Epilepsy And Migraines

Hi, my daughter also has migraines and epilepsy. Her neuro put her on topamax. It is a anti-seizure med that helps with migraines!
It helped her migraines but did not control her seizures! Now she is on depakote.

What doesn't work for some, might others! Ask your neuro/epi about topamax!
Best wishes.... Pj

I can relate. I was on depakote, tegretol, dilantan and like 2 more and now I am on topamax it still does not totally control my epilepsy, I have 2-3 a month and feel sick threw 2 weeks of the month. But it helped more then before it is all what your system is like, I cannot keep a job. They find out about the epilepsy and boom they find a reason to get rid of me. Or I need sick day and I am gone any sugg?
Tammy

I have migraines with my seizures all I do is take some over the counter pain reliever and then get a cold washcloth and put in over my face or where it hurts the most and just kind of like make myself relax using some techniques I learned when I was pregnant and they seem to help somewhat and then I try to sleep once I get relaxed enough to which is hard to do with kids but I try anyways I am on keppra which dont help with the migraines but b4 that I was on depekote and that helped with the migraines and the seizures but I gained a lot of weight and lost a lot of my hair from it and I was on that for 6 months b4 I told the dr that I had enough of it all like others have said they just have to get the right drug that works with your chemestry and for me sitting in front of the computer a little bit bothers me so it prolly would effect your work anything else I can help you with just ask

Hi my name is jamie, I started w/ depakote in 98 when this all began. Gained the weight, had the small petit seizures for 3 days in a row around my cycle, w/ the migranes. Did that for a year, the gran mals started getting worse, changed to dialaten, allergic to that one,teg, allergic to that one, switched me to topamax by itself for 3 years. Then b.S. In june of 2002. Topamax with trigitol allergic to that one. Now i'm on topamax with keppra. Still having small petiit mals, with 6 to 8 gran mals since my surgery in 2002. So they told me from the beginning it would be 25 to 30 meds before they find the right one that works for me. So we are still working on it. Goodluck jamie

Renata,
hi, i'm new to this site. I have always had bad headaches and seizures. Right now i'm on topamax and the headaches are not as bad. But, when I do get a migrain I usally use motrin and a ice pack on the back of my neck.

Thank you all for your input.

Well, i've had 2 more seizures since the last post.
The migraines are still there. Regular over-the-counter meds never help with migraine. I asked my doc for a prescription strength pain killer.

He also added 250mg/2xday of keppra to my 400mg/2xday of tegretol.

My husband is so wonderful. He takes care of me the whole day during the seizure episodes. He always uses an ice pack on my head to reduce the pain.

Despite all of this I have been getting really discouraged by the latest episodes. The only thing that keeps me positive is the thought that some people have it so much worse than I do.

Can somebody share their experiences and ways of dealing with this condition, especially during recovery?

I use computers too.
I'm 27 now. My epilepsy is intractable, however I used to suffer from cronic migraines, my specialist put me a drug called propranolol (80mg), which is usually used for blood pressure, I have been on that since the age of about 11. My migraines slowly faded away through my early - mid teens.

I'm not sure i'm that was down to my body changing of through puperty, or the medication. However I am not on any of the same epilepsy meds that I was then.

I have had 2 tonic-clonic seizures in the past 7 years, both accompanied with migraines. My last was 10 days ago so i'm suffering now. I'm on lamictal and neurontin. I don't know if the headaches are related to stress from the seizures, the medication or the seizure itself. I would also like to know if anyone else has the same experience.

Hi to all
i have a mate who suffers from migranes and has seizures. She is on 500mg epilim ec tablets 2xdaily. When she is taking her meds she is fine. And she has no headaches. On the meds.

I dont get headaches before a seizure, only after.

Hi everyone,

back in october I noticed that I had been getting constant headaches. Not nothing I couldn't bear just annoying. Then about 1-2 months ago I started having migraines which progressively got worse and worse. On february 19th, we switched my meds from lamital to tegretol. The lamictal, I took for 1 1/2 years but the dose was having to get upped a few times so I thought that it might not be working as well besides I had a $$ issue that made it hard to pay $350+ mo. On one medicine. They switched me to tegretol. I thought the tegretol was working great.

At the end of march I was getting migraines everyday. I tried about everything that is "good" over the counter...Tylenol, aspirin, motrin, alieve, excedrine migraines, claritin. I tried meds for headaches, alergies, over the counter migraine meds. Mind you I am not fond of taking stuff. I thought well since claritin isn't working maybe I have a sinus infection that I don't know about. But I called the neoro ofc to consult they told me to call my gen Dr.

