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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Is The Medication For Migraines ?

I am on Topamax for migraine prevention but it isn t helping that much. When the dose is increased, it causes a lot of paresthesias. I have tried so many other meds for headaches but nothing really helps. I get migraines probably 3 times a week and they really impact my life. They cause a lot of neck phttp://www.healthcaremagic.com/web/images/ui/consultNew.pngain. I just don t know what else to do. There are no headache specialty clinics near where I live. I don t overuse abortive meds or OTC meds so rebound is not the issue. I am about 40 lbs overweight and I know headaches worsen in overweight people. I am working on this but weight loss is difficult for me as exercise brings on headaches sometimes for me. Any recommendations?
Mon, 9 Mar 2015
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Neurologist,  's  Response
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.

There are several drugs for migraine prevention. It would have been helpful if you mentioned what else had you tried so that I don't just repeat them. However the most used ones apart from topiramate are propranolol, valproic acid, amitriptyline, flunarizine, verapamil, gabapentin. There's also methysergide but its use is limited by potential side effects, shouldn't be used for long periods of time.
If you have tried all these there's other options like botulinum toxin (botox) injections or recently transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) devices, but I wonder if these options are available where you live.
Of course I assume you're told about importance of headache diaries to identify potential migraine triggers and avoid them.

I hope to have been of help.
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What Is The Medication For Migraines ?

I read your question carefully and I understand your concern. There are several drugs for migraine prevention. It would have been helpful if you mentioned what else had you tried so that I don t just repeat them. However the most used ones apart from topiramate are propranolol, valproic acid, amitriptyline, flunarizine, verapamil, gabapentin. There s also methysergide but its use is limited by potential side effects, shouldn t be used for long periods of time. If you have tried all these there s other options like botulinum toxin (botox) injections or recently transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) devices, but I wonder if these options are available where you live. Of course I assume you re told about importance of headache diaries to identify potential migraine triggers and avoid them. I hope to have been of help.