My treatment Plan

I have been getting Botox injections for my migraines now for about a year and a half now and the shots do help.  Before the shots I was at 30 migraine days a month and with the shots I am at about 15.  So overall I would say I have seen a 40-50% improvement.  But there is still a long way to go.

Right now my treatment plan is 100 mg Topamax and Botox injections.  My doctor wanted me at 150 mg of Topamax but at that level I lost almost all of my sense of taste.  What didn’t taste like cardboard tasted like old, re-used, nasty cooking oil that had been sitting out on the counter for a month.  I would to take a bite of a delicious smelling donut but taste disgusting, nasty grease that made me gag. 

After going down to 100 mg of the Topamax I got a lot of my taste back but not all of it.  There are still some items I can’t eat.  Topamax can cause weight loss because of the eating issues so you need to watch your weight and make sure you’re not losing too much weight.  Topamax can also cause osteoporosis so I have to make sure I am taking plenty of calcium and get checked to monitor my bone density.  On my first scan it did show some bone loss so that’s a side effect that has to be carefully watch.

Unfortunately the neurologist I was seeing left the clinic so they sent me to a pain management doctor.  I really need to find a new neurologist though I do like my pain management doctor.

So that’s where I am at with my treatment plan.  I can’t say I am completely satisfied with it.  I wish I had better results and could get more relief from these migraines.  I will just have to continue my search for relief.