I have been taking pizotifen for three months now, still no change. I get migraines everyday (3-4 episodes), and gaining weight by the second. I'm taking Maxalt (Rizatriptan), but nothing seems to make them go away. I have an MRI scan next month....
View 1 RepliesI have had migraines since i was 12 (I'm almost 28 now) and over the years they have become increasingly frequent. It got to the stage where i was having 4-5 severe ones a week. I'm a medical student so this was REALLY getting in the way of life and i just used to wander round in a painkiller induced daze or be forced to collapse in bed.
A few weeks ago I came to the end of my tether. despite being on beta blockers and antidepressants and armed with seriously strong painkillers and all sorts of things like sumatriptan i was still completely incapacitated with a 4 day migraine. So i took the plunge and tried the pizotifen 1.5mg given by by GP.
Three days went by with no migraine... then a small migraine then another 4 day whopper probably more severe than before which knocked me out cold for the whole weekend and beyond. I've been on the pizotifen for 2 weeks now and low and behold today - another migraine.
I am amazed and horrified to find that this drug is still being handed out to people with out proper supervision and advice. My husband was prescribed the drug a few years ago by his G.P. as his migraines had become more frequent, due to stress at work etc. He changed from someone who had little trouble getting up for work to a groggy, bleary eyed creature. Over the next 12 months he became increasingly belligerent, aggressive and unbearable to be around. He also experienced almost permanent numbness down his left side, like a mini stroke. I was just at the point of leaving this dark, brooding monster who was the antithesis of the funny, loving, intelligent man I married, when it occurred to me that this personality shift had taken place since he'd been taking this drug. Having picked one of his better moments to talk about this, he decided to stop taking the drug to see what happened. Within 24 hours my beloved husband was back. I got hold of the drugs and the information leaflet contained within it and realised that almost every side effect listed applied to my husband. Having been back to the G.P. together to discuss the effect this dreadful stuff had, she thought he should still take it and take anti-depressants as well, no thank you.
I had always suspected that many of his migraines were triggered by low blood sugar, no breakfast, missing lunch etc. and now he has adopted regular eating patterns in combination with the herbal remedy Feverfew he has only had two migraines in the last year. We were told subsequently by yet another G.P. at the practice that Pizotifen is only supposed to be prescribed for people with debilitating serotonin triggered migraines, that it is a drug of last resort for people who cannot function on a daily basis due to persistent attacks. He also pointed out that not only should it never been given to someone with the level and type of migraine he had, but also as he drives to work every day he should never have been prescribed this drug as it renders you unfit to drive or operate machinery, which the original G.P. should have known but never mentioned. . Thank goodness he didn't come to harm or cause any!!! We recently came across a couple pulling their hair out over their migraine suffering teenage son. He has recently been prescribed Pizotifen and has become so awful that they were considering throwing him out. We couldn't believe that it was happening to someone else and hence I searched out this site. It is a serotonin inhibitor. So unless you have migraines every day and you can't have any kind of life because of them find another treatment. Believe me when I say don't take this drug, not if you love your family.
I have only been taking 3mg for a couple of weeks, but the benefits are huge so far. I suffer from a continuous migrainous headache with regular migraine attacks, but atm I am totally headache free.
This past week I have noticed that my sex drive has increased, much to my husbands delight. I think this is probably because I am feeling so well and full of energy. But I also wonder if this is a possible side effect of the drug?
Has anyone else felt that Pizotifen has affected their sex drive?
I was taking Sandomigrain for 10 plus years (0.5mg per day – I could not increase the dose as it made me too drowsy to function) and decided to slowly wean myself off as I was still having fairly regularly occurring Migraines that included visual and stomach symptoms. Over a period of a year I slowly cut down the 1/2 a tab in size and frequency till finally in December I was Sandomigran free. For the first 3 - 4 months everything was great, I had less migraines and headaches than I had ever had. Then in March, I woke up with an almighty pain in my head in the front half of my head. My blood pressure and pulse kept spontaneously elevating especially when I was asleep. This intense pain lasted for 2 weeks. Since then, I am left with a permanent Migraine which fluctuates in its severity and my brain (the front half) permanently feels as though it is in a contraction. I also have facial numbness and a sense of cold on my front and back periodically. After many tests (which have all come back clear) I am beginning to think that what is happening is a result of stopping the Sandomigran and of its consequential withdrawal. Has anybody else had these symptoms after stopping Sandomigran and if so, do the symptoms ever go away?
