Very Scary Night

[susiestar]

for my family.

Of ALL nights for this to happen the night before husband might get fired was the absolute worst timing.

I had a medication reaction. I had a horrible migraine and though I have migraine medications I could not take them. I was warned not to take migraine medications the same day I take prozac. This combo causes heart problems. So I take prozac every other day and hope I don't get a migraine. It is extra important for me because the prozac really bothers my esophagus and the stomach valve (this per my doctor when I described the burning I get when I take it. Prozac if the ONLY antidepressant that works though.

So last night, I had a migraine. I had been taking my pain medications as ordered, but if I sleep through time to take the next dose I skip it. I have ended up taking the medications less often about half the time (meaning I take 3 pills a day instead of 4).

Last night I wouldn''t wake up. Then I vomited and would not wake up out of it. Finally husband and Jessie woke me up enough to get me to the bathroom and clean me up. The sheet, luckily, was an old one on its last use. It had a big hole but I hate to toss a sheet that is clean so I put it on the bed and planned to toss it on Friday. We are just tossing it instead of washing it.

As they tried to clean me up while I was in the bathroom I kept saying my legs were numb. I was shaking them and couldn't feel them.

husband just HAD to get some sleep to face work today. He was beating himself up that this happened because I couldn't handle his stress. SOOO not the case.

I had NOT taken all the pain medications for a few days. Usually ended up missing a dose (they are every 6 hours and I use a timer on my phone so that I do not take them too often.

I am in absolute agony today from the pain. CLEARLY the medication is now out of my system with a vengeance.

I so wanted to be supportive for husband last night and this morning. And I caused more stress for him instead. But all I can do is apologize and try to not have it happen again.

I actually had the doctor's nurse call me back within 10 mins of leaving a message.

So that is good. She is going to talk to the doctor. It may mean he wants to go to an implantable pain pump. Which we won't be able to afford if gh is laid off. Or I may have to get it PDQ before we lose insurance.

Keep a good thought for us that husband keeps his job and that the doctor has some way to prevent this from happening again.

So scared. I am terrified that it could happen again if I stay on this medication. And that other medications could also cause it.

Sigh.

 

[Star*]

Susie*

I am so sorry you have had such a bad reaction to the pain medication. We had really hoped it would be the "one" that would help you with your pain. From personal experience I can tell you that DF can take it without problems and yet I tried taking a 1/2 of one once and it made me sicker than sick.

With the Prozac have you tried Prozax XR or what's it called the time release Prozac? I didn't do well with Prozac either - had to take Prozac and Prilosec but when I took the time release one I didn't have to take the Prilosec. Maybe that would help? I dunno - not a doctor.

What do they have you on for migraines? I'm having tremendous good luck with Topomax and Relpax. Not total remission - but really good relief. I swear with no sugar and nearly a gluten free /dairy free diet I believe I've found another trigger.

I'm so sorry for you hon - this is just more something that you didn't need on top of t'other stuff you already deal with. Is there ANY chance that your doctor would refer you to the Mayo clinic for a complete work up? I just keep thinking small town medicine is missing something huge...and it worries me a lot to think of you on that pain pump. DF is doing everything he can to avoid it. EVERYTHING...

HOlding you tight with huge hugs.....HUGE HUGE ones.....
I'll even send you my stuffed donkey!
Hugs
Star

 

[flutterby]

How scary. I'm so sorry you have to endure all this. I'm very glad that they were able to get you up and that you didn't aspirate on the vomit.

Keeping you in my thoughts and keeping good thoughts today for husband.

(((hugs)))

 

[gcvmom]

Oh gosh! You so don't need this right now... I'm sending huge hugs and praying that your docs can get this figured out quickly... and that husband is spared the worst at work...

 

[susiestar]

Thanks all.

Star, I had hoped that this would be "the" medication for me. I think that my body just cannot handle it. I intend to ask to go to the long acting form of the breakthrough pain medication that I take. The docs don't like to rx it because it has such a bad reputation in the media.

I wanted to avoid the pain pump too. I don't really want anyone installing a pump to put medications into my spinal cord. And if husband gets sacked it won't be an issue. We won't be able to afford ANY of our medications.

For migraines I stick to imitrex. It just works for me. I cannot take the new form of it because I am allergic to naprosyn and Treximet (new form) is just naprosyn and imitrex. They only put that version out because imitrex went generic.

Prozac weekly is not only WAY overpriced for my budget it also has much worse side effects for me than regular prozac. Like days of stomach pain more.

I am not sure why this happened, except the migraines not letting my stomach empty normally.

 

[flutterby]

Do you take anything like Prilosec? It's available in generic and can be prescribed...you don't have to get OTC.

 

[Star*]

Susie*
Fluxotine (Prozac) is at Walmart for $4.00 can you take that?

You can also get the Prilosec like Flutter is talking about in a generic there too, or you can get the Sams Club brand of Omeprizole pretty inexpensive.

