I started taking Nort on October 5th, 2010. I started at 25 mg for about 4 weeks, then up to 50 mg. In early December I decided to abort the Nortriptyline cause I wasn’t feeling any better that I could tell. So My doc had me take 50 mg every other day for a week to wean me off. I remember my last dose was gonna be on a Monday. Well on the Sunday before that Monday, I actually felt 100% normal. I couldn’t believe it. So I was thinking, did the Nortryptyline just start taking effect? After 8 or 9 weeks? Then I thought, no way cause I’ve only been taking half the dosage for about a week now, it can’t be the Nortryptyline. So I took my last dose on Monday. I felt 100% normal until that Thursday. Well It all came back and kind of hit me like a wave Thursday evening. I was so pissed off, I couldn’t believe it. I thought I was actually getting better on my own. But now I wonder if Nortryptyline was the answer for me? The question I have to ask is: has anyone ever heard of a drug to start working even after you’ve cut your dosage in half? Is that even possible? Should I have kept on with the Nortryptyline? I had no problems with it, I just didn’t think it was working. Should I go back on it? I’m just a little confused at what to do at the moment. I’m not taking anything right now. Just jogging 30-40 minutes 4 days a week. I’ve been doing that for about a week and a half in hopes that I can jog myself back to normal. I’m not sure if it’s gonna work though. But maybe after 2 months I suppose it could. I don’t know. Any suggestions would be great!
How long did you have symptoms before starting nort? I would say it was def helping, as you felt normal for that period of time? The same thing happened to me when I quit lexapro… I felt great/normal foe a few days after… Then the shit hit the fan… Not sure why. I’m seeing a dr tmrw and I’ll try to remember to ask him.
Kelley
Beatles,
This is a strange phenomenon that I have experienced myself! I’ll wean myself off af an SSRI and suddenly I hit this patch that feels amazing but is short-lived. During the good patch you could swear you’ve beaten this thing, that you’ve finally won the battle and then it comes crashing back.
On the other hand, maybe a smaller dose is all you need to keep this thing in check? I’d probably revisit Nori again to see what was going on.
Scott
It’s a Big Pharma plot to keep you hooked on their drugs. 
Scott,
that’s what I’m thinking. I might go back on it. Do you know if I can jog while I’m taking any of these migraine meds?? I like to do some vigerous jogging at times cause I like the overall feeling I get from it day in and day out. But a little nervous about jogging hard while on any meds. Could I have a heart attack or faint or something like that? Also I’ve been doing a little online research on the difference between jogging and antidepressants and have found that jogging can be just as effective if not better for you overall for all of the the brain chemicals. Also promotes new nerve cells. you just have to be consistant. Problem is, when us migrainers do physical exercise, it tends to send us in kind of dizzy tailspin. But I wonder if 2 or 3 months of consistant jogging and putting up with the extra dizziness it causes for a few weeks, will one day I sit down and think, man I wish I would tried this a year ago cause I don’t get dizzy at all no more and jogging worked. Just a thought.
Victoria- if the pharm plot plan makes me symptom free and normal again, then I got no problem playing there little game. Hell I’ll even be captain on one of their teams. :lol:
I am trying that now. I have been exercising every day with much more dizziness every time, but I want to see if my body will get used to it, so far not so good but we’ll see…
jolivew,
how long have you been running? Do you run in the morning, afternoon or evening?
I have been exercising for about 2 weeks each morning! Hopefully it will calm down soon. But right now it is setting off my dizziness big time!
joliview,
I’ve been jogging at about 6 p.m. Also for about 2 weeks now. About 4 times a week for 30 to 40 minutes each time. The dizziness is worse when I’m done jogging, although after I get done, I’m able to sit around and allow it to calm down. I’m wondering if I keep jogging I’ll eventually get in better shape and maybe it won’t be so bad… Maybe after a few more weeks, we’ll notice the general dizziness start to go away. It’s possible. I figure if I’m gonna go on medication, you have to give it at least 2-3 months to see if it’s working or not… Why not give the exercising the same trial. It only makes sense to me. Cause if the exercise can work, I’d rather keep doing it. Even though I get more dizzy when I’m exercising, I do feel better overall. But the dizzi’s are still there at the moment.
it took awhile for this med to really work for me…but it ended up working really well. I worked out just about every day and nothing happened to me…i was never warned against it either.
thanks Amy, that’s good to know. How are your symptoms now. Are you pretty much back to normal? Does the nori work for you all the time, or do you have days where your dizziness is bad?
Well then I guess I will keep trying the exercise even though I know it is a BIG trigger for me. I will keep you updated!
I had to go off the nort do to extreme weight gain after 10 months on it. I could definitely feel the difference. I get motion sick from time to time now, but it seems to be fading back to normal. The nort worked perfectly for me unless I was under extreme stress. I have to say, it seems to work for an awful lot of people on this forum.
My symptoms are minimal now, but I have always had periods of waxing and waning with MAV. I also stick to the diet pretty hard core now that I am not on any meds.
joliview,
yea, keep me posted as I will too.
Amy,
Well I’m glad that it worked for you. If it weren’t for the weight gain you’d probably still be on it right? I have heard that’s a pretty common complaint.
I was wondering why that was the first drug of choice for MAV patients at U of M. Now that you tell me it works for a lot of people… It must have a pretty good track record for this illness…Thanks
The exercise thing is what’s kicking me in the rear…pun totally intended…right now. Any form of cardio makes my dizziness so much worse and in many cases ruins the rest of my day. This is a total bummer because running was always my favorite form of stress relieve and exercise. Now, I’m struggling with extra pounds and trying to find something my body can handle. Everyone keeps telling me yoga, but I don’t think they get that standing or kneeling on my head makes me feel awful… @beatles909