Liars are Giving Me Migraines

[wagegoth]

I'm now on Topamax full-time for my migraines. It's kind of a pain (I hate taking meds), but the alternative is so much worse.

This morning I forgot to take my a.m. dose. Maybe for most people this wouldn't be a big deal, but I apparently have a fast drug metabolism. The last time I forgot a dose I ended up with a migraine. I don't remember this until it's too late to go home.

I went to the local branch of a chain pharmacy near my office to plead my case. I explained what had happened. I asked if I could just buy one dose, as I still had part of a bottle at home. The pharmacy assistant told me that they couldn't do that, they could only give me a refill if there were one available, by transferring that refill to their store. I tell her that I don't need a refill, just one dose. We go back and forth and I finally cave. But I don't like her. Just something about her. I figure that she could probably bend the rules, I've seen it done, I've even had a branch of the same chain pharmacy offer it to me before, which is why I asked, but she's got her little power trip going, or she's pushing for the sale. Lie number 1.

I watch her print the prescription from the computer, pull the Topamax in two versions (this is important later, it comes in tablets and in capsules, I know the bottles), and set them on the counter for the pharmacist. She comes back and tells me it will be 30 minutes. Fine I go do a little shopping for myself and my boss, who needed some last minute cards. I check back in 15 minutes, not done. I wait about 10 more minutes (during which time I pay for all my stuff at the regular register), YEA!, it's ready, and back to work.

Back at the office I'm tied up for a bit, then I finally get to check the prescription. It's tablets. I'm supposed to have capsules. Okay, I'm ticked off, but I can live with it. However, I look at the label. On the label it says quite clearly "TOPAMAX 25 MG SPRINKLE CAP." The label on the side that describes the medication says, "CLEAR, OBLONG CAP SPRINK." They deliberately filled it with the wrong medication. Lie Number 2.

The thing is, if I were driving and were pulled over by the police, I could be asked to show all my meds to the cop. If what is on the label doesn't match what is inside the bottle, they can haul my ass in to jail until things are cleared up.

I call the pharmacy. This time I got a male assistant. I explained the situation with the label and the bottle. He puts me on hold. A minute later he's back on the line. He apologizes and tells me that yes, they made a mistake, entirely their fault, and they will refund the prescription if I bring it back in. I ask if they have the sprinkle capsules (remember I saw the other assistant get both bottles out). He tells me their supply is low. I ask if they have a few doses I can take. He tells me that no, they have absolutely none. Lie number 3. They'll have to order them in. They can try calling another store. I tell him, never mind, I'll bring them back, don't bother.

Here's my guess. They have some sprinkle caps, but not enough to completely fill the prescription. They decide to fill it with the tablets, hoping I won't care. Then when I call them on it, instead of giving me what they have and getting the rest later, they lie to me. Meanwhile, they've given me the wrong item, and they have put me at risk of getting my ass hauled to jail. OVER A FRICKIN' PRESCRIPTION!

I'm never going to that branch again. NEVER.

[Bright_Star]

Couldn't you have just gone back home & gotten your meds? Would have saved you a lot of pain & aggravation.

[wagegoth]

Couldn't you have just gone back home & gotten your meds? Would have saved you a lot of pain & aggravation.

I ride public transit. I would have missed my bus, and the next bus doesn't leave for another hour.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I went to pick up a prescription once and the pharmacist was short by 10 pills. So he gave me what he had, put a note on the file that he owed me 10, and said they would be in the next day. So I stopped back and picked up the rest of the priscription a couple days later. If they don't have enough to fill the scrip there should be no reason they can't give you a partial (which is all you wanted in the first place, but I digress...). I can understand they may not be able to just sell you one dose...maybe the insurance doesn't allow that or something? I don't know (my insurance only lets me get 30 at a time, even though my doctor writes the prescription for 90; so essentially, a scrip with 3 refills really means 9 refills). Sometimes they have weird rules. If I do it by mail I can get the full 90...

This morning I forgot to take my a.m. dose. Maybe for most people this wouldn't be a big deal, but I apparently have a fast drug metabolism.

