Hello from Kentucky!

I had my first headache during a bio lecture 2 years ago. It felt like someone had shoved an ice pick above my right eye. It took everything in my not to scream in the middle of class. I excused myself quietly and spent the next 20 minutes in a bathroom stall thinking my brain was going to explode. My right eye was droopy and swollen plus it looked like I was weeping out of just one side of my face.

I went to the Dr. the next day who brushed me off pretty quickly. But when the headaches started waking me up nightly I made another appointment and when nothing showed on multiple tests it was actually suggested that I see a psychiatrist. He asked me if I had even considered checking myself into the psych ward.

Then a new Dr. started in my town 2 weeks ago and I made an appointment and she sent me to a headache specialist who determined me to have cluster headaches. I was put on 100mg of Topamax 50mg in the morning and 50mg at night.

I must say that I absolutely hate this medication. I feel dumber than a sack of potatoes. And no matter how much I eat I am dropping weight like crazy. I have no appetite at all but I force myself to eat. Plus my entire body tingles. And I am dizzy all of the time. And it is making my anxiety 1000x worse. But if it prevents these headaches I'm all for it. I am supposed to go back Monday to determine whether I am going to be on Oxygen or Imitrex as an abortive.

I was on topamax stuff made me dumber than a box of rocks I got lost going to work twice and I worked there for 10 yrs.Go to the medication and treatment forum and start reading 123 pain free days you will see what I"m talking about a lot of people are on this.

Mark

Topamax really slowed me down too.  I do electrical engineering, and it took me 2 weeks to finish a small printed circuit design that would have normally taken me one day to do.

I stopped the Topamax soon after that.