wow c, that's a list and a half.
okay let me see if i can get this straight...
Maxzide -
-hydrochlorothiazide and triamterene
-used for hypertension
(and fluid retention in your case)
Effexor XR 225mg
-venlafaxine hydrochloride
-Antidepressant, anxiolytic
(for migraines in your case)
Gabapentin 300mg 3 X a day
-an anticonvulsant
-used in the treatment of partial seizures.
Omeprazole
-an inhibitor of gastric acid secretion used in the treatment of dyspepsia , gastroesophageal reflux disease, disorders of gastric hypersecretion, and peptic ulcer, including that associated with Helicobacter pylori infection.
Provigil 200mg
-Modafinil is a eugeroic drug generally prescribed to treat narcolepsy
Restoril 30mg or Ambien 10mg (at night and not at the same time)
-a benzodiazepine derivative with powerful hypnotic properties. It possesses strong anxiolytic, hypnotic, anticonvulsant, amnestic, sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant properties.
Rebif Injections M/W/F 44mcg
-Interferon beta-1a is a drug in the interferon family used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS).
It is produced by mammalian cells...
Tylenol as needed
A trademark for the drug acetaminophen.
-Acetaminophen is used to relieve many kinds of minor aches and pains—headaches, muscle aches, backaches, toothaches, menstrual cramps, arthritis, and the aches and pains that often accompany colds.
off the top of my head, i don't know what nutrients might be depleted by all of these drugs, but you can certainly 'google scholar' them to see what might be an issue, like we did recently for gabapentin. drives me nuts when docs don't tell patients what the unintended implications of the meds are.
i had a very quick look starting with maxzide, and found an unsupported assertion that it depleted calcium, b9 (folic acid) and zinc. if you care to try to confirm this sort of claim, you can try searching google scholar with terms like
thiazides hypozincemia and such.
you can get into this for your whole list to see what kind of issues the meds can be causing.
cheerleader got rid of her migraines using
1000mg. omega 3
2,000IU vit. D
25 mg. DHEA
calcium/mag/zinc
along with healthy eating and exercise.
certainly omega 3, D3, and cal/mag/zinc are beneficial in ms also.
i don't know much about the endocrine system yet but i think zinc is one puzzle piece that helps it work properly.
we did look at gabapentin nutrient depletion recently, in the 'types of ms pain describe yours' and 'sleep issues' threads, by tt89 and miss feisty.
anyway, magnesium is certainly helpful for various kinds of tension, it can even be used to treat tetanus.
i'm not sure about the omeprazole. if the sphincter isn't working properly i'd wonder if it was spastic. do you suffer from spasticity elsewhere? if so... magnesium.
sorry to hear that rebif is knocking you out. i wouldn't know what to suggest instead of provigil..
as for the restoril.. magnesium might very well help you with sleep issues, in addition to migraine problems. and spasticity..
interferon is produced by mammalian cells and is hypothesized to work because it's anti-inflammatory. when i read up on rebif i decided to support my own cells' production of interferon. at the time, my research led to the idea of d3 supplementation. my lab tests confirmed that i was well below the 100nmol/L that is associated with the lowest risk of MS.
d3 and magnesium are notably good for odd aches and pains too.
so the next questions are: how's your diet? do you take any nutritional supplements? are you dehydrated?