Hi Sky,

Your post sounds very similar to what I have gone through. Your list of AD's are similar except that I have many more to add to my list on top of Thorozine (for depression) along with compozine (for my nausea from the migraines). Both put together caused me to have parkinson's symptoms that lasted so long I began to think the parkinsons was real. I also had another AD I can't remember the name of that caused my joints to become so stiff I couldn't sit up in bed. I was in the hospital for that one. My pdoc knows that when he tried something new, he always had to put me into the hospital in order to monitor the reactions.

My migraines were almost 24/7. The only relief were the demerol shots from the ER that would last about 8 hours....then back to the migraines. I would end up in the ER every 3 days & of course they thought I was "drug seeking" rather than "pain relief seeking". Toredol had no effect & morphine & its derivitives make me itch all over without any rash, but itch from head to toe. When they did my neck fusion, thinking that would cure my migraines (no such luck), they put me on the duragesic fentynal patch. The 100ug/hr wasn't enough & it wasn't even breakthrough pain, the pain never went away. It wasn't until the dose was put up to 2 of the 100ug/hr patches that I finally got complete relief. It has been working for the last 3 1/2 years without any migraine pain at all. I know how I felt with the chronic migraine pain. All I could do was lay in bed....in my dark room....no sound, no light, no smell, nothing. I lived that way for about 5 years.....I had no life at all. I never even had a head ache before taking the AD's......the migraines were the usual side effect from most of the AD's that didn't have a worse side effect. I kind of think that the OD's I did with the AD's, might have caused the chemical imbalance that is now causing the migraines. I wouldn't think that it would cause that kind of long term effect, but who knows what effect OD's can have. I know that 1 OD caused me to go into a coma & stop breathing....ended up in ICU on a breathing machine.....so I am sure that long term effects could also come from that. I had the depression before the migraines, but my depression got worse with the constant pain. Having no life & no pain relief for so long really increased my depression level. Then not being able to take any AD meds just made things worse.

I finally came across the Seroquel. It really knockes me out (I can sleep for over 8 hours after taking 300mg). With no migraine pain, The only problems I seem to have now are the nightmares & flashbacks from the trauma I went through with my Mother just 1 1/2 years ago. The PTSD seems to be more a problem but I do find that at times I wake up after sleeping off the seroquel into a feeling of depression & anxiety attacks. When that happens, I take a much lower dose of the seroquel & it helps me feel much better. My pdoc is great about my meds......works with me on the doses I find that work & doesn't demand that I take things that don't work. I know when I was in the medical hospital with the anemia & mal nutrition (anorexia) at the time my mother died, the pdoc from the hospital insisted that I take AD's to help me with anorexia. The 2 I tried ended up causing the start of a migraine again (even with my high dose of fentynal). I stopped taking them immediately....which really pissed off that pdoc (but he was a real jerk anyway).

I don't know if you have ever tried the fentynal patches.....they work for 72 hours without having to take any pills. It keeps the pain from becoming the rollercoaster. I have to take the brand....generic doesn't work....but it is really awsome to have no pain. Before going through the trauma, not having pain really helped me with my depression level. Like you, valium & any benzos never worked. I remember taking 100 10mg valium's one time. My psycholoist called the peremidics & they took me to the ER.....I talked my way out of the psych ward.....it was like I hadn't taken any....so they couldn't prove anything excpet with a blood test. That proved that benzos had absolutely no effect for me. My pdoc tried a different one when I was going through the trauma & it had no effect either.....wasn't until I tried some left over seroquel from several years prior that I had any relief from the anxiety attacks & it also helps me sleep without the nightmares...guess because in knocks me out so well.

I don't know if you have tried any of the meds that have worked for me. I know that Lyrica is also supposed to be a great new med on neuropothy (especially for the pain with diabeditis).

Hope you can find some relief....I know how horrible it is to be in constant pain. I don't think that there is anything worse than that. Depression can't be controlled even by meds when pain is constant.....until the pain can be controlled, depression & anxiety can't be solved either (as far I my experience has been). I am afraid that it is going to be impossible to find a pain specialist that is as wonderful as the one I have now once I move to Kentucky. The pain med I am on is a high dose of narcotic & the pain specialist I have is willing to go against the DEA by showing that my quality of life has been so much improved by the med.....he is the exception rather than the rule for sure. I know they told me that they have a group that knows about pain specialists across the country to help me find a new one once I move, but I have a feeling that I will be traveling back to Calif, once a month.

I hope your pain can be controlled soon....I am sure it could help your whole quality of life too. If you have any questions, you can PM me if you would like.....I know this reply got way to long....sorry about that....hope it might be able to give you some suggestion about meds that have worked for me.

Debbie

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