View 1 RepliesI've just started taking the medicine and I'd like to know about any other drug without this side effect.
View 1 RepliesI never suffered from migraine attacks until I was in my mid-40's.
They seemed to be linked to the beginning of hormonal changes related to the start of menopause. I would get a pain over my left eye (usually, though right occasionally), with a feeling of nausea and sometimes slight numb feeling on the side of my face. I would turn quite a pale white colour, and also feel very tired, yawning a lot. I would take medication, migraleve tablets and lay down in a darkened room. Usually, I would recover within 24 hours, though I would feel 'worn out' for a few days after the attack.
Since I have discovered by self analysis, that citrus fruits, especially orange juice (which I no longer drink), chocolate and strong coffee all seem to be triggers, which I try to avoid.
For the last five years, I have been clear of migraines, but have now started to get them again. I have passed the menopause but have had a lot of stress in my life recently, so I wonder if this is the cause of the recurrence? My last attack was quite different from the others I have experienced, in that I was feeling fine (though had been really tired the day before for no apparent reason) when I suddenly developed black zigzag lines across my left eye (very frightening at first). These went on for about 10 minutes and then slowly I developed a severe migraine, though this was not over one particular eye, but both. I had feelings of nausea and also felt cold at times. I took Migraleve pink and yellow but the headache is still persisting the next day. I wonder why I developed these other symptoms of visual disturbance. Can stress really do this to your body?!
PS I know there is a family history of migraine.
I had classic migraines through my teenage years which stopped for a couple of years before continuing at on average one every couple of months with the odd instance of a back to back cluster of 3-10 at once. They were always the same 20 minute aura then axe in the head pain and repeated vomiting for 6 hours followed by a 24hr hangover. Over the years I have tried all preventers with only Epilim and Topiramate working for 18 months. I built up tolerance to Epilim and Topiramate gave me side effects that ended in a blood disorder so cannot take either any more. Beta blockers and antidepressants never worked and Lisinopril was also a short lived waste of time. The only triptan that ever worked was Maxalt rizatriptan but again it lost its effect after 6 months. Something weird has now happened and I wonder if others have had this? I am now 36 and in the last 6 months my migraines have totally changed. I still get the aura but if I take Express Nurofen and an anti sickness tablet straight away or use a heat pack on the back of the neck no pain or sickness comes just 6 hours of extreme tiredness. I always used to throw up any tablets so this is a miracle however the frequency has stepped up to between 5 and 20 a month so it is really impacting on my life. I have had an MRI and all is normal. I have also tried supplements and alternative therapies with no success. Botox and nerve blockers are the next suggestion but will they treat this scenario if there is no pain? Will it stop the aura too and prevent the whole episode? Help!
View 13 RepliesI've been on Propranolol 80mg for my migraines which have worked very well. One issue with them is that I can wake up during the night and I have great difficulty in getting back to sleep. This results in me being quite tired during the day, as I drive 45mins to get to the office and sometimes 4-5 hours if I'm on site then it was a concern.
I saw the doctor on Friday and he suggested trying Pizotifen, he told me they can cause drowsiness but if I take it at night then I should be OK by the morning.
I've been reading through the experiences here and I'm not too sure about taking them now, I haven't been to the pharmacy with the prescription and I'm unsure whether to bother.
I am a 65 year old female, I have had tinnitus for as long as I can remember but lately it has become unbearable, I don't know why maybe just getting older I cannot cope with it as I used to! I have told doctor before about it and was told to live with it, which I have been doing! I recently went for a hearing test within audiologist and she said I have an age related hearing loss of 25% but not bad enough to need aids! I have bought a masker for one ear which thankfully seems to be helping the one side,but can hear ringing still in other side so have now ordered one for the other ear and hope that this will finally bring me relief and stop me having to get up every morning at 4am as I can't sleep any longer than that with the constant ringing! Anyone else found relief with maskers?
View 1 RepliesMy husband uses this for pain, he's on 75mg in mornings and 75 mg at night,he's been on them for a few weeks. He's in lots of pain today with headaches, nausea, he's not wanting to eat.