It could be a property of the drug itself...I take Effexor, which has a short half-life...which means it works quickly (within a couple weeks rather than months like some antidepressants) but it also means that you feel the withdrawal quickly, too. When I took Paxil I stopped taking it on my own (which I don't recommend - always talk to your doc) in part because I would just forget to take it and I didn't notice any symptoms, but when I forget a dose of Effexor I feel it by the next afternoon. When I start feeling dizzy and nauseous and extra irritable is when I realize I forgot it the night before (I take it with dinner).

[Pezzle]

Funny thing, that metabolism... I was terribly ill yesterday and today and ended up throwing my meds up about 1 minute after swallowing the pill yesterday. This meant that I was laying awake in bed from 11 PM to 6 AM trying to get to sleep but could not because my brain would not shut up. I ended up taking 2 1/2 doses of nyquil and simply sleep to fall asleep, and only got 6 hours of it. I was emotional, snappy, irritable, and shaking in withdrawal!

Amazering, that wellbutrin stuffs

[marty]

Funny thing, that metabolism... I was terribly ill yesterday and today and ended up throwing my meds up about 1 minute after swallowing the pill yesterday. This meant that I was laying awake in bed from 11 PM to 6 AM trying to get to sleep but could not because my brain would not shut up. I ended up taking 2 1/2 doses of nyquil and simply sleep to fall asleep, and only got 6 hours of it. I was emotional, snappy, irritable, and shaking in withdrawal!

Amazering, that wellbutrin stuffs

Does stuff like that actually work well? I've had that problem since I can remember, where I can't stop thinking about things, so it takes me usually more than three or four hours of laying down before I can get to sleep. Are there any bad side effects to it?

[Bagga]

Is the lying-awake problem that you have like this? Dilemma A, which could be cured by solution B, which would lead to outcome/dilemma C, which would then be helped a bit by solution D, as long as you were careful about problem E... But what it instead of solution B, I tried Solution F, which would lead to.... and so on.

I often lie awake thinking in circles for hours, and found that the best way to deal with it, for me at least, was homoeopathic tablets - Camomilla 30. OK OK, some people say it is psychosomatic, some people think they are placebos. But if a placebo does the job, it's not a placebo!

It's worth a try, after all.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Does stuff like that actually work well? I've had that problem since I can remember, where I can't stop thinking about things, so it takes me usually more than three or four hours of laying down before I can get to sleep. Are there any bad side effects to it?

It's not a good idea to take sleep medicines on a regular basis, but once in a while probably won't hurt. If you often have trouble sleeping you should talk to your doctor. And prescription sleep meds can have some disturbing side effects. (Over the counter sleep meds are usually antihistamines, like Benadryl.) Depending on the type of medicine, it might help you fall asleep but once it wears off you might wind up waking up in the middle of the night. Or you could end up feeling "hungover" in the morning. If you wanted to try it, I would try it first on a night when you are off the next day and don't need to be up in the morning, so you can see how you react when it doesn't matter.

You might try getting into a bedtime ritual - cup of tea, read or do puzzles or something that keeps your mind occupied but not overly stimulated. Avoid caffeine late in the day, and avoid TV right before bed; the light can disturb your body clock. Also, a warm bath or shower a little before bed can help; your body temperature naturally goes down as you get ready for sleep, the hot water raises your body temperature, so afterward that natural cooling-down process is enhanced and promotes sleep.

[bigjimaz]

My ex-wife had migraines and they tried everything including darvocet, percocet, valium etc., and nothing worked. She was nasty (one of the reasons she is my "ex") when she didn't have one and unbearable when she did. They tried maybe 20 different meds (including combinations) to no avail. She finally got mad and switched doctors. The new doc took her off everything, no meds at all and in 2 days the migraines disappeared.

[IT Grunt]

Wellbutrin is an anti-depressant, I know I was on it for a while. It's usually used to treat depression but works pretty well for anxiety disorders. Now I'm on Lexapro instead. I have the same problem trying to fall asleep sometimes, it's part of having an anxiety disorder. Mine's social anxiety disorder. Crowds drive me nuts, if I'm not on my meds I get extremely paranoid, to the point that I'm thinking constantly about what others are thinking about me as I walk through a crowd. Knock on wood, it hasn't been bad enough to send me into a full blown panic attack but I've come close.

