This particular post made me laugh... "who need brain" got an outright guffaw. When I was an undergraduate honors student, I stood up in front of the entire faculty to introduce myself. I said "Hi, my name is Suzy, and I am English major." Realizing my mistake, I hunched my shoulders, and grunted out "Mmm, me English major..." Apparently forgetting an article wasn't enough embarrassment for me.

Ah well. A MA and PhD in English later and I still can't spell. :)

Happy healthy day to you!

Your last bit about diet pills for compulsive eating in very thought-provoking, as is the "switch" in the head. I've certainly heard of studies linking hormones, dopamines, seratonin, whatever, to appetite and satiety. And it makes me think of OCD, which is often treated successfully with drugs - is compulsive eating in any way similar to those compulsions? Hey, too bad I'm not a scientist and can't answer any of these questions ;-)

Good luck with your headaches, I hope you find sustainable relief soon.

Of course, as you know, it's also for bi-polar disorder and seizures. So yeah, it bring the dumb.

As to that chemical switch, I stumbled upon an article about addiction and dopamine that was very provocative - and might explain ALL the reasons why some people are hungrier than others (including emotional eating). It also notes the natural "cure" is exercise, and a lot of it. So it's not the burning of calories that necessarily help keep the weight off, it's the boost in dopamine that squashes the urge to eat (and makes someone like you love to run, even though you might hate it a little too--sort of how a binger loves to eat, even though it might make them feel sick while they're doing it).

http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-3571.html

I've always been opposed to diet pills too..and I admire you for not selling out your convictions..

Also, I do think as you, that perhaps there are some who would benefit from the appetite suppressing effect of medication. It's not hard to "not eat" when you're not stark raving crazy hungry.

Hunger stands in the way of eating less. We eat because we are hungry regardless of the reason we are hungry...minimize the hunger and the problem dissolves.

And..surely medication is safer than surgery?

It's interesting that Topomax turned off a switch for you, i.e. the must.have.carbs subroutine. Maybe that's a clue to the headache. After all, Atkins is sometimes used to treat seizures. Just an idea.

I also had the stupamax effects (including numbness and tingling in my hands and feet, but I was desperate to get rid of the migraines at that point, so I continued taking the Topomax), but those went away after a few weeks. As for weight -loss and loss of appetite, those never happened for me. According to my doctor, my dosage wasn't high enough for me to experience those 'happier' side-effects.

Good luck finding something to get rid of that headache! I was telling someone a few weeks back that I have to stop and give a moment of thanks whenever I have a headache and/or migraine free day. I have gone weeks with pain at a time, so sometimes I took for granted what pain-free days were like - not anymore.

Maybe medical marijuana is the next step? You certainly wouldn't lose your appetite.

I am taking a client on 7/14 - a little hike from CBS but if interested, I can give you a report.

The mental health pros I know call it "Dopamax" because of how dopey it makes people. I'm sure you'll be glad to get it all out of your system.

Thanks, too, for the ethical advertising standards. :) It's so easy to be tempted into justifying those snake oil purchases on really bad days. Not even having to look at them helps.

Anyways, so has there been on other progress on the headache front?

No progress on the headache front.

Regarding diet pills, I've tried them, and of course, once you go off, the weight comes right back. But...they never really changed my craving for food. Weird. Anyway, about 2 years ago, I had knee surgery, and I took Demerol for about 2 weeks afterwards. I dropped 15 lbs in those 2 weeks...I simply had no desire to eat. My mom would make me 2 pieces of toast and I'd yell at her..."I can't eat that! It's too much food!" I even, for the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, forgot to eat a few meals. I couldn't believe that I was actually one of those people, even for a short period of time, that forgot to eat. I loved it. But of course, I didn't like being stoned and decided not to develop a prescription drug habit. And of course, the 15 lbs came right back. I miss thinking I couldn't possibly eat 2 pieces of dry toast.

I'm now down 60 pounds, 44 more to go to lose my 104 pounds. You're truly an inspiration for me. Thank you so much for your book and especially this blog.

I think I love you! :)

YOU ROCK!

It is non-invasive, doesn't involve drugs, and is like learning to ride a bike- once you learn, you don't forget.
Good luck to you- I found your blog today and have enjoyed it.

Michelle

I'm sorry that it didn't work for you. It has been a miracle for me. I'm thankful every day that I don't have a migraine. I still get headaches, but I can function. I hope you find something that works for you soon!

It's entirely probable that's not the cause for you, but it seems like it might not hurt to rule it out or in. (And just to reiterate, you have to get the blood test specifically for latent food allergies if you decide to do it; the skin test won't work, and the basic blood test for immediate allergies---which are more common in children, anyway---won't work. I had to do a lot of research on my own to get a clear idea of all this, because the literature can be confusing.)

If you would like to have a conversation about this, just email me. :)

Consider it.

I have never been on any medication with side-effects, but I have problems focusing on tasks for other reasons... so I can very much understand choosing not to take something that made focusing harder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binge_eating_disorder

After getting diagnosed with it and trying prozac for a month, my dr. put me on Strattera which is an ADHD medication but used successfully in some clinical trials for BED treatment.

Prior to the Strattera I used to refer to going on a diet as "flipping the crazy switch" because the second I started thinking about it I would suddenly HAVE. TO. EAT. Now I have this odd detachment towards food - I still get hungry, and I still eat, but the crazy switch has been duct-taped into the "off" position.

I just finished your book. Wonderful. I humbly started my own weight-loss journey last week right before I picked it up. Today, I even more humbly began my own weight-loss blog. For what it's worth: http://www.gettinglow.blogspot.com

Drugs stink.

Anyway, if the pills didn't work for you, it may be for the best. I'm not a big believer in pills. Some work, but may cause other problems. Maybe I just don't trust drug companies any too far.

Thanks for not dumping the diet pill ads on us!

I love your blog. I've been reading the archives, and several of your posts really hit the nail on the head for me.

I know you have explored a bazillion options for your chronic headaches. I'd like to butt in uninvited and suggest one more. Pain management specialist. Their focus is on finding ways to, obviously, manage the pain, while your other doctors work on the cause.

Good luck with that. As a frequent migraine sufferer, I have a dim understanding of what you're going through. I myself have explored tons of options to relieve my own headaches, from medication to vitamins to aromatherapy to neck stretches (my neurologist tells me 90% of headaches come from the neck.)