I called my internal med dr and got in. She sent me into the hospital to have a ct scan done*shrug*. Showed a "slight" sinus infection. Dr. At er treated me like there was nothing wrong with me. Never the less, he gave me a shot, maxalt and prescriptions. One of the rx's (biaxin) he gave me two samples to take before I got the rx filled. I didn't happen to take it because I passed out from the shot(don't know what it was but it was some strong stuff). Before I took the sample pills, I got out my pdr and found that it can "increase, degrease or alter" my seizure medicine. In fact, not just the seizure meds I was currently on but basically all seizure medicines were listed and not many other meds were listed...So what does that tell ya? In the mean time that I read that in my pdr(i check everything since I was diagnosed with epilepsy had things trigger seizures), my husband was out getting my rx filled. He called saying that the phamacist had to get a new rx because I cant take that one. Nice huh? So my husband came home with keflex and vicodine. Took all the keflex and the vicodine didn't always work to take away the edge.

Two weeks later and still having migraines only getting worse and taking my whole day away from me. So I called both dr ofc's
everybody has a death or and internal issue in the ofc, so not a quick response from either. I wanted to know if the tegretol was causting it nobody returned my call. In the meantime, I am in frigging pain beyond and feel like nobody is helping me. I tried again on the weekend emergency exchange to get a Dr. To communicate. Saturday (a week ago), I couldn't handle it anymore so I took myself off of the tegretol...Knowing damn well that I might end of having a seizure from it. Which I did. I had what my husband said was probably the worse he had ever seen. I thought okay it may take a few days for the meds to get out of my system for me to see if my meds were causing the migraines. I really didn't see a change. Mind you I stayed at home and my husband kept a close eye on me.

Finally, on monday I got call back and I am really having a migraine issue and no help. My im Dr. Doesn't deal with seizures so couldn't help me there. But she decided to treat it like migraines and give me maxalt rx. Helps but it takes a long time. Doesn't take the whole thing away. But if it can take the edge off then I can deal with that.

Then yesterday I got a call from the neuro ofc. They are going to try and switch me to keto??? She said that will prevent the migraines instead of me treating them after having them and help my seizures.

I really don't know what are causing them and why I am having them yet. I would really like to know but I got the feeling that I will never know and have to take meds for it forever

Sorry it was so long.

i am 42 years old and was diagnosed with epilepsy when i was 16 after having a gran maul seizure. At the age of 14 i started having black outs and small convulsions but shrugged it off because i was embarressed to say anything. After my gran maul, they diagnosed me epileptic and put me on depakote which worked wonders but then I got pregnant and had to stop taking the meds. After I had my daughter I never had another seizure until 2003 (she was born in 1988) when I was put on anti-depressants (they trigger my seizures for some reason). Fast forward to 2010...In june, I started having horrible migranes again (hadn't had these since I was 16 after my gran maul)and the doctor put me on topamax which takes the edge off. It is now the middle of august and the migranes are still here and I feel like there is a halo around my head and i can literally feel burst in my head...anybody have any thoughts as to what this might be...doctor thinks that seizures might be returning (deep inside i feel the same way)

I am 37. I have fallen at our home TWICE! Once back in 2008 down our deck stairs, ended up with a concussion, and the start of migraines, vertigo, disorientation. This has gone on for 2 years. Now has gotten worse. I now have fallen my second time May 14, 2010, this time down 12 stairs holding my little one. Had been having panic attacks, stress , chest pains, weakness in legs, severe migraines, black outs disorientation, could not concentrate...just a mess. Admitted me to hospital for 6 days, ended up with bruised hip, herniated discs in neck, injured wrist, and more severe migraines and vestibular damage on right side now (supposedly). I also have done all types of therapy, vestibular therapy, hand therapy, home therapy for hip. I have seen 2 ENT's, have had 3 MRI's, 2 CT scan's, 2 EEG's all normal. I am now out of work.

Have now seen second neurologist, who says its all psych related. I see a psychiatrist for anxiety, panic and PTSD disorder. Now I have episodes of passing out on the floor with the migraines and a "hangover" feeling. Tingling and numbness in my face also. Just not myself. Neurologist just tells me nothing is wrong. I just do not understand. So now when I pass out, I pick myself up and move on. As of today, passing out is worse. Anyone have any advice on this?

My wife recently had what appeared to be grand mal seizures about 2 weeks ago. Prior to the seizures, she had an on going battle with migraines for roughly 2 months. Right now she is in an ICU where docs are trying to determine which meds AND dosage will stop her seizures.
Is there a connection to having migraines prior to having seizures? My wife never had seizures until about 2 weeks ago. She is 31.

Hi everyone,

I have been diagnosed with epilepsy in the past fortnight after sufferin 25 clonic tonic seizures in 4 days, so can't really comment on the AEDs but I was diagnosed with migrainew wityh visual aura when I was 16. I am 22 now and just last year my dr prescribed me with a pain relief drug called maxalt melt which is like a wafer that dissolves on your tongue because apparently during severe migraine attacks your stomach doesn't digest properly so these get straight into your blood stream. I also take daily beta blockers to control them and now AEDs. I have found these maxalt melts the most effective drug for the pain I suffer though