if I am underwater. Along with that has been the constant 24/7 dizziness, off balance, disequilibrium - it’s not spinning or vertigo it’s like I am drunk. I am now on 75mg Effexor/Venlafaxine EXTENDED RELEASE - I started in mid March at 12.5mg and increased each week and I have seen an improvement in the CONSTANT dizziness but the head pressure remains albeit at a lower level. If I go out walking outdoors or moving around in artificial light the dizziness still escalates but other than that the dizziness is very much reduced - I am hopeful that as I increase further on my meds that I will see further improvement.
So to answer your question Venlafaxine extended release has helped my dizziness and reduced my head pressure.
Best of luck
Mav
Thank you @Mav for always replying so quick I like you uppercased the extended release part. As a person that’s very sensitive to medications side effects and gets most of them every single time I’ll make sure to always ask for the extended release versions if posible.
‘Migraine preventatives’ are rather inaccurately named really. Theory is they should control all symptoms arising from the condition. You have to take them every day irrespective but that’s the theory. I don’t experience the typical headaches but I do get rear head pressure but my main symptoms were extended vertigo attacks lasting days, photophobia and chronic 24/7 dizziness for which I have taken Propranolol for over three years now and counting. It now controls most all of those symptoms. I’m sure symptoms would return if I stopped taking the medication. Hope this answers your question.
No point trying to second guess what the consultant will tell you to do but you may find some useful information in this article. It looks as if three months is considered fair trial and most then like to try the higher dose. Most preventatives take time (months) to start working whether they are oral or injectable. Helen
I like you uppercased the extended release part. As a person that’s very sensitive to medications side effects and gets most of them every single time I’ll make sure to always ask for the extended release versions if posible.