Namenda
Does anyone have experience (positive or negative) with Namenda? I just changed doctors and the new one ( headache specialist) seems so much better then the last. He's taking me off topamax which hasn't been as beneficial as it could have been (maybe cut down the intensity but of that I can't be sure). I started the namenda a week ago and am hopeful I'm seeing a difference, although I had to leave work cause a wicked migraine. Please let me know if you have any experience with this drug, as I don't think it's commonly used but is being used more now for chronic migraine. Thanks. Laurie
Hi Laurie,
I haven't tried Namenda yet, but know others who take it and have success with it. Namenda is used for migraine prevention. Hopefully others will be along shortly to share their story with you.
Happy Holidays,
Nancy
Hi Laurie,
I trialed Namenda several months ago. Unfortunately it didn't work for me. There is more to the story in my case however...
I have a condition called Dystonia that is a movement disorder caused by a problem in a specific part of the brain called the basal ganglia. As a result, Dystonia reacts quite badly to particular meds that work within the brain. Namenda is one of them. Because of side effects due to my Dystonia, I really wasn't able to trial the Namenda as we had hoped. I tried it three times, praying we could figure out a way to make it work. The drug information didn't at that point mention the problem, so it caught me quite off guard.
That said, when I had a discussion with my headache specialist, she mentioned that Namenda has a really good side effect profile, and is especially good with Migraine with aura. We really thought it was worth trying. Many docs are catching on and giving it a go with their patients, and many are successful.
I hope you have luck with Namenda. Remember that a first try may result in some side effects that a second, slower try may make easier for you. So many patients give up so quickly, when often it is just an alteration in HOW the trial is done that turns a miserable failure into a life changing success.
Good luck hon!
~Ellen
After many many various drugs by other neurologist, the new neurologist has given me Namenda at 20 mg/day. It has been <2 weeks, yet my headaches are down by 80%. I feel great and happy.
I am also taking 1800 mg/day of Gabapentine and perhaps it is also contributing to the better response.
Will update this post in a few weeks and if the trends continues, I will provide his name so others can benefit.
I have been on Namenda for almost three years. I take 5 mg in the AM and 5 mg in the PM. I am taking it for off-label use treating OCD. It has improved my quality of life in regards to OCD immensely. The dose was increased once and it made me terribly ill. I had no idea it was being used for migraines until just now. I obviously still have migraines while taking it but maybe I never got up to a therapeutic dose for migraines. Maybe it has helped my migraines not be even worse, though. Amazing how many conditions one medication can be used for!