Have you ever tried Relpax? http://www.relpax.com/

Have you ever tried Topamax as a daily Migraine preventative and Replax as a backup? http://www.rxlist.com/topamax-drug.htm
It's also helpful for loosing weight - loose weight - less weight to carry around - less pain on your back???

My thoughts are these: If you have migraines - you have nausea and vomiting....if they can't get your migraines under control the rest of you is going to feel VERY awful.
If you have chronic pain - you are going to feel very awful too. But if they take one pain away - a controllable pain like migraines - that may at least allow your body to think and breath for 10 minutes - and work at getting the back pain under control. If the migraines are such that you are vomiting....how are you supposed to keep any pain medications down?

I think you need a trip to the Mayo - I'm so sorry for you dear....I may not know what it's like to be in the kind of pain you are in but I DO know what it's like to live day in and day out with barfy migraines and not think there is any end in sight - and once I got on the Topamax and Relpax I felt free to tackle the diet thing and I'm feeling better. I want that for you too.

 

[Star*]

Also - thought - could you have pyloric stenoses? When was the last time you had an endoscope checking the valves to your stomach for ulcers?

 

[DammitJanet]

Oh susie...how awful! I simply despise trying to figure out pain medications. They are as bad as trying to get a psychiatric cocktail right.

Im thinking of changing my doctor office right now to see a new doctor just to work on this subject.

I hope you get to feeling better.

 

[AnnieO]

Sueie, I have to wonder, was this migraine triggered by the pain in your nose???

As someone who used to have regular migraines and only do very occasionally now, thank heavens, I found that if I had any kind of body pain at all, if I couldn't tone it down a LOT and QUICKLY, that it would morph into a light-sensitive, nausea-vomit-inducing, can't-stand-to-exist migraine.

And when I went off Zoloft, the migraines subsided. I still get them every once in a while. Probably every two to three months. Usually when I am under a lot of stress, and have hurt myself in some way or been hurt. Also, I can't drink much stronger than wine any more, because apparently that was also a trigger for me. Probably a good thing, as alcoholism runs in my family.

Maybe it's the Prozac? Not entirely, but add your poor nose to the equation... I did have them before the Zoloft, but apparently that made them worse.

 

[susiestar]

Prozac is just an easier way to spell the medication. I do get the generic at Walmart - the 3 mos for $10. My ins charges $20 for 3 months of it so I just ask them not to use the insurance.

I do take prilosec - again the walmart generic. My ins refuses to cover anything that can be purchased OTC. They would charge me the rate for the brand name and not pay anything on it.

I have tried topomax. It was OK but the help didn't last for long.

I take lyrica and it works for hte migraines. Prozac actually helps keep migraines under control. Lyrica also helps with being able to walk. My feet used to feel like I was walking on shredded glass, or like the lyrica ads that show you walking on hot coals or a cactus. It is horrible and if I miss the lyrica or get sick and cannot keep it down then I have the glass feeling back - and I risk seizures because stopping an antiseizure medication cold turkey can do that even if you don't have epilepsy. It is also what happened to me in September last year. I got a 2day migraine and kept getting sick when I took medications. Then I had a 2 day long seizure. Or series of small seizures, but it was medication related (and my new pain doctor knows this happens.) They trialed me on keppra but it made it impossible to get the right word out. I could write a word but not say it. Lots of fun for the kids (rascals!) but drove me out of my mind. Jessie takes it though so the rx did not go to waste.

I did not have much luck with relpax. it is not a preferred medication because it is not as effective as imitrex and you have to take more of it.

I have trialed every one of the newer migraine medications and always end up back at imitrex. Since it is now generic I don't mind paying for it nearly as much. Most migraine medications my insurance will pay for 9 tabs a month or 27 for 3 months. With imitrex I get 18 per month and 54 per 3 months. I also get the 100 mg size and cut it in half so that when the migraines are daily I can keep treating them. using 100 mgs of it all at once does not seem to help any more than 50 mgs does, so that is good.

They don't want me on the weekly prozac bc the time release factor would mean not taking any migraine medications like imitrex or relpax. It has some strange interaction and can cause death, which is a side effect I would liek to avoid since I am pretty sure I am not Betsy, Queen of the vampires (from the Mary Janice Davidson books!).

I appreciate al the suggestion though. I will also ask my doctor if trialing some things a second time would have any merit.

Thank you.

 

[flutterby]

One thing to keep in mind - Prilosec OTC is 1/2 the normal dose. It's 20mg and full strength is 40mg. It might be worth checking out how much the generic is with a prescription. It might be cheaper than buying the OTC version.

Also, if you're taking Prilosec - or any proton pump inhibitor - you want to make sure to take Calcium Citrate supplements. It has to be calcium citrate. Something about the proton pump inhibitors and not absorbing the other kind of calcium. And it's important that you take the calcium supplement because prolonged use of proton pump inhibitors can lead to osteoporosis.

And make sure to get the petite pills. There's nothing petite about them, but if they're the petite version it makes me wonder how big the regular ones are.