Medication and writer's block... what to do?

My last long drought was brought on by a 25 year old, volleyball playing, 6' 1" girlfriend (I was 47 at the time). Didn't get to write much, but boy was it fun NOT writing.

I have been on pain meds a couple of times. I ride motorcycles and have crashed a couple of times. The meds they gave me did not really interfere with my writing. But I had other things going on at the time like physical therapy, surgery and stuff.

Do you have to take your meds all of the time or only when you get your headaches?

10trackers said:

All the time, since the meds I take to get rid of the headaches are too heavy to take so often

With these meds, I get a migraine once or twice a month, which is heaven compared to the way it was. But I miss my writing!

Heh, I've been that girlfriend. Although I didn't play volleyball. Does horseback riding count?

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It must be sad to miss out on something you love so much. At least my writer's block was brought on by a prancing, green eyed latina in a tank top and panties which made it enjoyable.

I guess you could try to write something, anything, even if it is gibberish. Soon the dam has to break.

And a gal on horseback is much sexier than a woman playing volleyball, darlin'. Not even a Brazilian girl playing volleyball on a beach can top that. At least to a guy from Texas it is.

10trackers said:

I'm imagining those words being said in a Texan drawl. *melts into puddle*

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I was imagining myself on the back of a horse when I wrote that.

reads posts, feels like i'm intruding on the start of a beautiful friendship, leaves quietly

Paul said:

reads posts, feels like i'm intruding on the start of a beautiful friendship, leaves quietly

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*follows Paul*

If it's causing you this much heartache, would it not be worth trying another set of meds? I know these are otherwise a very good fit but if they are making you miserable as a side effect, maybe it's worth trying some others?

I've had similar problems when taking anti-depressants and I had to keep rotating til I found ones that didn't numb my brain. Good luck with it.

10trackers said:

In theory, yes, but pretty much all the prophylactic meds on the market have severe drowsiness/loss of concentration as a side-effect, something I really can't afford when driving or working. And drowsiness/lack of concentration will probably numb my creativity as well

There were two options open to me, the one I'm taking now, and another type that has fairly severe side-effects including weight gain and hair loss. And I'm a total masochist, but that's too much, even for me

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Is it possible then that you could get another tablet to counteract it or even a natural remedy? I wholeheartedly sympathise with you. I know it's horrible when illness and medication rob your creativity.

With the neurotransmitter drugs, give them some time, like weeks, to get used to them. Ah, true enough for beta blockers, too, actually. Sometimes you can even taper on them -- ask your doc.

After that, you might ask about your dosage. But that's between you and your doc!

I keep trying to back off on my beta blocker enough to raise my metabolism back up a little. Trying to find the perfect spot that keeps migraines (and a heartrate thing) at bay yet allows me to eat brownies and not gain weight

Good luck!

10t, I had the same problem back in December. I'm not sure what you're taking, but my doctor had put me on topimax and after about a month, I could barely string two words together. I found out afterwards people call the stuff dopamax.

Anyhow, she switched me to verapamil, which is keeping me around 3-4 migraines a month instead of the 10-12 I was having. And it doesn't have any side effects I've noticed. (no weight gain, no cognitive impairment). It does take a little while to take effect though. It's a calcium channel blocker as opposed to a beta blocker. Essentially, the goal is to lessen the vasoconstrictive response of your head that causes the pain. (err, I think. Ask a doctor.)

HTH & good luck.

I am not a Dr.. take what I say knowing that. Don't sue me.

A few things you could do.

1st. remember your dr is human. some dr's just don't know everything. In fact, probably all dr's don't know everything. Not many will admit it though. There is no Dr. Houses running around everywhere.

That being said. Go online. Find a medication forum. Discuss your problem with other doctors and patients with the similar problem.

Do a bunch of searches into migraines. And treatment.
Research your drug, and any alternatives.

talk to your dr again. complain again. ask what are the options.
Is there less drowsy alternatives?
if not,
can you take uppers of some sort to counter act it? Ritalin works great for staying awake and concentration.
if not,
what does he think of the possibility of your body getting used to the drug, such that you eventually do not get drowsy? If it is a possibility, ask if you could step down to a lower dosage, to help remove the drowsiness. If not make sure you have your drug in pill form and not capsule form. If it is in capsule, ask for it in pill form. By all means, tell your dr that you would like to try cutting the pill in half, or even in quarters. Maybe spreading it out over a wider time. When and if you do get used to it, talk to your dr about increasing your dosage to the normal amount.

There are many ways of dealing with strong meds.

Do a search on dealing with strong meds.

remember these are migraines. though painful. if you do mess around with your drugs for a bit to get it right, it wont lead to death (from what I know) or you running around the mall in your underwear.

hope that helps