Hello all,
I’m having a phone consult with Dr. Hain today. I have a list of questions I’m going to ask him, but are there any absolute musts that I should ask…you know those that I will regret not asking later? 
Also, let me know if you guys have anything specific you want me to ask him.
Cheers,
Priti
What might be helpful is if you list the questions you already have. Sometimes when I run my questions by my significant others, he’ll think of a REALLY good follow up question that I should ask.
Sarah
I had the phone consult with Dr. Hain yesterday. He was excellent. He thinks the I have acephalgic migraine or silent migraine. But it is a difficult diagnosis to pin down because I do not have headaches. He said MAV was the most probable diagnosis, and that it was not a perfect fit, but the best diagnosis given all my other symptoms (sound, light sensitivity, familial dizziness).
He has asked me to continue Amitriptyline 25 mg, add Depakote 250mg/day (which I took earlier for 2 months), and not surprisingly recommended Effexor. He said I should see some benefit in 2-4 weeks. Does this timeframe seem right to those of you on Effexor?
Another interesting recommendation was to try Ibuprofin/Naproxen to reduce the sensory amplification (sound, light sensitivity, head and body motion sensitivity) that I have. Has anyone benefited from this?
Overall, I’m just happy to have a doctor who is willing to treat and monitor me long distance. And I’m hopeful about feeling better too.
I could really benefit from this I think…did her give any idea of how much to take and how often? Also, some of the reading I have done says to allow 6-8 weeks for med to do its thing…
Pam
I’m sort of surprised that he wanted you to add the Depakote AND the Effexor…usually he feels Effexor best preventative on it’s own. I took Amitryptaline up to 20mg with only increased dizziness before adding Cymbalta. I was having insomnia issues, so the Ami was prescribed instead of the Nortrytaline (which most doctors favor over Ami). I’m now on just Cymbalta, but it hasn’t completely taken away my anxiety. I haven’t had too many side effects from it, so I am able to tolerate it okay. Dr. Hain said it was “Marginally” helpful, but his trust seems to be in the Effexor.
THe 2-4 weeks is pretty typical with most antidepressants…even up to 6 weeks. I’m sure he’s having you start on the 1/3 dose? That is what he recommended to me when I saw him last year.
Keep us posted and best of luck!
Kelley
Pam,
He said to try it at the dose that you would take for a bad headache. He asked me to “experiment” with these drugs and see if it helps reduce the symptoms. I’m going to try them over the weekend…though Aleve (Naproxen) gives me stomach pain. Pam, from your posts I see that you use Effexor. Has it helped you any?
Kelley,
He suggested I go on Depakote again, because 2 months ago I took Ami and Depakote and they seemed to help. He also added the Effexor since he thinks it is the best drug for this condition with effectiveness at low doses , and few side effects. He said that if I feel better in 2-4 weeks, to drop the Ami and Depakote. If I see nothing, then he will increase the dose on the Depakote and Effexor. He does not want me to go any higher on Ami. If I react badly to Effexor (which he thinks will not happen), then he asked me to drop it and continue on the other 2. Has the Cymbalta improved your dizziness?
He asked me to use brand name Effexor for the first month and then move to generic after. The countdown starts tomorrow. Thanks for your wishes.