I am looking for a physician to answer this question.
I have been suffering with recurrent vertigo since being a child.
These have not been a huge problem as they are relatively infrequent
and I have had some relief from these with a drug called Pizotifen. I
also suffer from chronic dizziness however which is a problem I have
had for 7 years - I am 24 now.
After seeing a very good neurotologist a few years ago the future was
looking a lot brighter with a diagnosis of complicated migraine. It
seemed as though all I really needed for freedom was migraine
medication which turned out to be partially true.
I have so far proven to be intolerant to the following medications:
verapamil, diltiazem, cinnarizine, flunarizine, lamotrigine, sodium
valproate, topiramate, amitryptiline and nortriptyline, propranolol.
All of them work for me for my condition but I am severely intolerant.
I need to clarify that by intolerance I don't mean "usual" side
effects - eg swelling with verapamil, depression/tremor with
flunarizine, weight gain and hair loss with valproate. I would be
quite happy with these! What I tend to get is a predictable, severe
response to every migraine medication. Usually after taking the first
dose I am up all the following night and cannot sleep at all - I also
feel overstimulated like my brain is racing. The next day I usually
develop constant vomiting, extreme nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pains,
agitation, extreme mood swings, blurred vision and ataxia. This is
regardless of the class of medication. An interesting problem I also
get from these drugs is muscle twitching which can last for weeks or
months after ceasing them (usually after the first few doses!). These
twitches are rapid and occur all over my body, including the eyelids.
Since trying all the above drugs, I am now also intolerant to
Pizotifen which was the only drug that I was previously tolerating and
was helping me.
I cannot seem to find any help for the above problem. I would be
interested to know if this has been seen before. I am in a tight
situation where I am extremely dizzy and suffering severe daily
headaches but am unable to take any medication for them.
The doses in question are also tiny. 200mg with sodium valproate,
7.5mg for lamotrigine, 10mg for nortryptiline. These were my starting
doses (I have always been sensible) and I never get beyond them. The
only suggestions I've had so far are 'missing liver enzymes' or
'kidney function problems' which are vague and unlikely to be
something I can pursue.
I guess I'm also wondering if there is a medical condition that may
cause such a bizarre reaction to medication. |
Clarification of Question by
adamw2-ga
on
10 Mar 2005 03:47 PST
I'm a bit disappointed thus far as the comments (I know they are only
comments and not potential answers) have strayed from the real
question which is regarding medication intolerance and not the
diagnosis/symptoms of my condition.
>have you tried the imitrex inhaled version? that is, one snort of
>sumitriptyline when you feel like you're about to get a migraine?
>such limited usage may be more beneficial for your intolerance.
this would be useless for me as i am dizzy due to migraine 24 hours a
day 7 days a week. triptans are useless against migraine-associated
dizziness/vertigo.
>vertigo is often associated with migraine, however, dizziness is not.
this is not correct. see http://www.emedicine.com/ent/topic727.htm
"In fact, a rocking sensation may be a continuous feeling for many weeks to months"
there are many effective drugs for this condition - the same drugs
that are used to prevent migraine. however, i have tried nearly all of
them and had great success but with the same problem of intolerance.
as dr_bob-ga suggested, it is odd that such a wide range of drugs with
different actions cause the same intolerance syndrome. this is a hard
question.
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