Hi Lucy,
Thanks for your response! Iāve only taken it two times so far after being prescribed last week, I started having really weird side effects and now Iām just afraid of taking them. I think I may be sensitive to medication in general and may have developed a fear of taking them, I currently work FT and donāt want any side effects to hinder my performance at work..How do I get over this fear? I think Iām just also afraid of the meds not working and having to trial each one, canāt even imagine the backlash from my family members, they think itās just all in my head when Iāve been suffering for so long..
Thank you. I think I probably may be depressed as well, which is why I am more afraid to take the meds, as I donāt know how Iāll act if things get really bad. Thankfully, my co-workers at work are much more understanding of my situation, which is a godsend. I donāt know what I would do without their support.
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I am in bay area. Private message me and I can help suggest doctors.
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Your fear of medication is understandable .. i think a lot of people on here grapple with that at some point.. itās for you to weigh the pros and cons ā if your symptoms are mild and not preventing you from getting on with daily life, you could control your migraine through life style changes and diet, thus avoiding any meds. The book I mentioned will give you some ideas for diet and thereās also āThe Migraine Brainā which will give you ideas for life style changes.
However Iād say that if you feel your life quality has got too low the preventatives are worth it.. amitriptyline and nortriptyline are also antidepressants, which could help you on that front as well, and you can build them up slowly and gradually from a really tiny dose.
You deserve to feel well and have a good life, no matter how other people judge your choices:-)
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Hi hannah, welcome to the forum!!
I completely understand the fear about meds, it took me a full 2 years before I opened up to the possibility of meds. My anxiety and fear about them was a tad irrational, but I can only state that now, at the time it was a mega decision. But my quality of life was inferior and I have a young family plus myself to fight for.
Iām on effexor 150mg and 20mg of propranolol and doinf really well, so Iāve gone from zero to a combo in the space of a year. Effexor helped hugely with my anxiety too so a double win.
The real regret I have is waiting the 2 years to go on meds.. Its 2 years I donāt get back really.
Maybe make a list of the pros and cons and talk them true with a trusted advisor, ultimately its your decision but even with mav, life is worth living and living it to the best that you can. If you canāt achieve that without meds, then try them. Living with mav takes strength and courage everyday and you are doing this already, so I think trying some meds will reap a reward for you.
Take care x
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Hi Hannah
I know youāll find this difficult but from reading your text I feel it is high time you took a big decision and just stood up and be counted. You owe it to yourself to start putting yourself first. Your mood and health matters so donāt let the possible backlash of others bother you. What other people think is immaterial. You are ill and need help so go get it now. You also need to realise what you are dealing with. MAV is a neurological condition which can take some getting under control. IMHO you are not going to do this secretly and without it impacting on your life. Your best option for achieving success with starting preventatives is to take some time out of work until you acclimatise to the drugs at least. Start planning your strategy with you and your own future well being as the Main Character. Go for It. Helen
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@qwe I am in the SF bay area as well. I am sending you a PM- maybe I can help you find a Neuro who understands VM.
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LucyLabrador - an antidepressant that helps with anxiety would probably benefit you & help you overcome some of your fears. Sometimes itās best not to initially read side effects. If we were to read the possible side effects on antibiotics, we would not want to ever take those either. I have anxiety & was having a lot of panic attacks. I am on Lexapro (an SSRI) & life is so much better. As some mention, they are on Effexor (an SSNRI). You can start at a low dose. They say it takes several weeks for it to work, as with all antidepressants that I am aware of, but it only took a couple days for me. We need to remember fear is our worst enemy & works against us, not with us, so you must figure out how you are going to overcome the fear so you can move on with trying to manage your MAV. It would also be helpful if you could find a doctor that specializes in MAVās. Sounds like your neuro is not doing a good job at it.
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LucyLabrador - use this website to find a vestibular specialist in your area.
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Locate a specalist - Healthcare Directory - Vestibular Disorders Association
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You mean @qwe 
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Thank you so much to @napagirl and @GetBetter for your doctor suggestions! It feels really comforting to have fellow sufferers so nearby 
I have a PCP appointment soon and Iām probably going to ask my doctor to refer me to a neurologist I found who I think is somewhat familiar with MAV, in San Francisco, I work in the city so itāll be easier to get to. Also thank you so much to @Onandon03, @nin, and @LucyLabrador for your helpful advice, it is so appreciated. Iāve stopped taking the Sumatriptan as it seems to be giving me worser headaches, which is ironic, lol. I feel a lot less alone with everyoneās support, so thank you all again!
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Ah youāre very welcome, great to hear things are moving along. The triptan I use is forvex, commonly used with menstrual migrane, find it very effective and lasts a long time. Might be worth asking your new neuro about it x
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Hannah,
If you havenāt read up on rebound headaches (aka medication overuse headaches), do a search on this site. And ask @Diana21 about her experience.
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Yes!!! I learned the hard way about sumatriptan and rebound. I used to think that was only possible with ibuprofen or narcotics until I did my research on day 8 of sumatriptan and realized I was screwing myself up. The rebound was really bad back then and dr had to send a prescription for a course of prednisone to finally break the headache but after that Iāve been trying to stay away from sumatriptan as much as possible, last time I filled it was June 1st, I get 9 pills per prescription and I still have 5 so that says a lot.
Ice and patience have become my go to now these days
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Yes, I also got 9 pills per prescription! After using it a few times Iāve stopped as well.
So I think Iām in a sort of dilemma- The neurologist I had planned to request an appointment for who seems to be somewhat knowledgeable on MAV doesnāt have availability until 2-3 months out. On the other hand Iām not too sure about my current neurologist who doesnāt seem too keen on prescribing any preventative meds, and I donāt know if I feel 100% comfortable with him..
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If heās not willing to do preventatives, you need a better doctor. MAV is, as far as I can tell, almost impossible to control without some sort of preventative, at least at first.
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I think Iām starting to feel extremely dispirited, once again. The constant back and forth with trying to schedule an appointment, worrying about how Iāll have to miss work, the bills that will pile up with no guarantee if any of these meds will even give me a shot at living my my life..I am so emotionally drained at the prospect of having to face all of these barriers along the way that Iām not even sure if itās worth it. I wanted to weather the storm by myself without my parentsā support, and I was so confident that I could. Now I donāt know if Iām strong enough to pull myself through, to do this all by myself.
You arenāt alone. You have us. Get help from a friend or a better family member. Weāve all had to rethink our plans. Weāve all had to wait too long for medical care. Weāve all worried about money. Weāve all raged and cried and worried all night long. Weāve all gone thru this. You can, too. VM is a bitch, but it can only inconvenience you. It cannot kill you. Why even threaten to kill yourself over something that can only discomfort you? We ALL have suicidal thoughts over this. Our lives are far too worth living to give in. And, most of us get way better over the course of a year or two. Does it suck? Yeah, obviously. But itās not going to be this bad forever.
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No shame in moving in with your parents. Sometimes you cannot fight and win all battles at the same time. If i had a financial refuge in terms of parents willing to support me, i will take their help and use that as a base camp to evaluate whether i am killing myself to keep the job or i can balance it with my illness.
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