In a previous post, I went into a huge rant about how terrible (and upsetting!) the selection of medications that are available for migraine sufferers is.

Part of that post included me saying:

“First, WTF is with the medications that are out there????? Seriously, the side effects are scary as F! And how do doctors who have chronic illness patients expect us to trust them when we have been failed not once, not twice, but more times than we could count?? I ALWAYS had hope. I ALWAYS looked at doctors as the ones to go to for most things.”

I know these are drugs meant to help us but it doesn’t change the fact that the side effects alone on most of the preventative migraine medication come with potential risks that is hard for me (and I am sure others) to wrap my head around.

I am someone who definitely should be on a preventative medication now. I weened myself off what I had been on because I didn’t notice a difference (and still don’t.) Seems pointless to put medication in me if it wasn’t going to have any impact on how I was feeling anyway. This med was also something I had been taking on and off for roughly ten years so I knew how my body responded to it.

I do have some new options but I have been holding off on trying it until after my (unrelated) appointment next week. I don’t want to be wondering if I am experiencing certain symptoms because of a drug or if that is just how I am… which obviously makes a huge difference in terms of ways to go in terms of treatment.

So, assuming I can actually pick the scripts up in a couple weeks (the pharmacy probably put them back since it has been almost a month since they were called in), I am going to start taking what the new neurologist suggested. It seemes reasonable and since I know I will never find the perfect preventative drug, I do have to trust someone to guide me. And the doctor I saw at the end of May seemed very knowledgable and the plan we discussed did seem like it made sense as a next step.

I will keep you posted… although it could be at least a month until I begin it.

I am wondering if the majority of migraine sufferers have a hard time finding the right preventative medication? I know there is always trial and error but how much of it did you have to go through? And, was all the frustration worth it? Did you eventually find one that was right for you with manageable side effects? I usually only talk about this with people I am very close with because it is an invisible illness and I don’t want anyone to think I am complaining or just a negative person. Ever feel that way?