View 1 Repliesi have had severe pain since saturday saw my dentist on monday who took an xray as i was unable to pinpoint the exact place i was experiencing pain the whole right side of my face is in agony and even feels like my jaw is throbbing my dentist diagnosed an abscess gave me a prescription of erythromycin 250 mgs 4 x daily today is wednesday i have been back the pain is unbearable changed my antibiotics to metronidazole 400mg 3x daily i can't stand the pain i am taking 60mg of codeine 400mg of brufen and 2 paracetamol all of these together isn't even touching the pain i really feel i can't go on anymore another night pacing the floor my to young children are scared of me am sure, i feel so ill i could put myself in front of a bus please there must be some kind of pain relief just so i can just get a little relief i begged my dentist to take it out today but he refused.
View 1 RepliesDoes anyone else out there have this. I'm going through daily hell need some relief ideas please
View 4 RepliesI had my op 2 days ago and at first I thought that the pain was bearable,what I didn't know was that it hadn't even begun!
I have suffered with painful piles for many many years, I had them injected which eased them for a while the doctor at the hospital told me it was necessary for me to have surgery.
I prepared myself as best as I could by getting healthy. I ate a healthy diet and walked for an hour a day as well as working a 40 hour week.
But nothing prepares you for this. I have been in terrible pain all night, I passed my first motion in the early hours and the pain was so severe I was sick everywhere at the same time, which put a further strain on my bum. The pain since has been so intense that I don't know what to do with myself. I laid in the bath for half an hour which gave some relief but once out the pain was back.
When I lay down flat, my Head & neck quit aching
View 2 RepliesI've been on Naproxen 500 mg for a week to treat arthritis pain in my hand. I'm also using a brace. Almost seems to hurt more than it did before I went on the meds. Is this normal?
View 2 RepliesI'm still waiting for my op but lately my pain has become unbearable. I spend most my time just lying in bed because of the pain and if i do do something like go out or housework i will regret it because of the amount of pain it causes. I'm currently taking tramadol but trying not to take them to often as i know they can cause addiction. Im also keeping a hot water bottle under my left hip to try and help. Anyone got any other ideas?
View 82 RepliesMy 16 year old son had an ear infection 2 weeks ago ( VERY PAINFUL )He has had a course of Distaclor antibiotics and for the pain relief we where able to double its effectiveness by alternating Ibuprofen and paracetamol about every 2 or 3 hours he had discharge from the ear which was red initially so I presume the drum has ruptured which caused some relief ! but he is still suffering hearing loss ! I am cautious about using ear drops at the moment incase this effects the ear drum !! any advice?
View 1 RepliesI had this procedure the beginning of January 2012 under general anaesthetic, and afterwards it was one of the worst pain/uncomfortable experiences of my life. I didn't know what to do with myself afterwards. I couldn't walk, sit or lay comfortably, and was in constant pain. And forget any ideas about going to the loo.
I now have some idea of what childbirth must be like after I finally managed the 'two the loo' for the first time after five days, horrendous. Thank god I'm not a woman.
Never again, hopefully.
I would also add, according to my surgeon, it can take up to three months before everything is back to normal. Although you will feel alot better after the first two to three weeks.
I don't know how the information sheet (link below) can say that you can usually return to work around a week later after this particular procedure. As far as I was concerned, not a chance. I'm now nine weeks in and feeling OK. Internally healing is still going on, and am still having the odd day with regular visits to the loo. But I am told this will settle down.
Some tips that will help with recovery.
Apart from painkillers and drinking plenty of fluids I found warm baths help give relief (albeit for a short while) from the pain, discomfort and that constant feeling that you want to have your bowels open. I was sometimes having up to three baths a day for the first two weeks just to give me some relief. And if you are prescribed Co-codamol pain relief, come off them as soon as you can or you will suffer with constipation, and that isn't good I can assure you.
I am new to this, but at the moment I'm wishing I had never had this done. I had a TKR done on Friday, the epidural and sedation didn't work so had to have a general. The pain relief I got whilst in hospital was good, came home yesterday and all I've got is paracetamol and codeine, which has no effect at all, slept in 20 minute intervals all night. Our dog had her crucial element ligament done about 17 months ago and she was on better pain relief. I am honestly regretting what I have done, sorry for sounding so negative.
View 38 RepliesI've been taking Gabapentin for 10 months and found it relieved the pain associated with Fibromyalgia. Unfortunately I have gained about 12 pounds in weight since I started taking it and feel the is the most serious side effect for me.
View 3 Replies