Since I’m convinced the onset of MAV is largely related to hormones for me (perimenopause - argh) I tracked down a doctor about an hour and a half away who is actually covered by my insurance plan, who specializes in hormones (regular and bioidentical), made an appointment, and went today, in hopes of maybe attacking this MAV thing from another angle (while waiting out the current trial of Topamax from my neuro). So, I sat down with her and she said, “Now tell me why you’re here.” I proceeded to give her the shortish version, which included me saying I had been diagnosed with MAV. She smiled, chuckled, and said (in a nice way), “Not another one of you…” and let me finish. She then proceeded to tell me she has another patient she’s had for a while who has the same problem. Apparently whoever it is has had this doc consult with Rauch via email and over the phone. Go figure. 
Hi Erika,
At first when I read the bioidentical hormone bit I thought “Oh no”. But she is in contact with Rauch so that’s a really good thing. Well worth a go if he’s helping to guide the process.
Hope it works out and you find a good solution to this.
S 
Thanks. I know the “bioidentical” thing can be iffy. That said, some of the traditional HRTs are frightening when one looks at the potential side-effects and some of the things that’ve come out about them recently. Honestly, I had a naturopath (I was getting desperate) suggest a “natural” progesterone last year that really was helpful with some of my symptoms. I thought it’d be a good idea, though, if I was going to go that route, to have an actual MD guiding things… I LOVED that this doc’s been in contact with Rauch! (And that she actually knows what MAV is - esp. since that puts her a step ahead of my neurologist, who seems to be a newbie to MAV.)
Erika that is great! Would you mind posting what you learn about the hormone side for us ladies? I know there are several of us that have hormone triggers and/or hormone related events triggered MAV so I for one would be interested in hearing more if you’re okay with sharing.
I hope it works out well for you!
Hello
Thought I"d chime in…I"m reading a book, or actually rereading it called “Female Brain Gone Insane” and it talks about the dance between the endocrine system and the brain…talks a lot about how rising and falling hormones, especially estrogen, affect serotonin. Serotonin gets low just before your period, so that’s why PMS comes into play…in perimenopause, the hormones go awry again and I think for many, this is when the MAV started. Also after childbirth and at adolescence. A big trigger for migraine…low serotonin…hence serotonin being what seems to help migraineurs (with SSRI’s etc).
So with this lady being a hormone specialist, maybe getting our hormones in check gets the sero back in balance…
one can hope.
Kelley
Anne - I’ll definitely keep folks posted on what I find out about the hormone craziness from this doc. I go back in a couple of weeks to discuss the results of my blood test [checking progesterone, vitamin levels, and cortisol - I had mentioned that it was really high when the endocrinologist tested it last year (26 on a scale of 5-19) but that he wasn’t concerned about that. She was. Can’t remember if we were checking anything else. Probably not. I’ve already had a lot checked, which we looked over yesterday.] and to come up with a plan.
Kelley - Sounds like a great book! Might look into getting a copy, myself! Yeah, I’ve been reading in another book about the serotonin connection. Of course, now I’m wondering, does that mean I’m wasting my time trialling Topamax and should be asking my neurologist for an SSRI instead?
The natural progesterone made me sleep again (as good if not better than the ami) you should try it Scott :lol:
Trouble with it, is it builds up in the system, I was proof of this, I started to get side effects after a while, I think its good stuff but hard to get the right amount.
Christine