I've been there with the sleep problem, lying there, thinking about all the problems or issues you're facing at the moment, your brain rapidly switching from one problem/solution to the next, like an indecisive TV viewer armed and dangerous with a remote, changing channels one after the other, with no destination in sight.

[blas]

Amazing some people around here actually get meds for their migranes! Who's your doctor? I'm changing doctors!

I first complained of migranes at age 18. My doctor said "Just stop drinking caffeine, and do not take any over the counter pain relievers for a couple of weeks. Give me a call back if they don't go away."

I gave it almost a month, and I felt worse. After a couple weeks, I HAD to cave and take Aleve. I called the doctor and she then referred me to a chiropractor, as it HAD to be my neck and my back. My headaches HAD to be because of that.

So several hundred dollars of my parents' money wasted 3 months later, nope, no relief. Still got migranes.

So I've taken Excedrin migrane ever since, 4 pills a day, ever since. 2 won't work at all. Even with 4, I still feel the pain and it wears off in 4 to 6 hours. It SHOULD last all day.

I fessed up to my doctor a few weeks ago, I know it's bad with the pills, but she said again to STOP taking the pills and no caffeine and call her back if I still get them.

As soon as I don't have to do overtime during the week, I'm going back and saying "You put me on something that will actually work, or I'm getting a new doctor." I won't go back to the chiropractor and I'm still taking pills, cuz guess what? I still get them! And not doing anything makes them worse! Not drinking pop hasn't done shit.

Sorry for the rant.

[Pagan]

So I've taken Excedrin migrane ever since, 4 pills a day, ever since. 2 won't work at all. Even with 4, I still feel the pain and it wears off in 4 to 6 hours. It SHOULD last all day.

Try some Dramamine. My mom and I (I'm 4th generation on my mom's side with migraines) have both found it helps. Don't know why. I've got mine kind of solved, but that's only because it was so-o-o-o obvious that the cause was hormonal. I would get one every month. Now I'm on Seasonique and only have 4 a year. I'm going to see if I can get on Lybrel so I don't have to deal with the damn things anymore!

[blas]

is that OTC??

[wagegoth]

Mine developed after multiple neck injuries. My first migraine lasted a week. I was put on Imitrex. That was okay when they were only occasional, but a few years ago, I was rear-ended and I've been having severe problems since.

A few months ago, I went back to my neurologist for a recheck. We went through everything I've tried: chiropractic (I've had two chiropractors tell me that I've obviously got something wrong they can't fix), acupuncture, massage, and physical therapy. The migraines were becoming 24/7, and when they weren't my standard issue ones, the pain shifted and felt like five rods trying to bore through my face. Enter the Topamax. It's been amazing. I've only had to take Imitrex three times since I started it.

But I'm still supposed to go to a pain specialist to find the root source of the migraines.

Blas, you really need another doctor. Any doctor who confuses caffeine headaches and migraines is an ass. Frankly, I've never had much luck with female doctors. I've often found them more condescending, short-tempered and close-minded with their female patients. Now, I know there are some wonderful female doctors, I just haven't had any luck finding them, except for one physician's assistant who works in my GP's office. She and I hit it off the first visit.

I do have one advantage with expressing how bad the pain is. I was in labor with my first son for two days (thanks to a female doctor; I ended up with an emergency c-section from a male doctor). Whenever I have to deal with a new doctor, I just tell them that little fact, then say, "So, I think I know what pain is."

The migraines are worse.

[blas]

Oh, it has nothing to do with her gender. I was meaning to switch doctors as well, but can't get the one I want, because she won't treat patients on birth control or prescribe it, so I can only see her for procedures regarding cervical problems (non BC related). That chiropractor was a male and he was also adadment that it was soda pop related, once his theory of my neck and spine being farked up were debunked and nothing was wrong or out of place.

I chalk it up to her being another one of those doctors who blame anything on soda pop, coffee, and "easy" food, although you can bet a whole paycheck on her way home, she stops at Starbucks and probably heats up a Hotpocket as soon as she gets home.