I left work early yesterday. I just had to. I feel like I shouldn't have, but, man, I was so tired after Sunday's migraine fiasco. I fell asleep, on the floor, last night at about 9:00pm and woke up around 3:00am wondering how the hell I could have slept on the floor for so long without my back aching like crazy.
Flash back to yesterday afternoon. We (Dennis and I) decided to run out to Walmart and Menards to price some new lawn mowers. Not something I relish having to spend money on, but if you saw our back yard you would soon understand the necessity of it. I decided while I was at Walmart to talk to the pharmacist about the Topamax that the doc says I should take.
He asked me what else they have tried. I said nothing - this is the first thing they've tried putting me on. And, he agreed with everybody who gave me advice yesterday, that there are better alternatives that should probably be tried first. Then I asked him about the cost of Topamax. He said:
Really Cool Pharmacist:Hold on a second..I'll let you know
He comes back and says:
Really Cool Pharmacist:How good is your insurance? Me:It sucks ass, why? Really Cool Pharmacist:Because without insurance this runs $140 for a 30 day supply. Me:So, with my crappy insurance they'll give me 5 to 10 buck off. So, I'm looking at spending 130 bucks, easily, per month if I take this then? Really Cool Pharmacist:Yes, that appears to be the case. Me: Hmmmm...eating or taking this drug. I'll take food. I'm already spending about 70 bucks a month on prescriptions now. I can't afford a $200 dollar a month drug habit. Really Cool Pharmacist:There are cheaper alternatives. I would suggest talking to your doctor.
So, there you have it. Even if it works, it's not something I can really afford. It's either food or drugs. And, without food I'll have an even bigger headache so what's the point? I called my shitty neurologist on the way home to find out he's on vacation for two weeks.
Looks like I'm going to use the pray approach - pray that it goes away in the next two weeks until my doctor gets back to work.
My sister sometimes goes to the ER and gets a shot of something.. I don't know what but her dr has offered it to her in the form of one of those epi pen kind of things so she could give it herself. But at least her ER visit was normally covered by her insurance so she could get releif for the headache and move on with her life.
you need to get in touch with this chick.. you two seem to be getting headaches at the same time all the time.. she is actually on disability because of them.
Melissa is almost right. I'm not actually on disability, but I did "retire" at 29 due to chronic migraine. I suppose at the time I might have actually qualified. That may prove to have been a boneheaded move on my part later in life.
I've been going through a migraine storm since early March, on and off. Mostly on. Triggered by sinus problems, but now they're gone and the nerve under my sinuses is perpetually enflamed and continues to trigger my HA even in beautiful sunny weather (like today).
Topamax is one of the few things that I've been on for prevention that 1) might have worked and 2) didn't cause crazy side effects, at least at low doses.
BUT many people get relief from much less expensive meds that are readily available in generics like beta-blockers or calcium-channel blockers, which are approved as blood pressure medications. They didn't work for me, but my sister-in-law had really good results with one. I've seen a headache neuro for over 10 years, and there are lots of cheaper, older meds that you could try. If cost is a factor for you, be upfront with your doctor about that and ALWAYS ask for samples. My doctor has a room full of things like imitrex and topamax, and I bet yours does too. He should share with you if you are in need.
Have you found that you have any triggers? I haven't figured my current headache out, and it's driving me crazy. It's not the weather or food. I suppose it could be stress...
What is likely going on, if you've never taken anything to prevent migraine attacks, is that your doctor has prescribed the only medication approved by the FDA to prevent migraine - Topamax.
If you haven't talked to your doctor about the cost of medication before, when he gets back from vactation, definitely have a frank chat about it. You are not the only person who gets migraines who has to worry about the cost of medication, it will not be the first time he has heard your concerns.
Migraine medications are frighteningly expensive because most of the good new ones are not generic yet - the triptans like Imitrex and Relpax; Topamax. If your neurologist works with headache patients often (mine sees ONLY headache patients), they'll be able to work with you. There really are many different things to try that ARE available in generic that will run much less per month than Topamax.
I am currently taking Topamax. It has side effects. At high doses, it can cause memory and concentration issues. When I actually took the 400mg adult dosage 2-3 years ago, I became a vegetable. My current goal is to get to 60mg, and I'm taking samples from my neurologist.
I don't have the visual distortion that you experience with my headaches. I only have throbbing pain, mostly on one side of the head at the base of my skull. This cycle I also have pain in my cheeks and temples because of the sinus issue.
I had to take some Imitrex this morning finally because Advil wasn't getting the job done and I needed to be Mom and not Migraineur for a few hours. Sometimes it stinks.
For me, the headaches aren't the bad part. It's the eye distortion.
Sunday, I couldn't see anything in front of me at all. I could hold up my own hand and not tell you how many fingers I was holding up. It was like my eyes had a gallon of water in them moving around in all directions. I get a headache afterwards, but it's not all that bad. I just feel like I have the flu or something. I get chills and just feel like crap the rest of the day.
I dunno. I'm going to wait because I really can't afford that much for a pill I have to take every day. Really, between that, the thyroid medication I'm on, and birth control pills that would be well over 200 dollars a month for drugs.
Maybe, at that price, I'll learn to live with it. I sure can think of better ways to spend $140 bucks a month!!
Yes, that kind of visual distortion would definitely suck rocks.
It can't hurt to talk to your doctor about cheaper medications to try. It never hurts to ask. Generics will cost a tenth of what Topamax will cost. Topamax is not the only preventive out there, it's just the only FDA approved one. I lost count of how many things my neuro tried before I had DS. The list would blow your mind.
I was at the Diamond Headache Clinic a few years back (in Illinois, btw) and they had this form where you tell them what you've tried before. They had a list of the common preventives. I think I checked off about 25 things. I almost cried.
I would agree that there are definitely more fun things to do with $140 a month. Several spa treatments spring to mind immediately... lol
My sister sometimes goes to the ER and gets a shot of something.. I don't know what but her dr has offered it to her in the form of one of those epi pen kind of things so she could give it herself. But at least her ER visit was normally covered by her insurance so she could get releif for the headache and move on with her life.