Back again - medications

Hi again,

I’m a 25 year old guy and I’ve been a member of the forum since last year. I’m not diagnosed with MS and I’m not really sure what is wrong but I joined the forum last year when I began suffering from neurological issues that I found difficult to explain. I had migraines 2-3 times a week, had pain behind my left eye, muscle spasms, tremors in my arms and legs and I couldn’t stand bright light or sunlight and had to wear sunglasses almost constantly. I was dizzy which became so bad over the course of two weeks last year that I was unable to drive and found it difficult to walk. At one point I became convinced that I’d suffered a stroke or TIA!! The symptoms began about 2-3 years previous to this and came on every 4-5 months, beginning with an annoying pain behind my left eye, got worse over a period of 6-8 weeks then eased off again.

Since last year, I’ve seen a neurologist who diagnosed me with daily chronic headache and migraine. He prescribed nortryptaline and topiramate. I’ve also had a CT scan which was normal.

Since then my symptoms have improved, the dizziness, which was particularly bad has especially improved and I’ve only had 2-3 migraines since. Although improved, I have however continued having muscle spasms in both legs, pins and needles in my feet and for a week in May I lost feeling down one side of my arm. I’ve also suffered terribly with fatigue, especially in warm or humid weather, which is exasperated by the medications.

I decided due to the fatigue to stop taking my medications, and did so but cutting down and eventually stopping nortryptaline as advised by my GP, but since then I’ve noticed a change in my other symptoms. My fatigue has improved slightly but the pins and needles and muscle spasms are worse. I’ve also become much less co-ordinated, dropping things all the time at work and my hands just feel awkward. I go to do a task and it feels wrong or feels awkward and I notice I’m doing it wrong and strangely but can’t figure out how I used to do it - very strange. Also I’ve been suffering leg pain, almost like growing pains, on a daily basis.

Basically I’m just wondering if the nortryptaline could have been masking these symptoms? I feel a lot better than I did last year but I have new symptoms that I feel aren’t due to migraine. I’ve always had MS in the back of my mind since last year, also my grandmother has MS so when the symptoms first began it did spring to mind that they matched some of those of MS. I 'm hesitant to visit my GP again and persue a neurology appointment as, at the moment I’m mobile and relatively well, I’m just confused and wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar?

When a person is seriously worried about his health, I always think that that is a good reason to talk to the doctor, regardless of what else might or might not be the matter. Those kind of worries tend to fester and niggle away in the dark and can make life a misery all on their own. Definitely worth letting some light in, I think. Most things in life (even bad news about health) are easier to deal with than unaddressed fears.

Good luck.

Alison

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Thanks for your reply Allison. At the moment I feel really happy with how things are going in my life. I’m enjoying work, enjoying socialising and mostly I feel okay. Some days, particularly warm, humid days, I do notice I’m much more fatigued than normal and my whole body twitches and trembles, but I’m much better than last year. I know it sounds a bit odd but I don’t really want to put a spanner in the works by having lots of tests etc. I’m a bit if an ostrich I suppose - my head is firmly buried in the sand!!

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ok j but get to your doctor as soon as you start to worry again

Alison hit the nail on the head; there’s nothing worse than the not knowing. It’s something you’ve got to get sorted. I understand though, I put it off for ages, then had to mess about explaining it all over and over to Drs and Neuro. Keep a note of your symptoms on a weekly basis, then, when you decide you want to get it investigated, you’ve got all the details to hand. Sometimes it’s easy to forget every single thing that happens.

best of luck x