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Topic: I'm so glad I'm not alone... (Read 259 times) |
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blfno4
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I'm so glad I'm not alone...
« on: Jun 16th, 2004, 5:55pm » |
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Hello All!!
I was diagnosed with CH about 7 years ago, and have had a lot of problems as of late...Mine rear their ugly head everyday like clockwork...  My question is this...Mine occur at work, usually before lunchtime. Unfortunately, that limits what treatments I can use at the onset, or after for that matter. Are there any effective meds I can take at work to preempt them, or cause them to subside in a reasonable time? Any suggestions would help, as I currently take Excederin Migrane.
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pubgirl
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Re: I'm so glad I'm not alone...
« Reply #1 on: Jun 16th, 2004, 6:01pm » |
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Poor you. I'd bin the migraine treatment and start using the ones for CH if I were you.
(abortives Imitrex and 02, preventives if your cycle is long-too many to mention all but Verapimil the favourite)
Suggest you have a good read around the site for the possible routes you can take.
Have you seen a neuro? If you have and they prescribed Excedrin only, they should be shot!
Wendy
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Superpain
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Re: I'm so glad I'm not alone...
« Reply #2 on: Jun 16th, 2004, 6:52pm » |
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Imitrex shots... Don't leave home without them!
Go to the bathroom, stick your arm with a little imitrex and headache will go byebye in about 5-10 min's.
Read up, and get to a good headache neuro.
Take this with you.
http://www.future-drugs.com/admin/articlefile/ERN020304.pdf
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Chris
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Gator
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Re: I'm so glad I'm not alone...
« Reply #3 on: Jun 17th, 2004, 1:28pm » |
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I did the Excedrin Migraine thing for a while. I tried doubling up the dosage and combining with tylenol allergy sinus - didn't help. Even chewing the tablets so they get into you system faster doesn't help. I went to a neurologist and got Zomig Nasal Spray (zolmitriptan) prescribed. You can sit at your desk or where ever and pop a Zomig and be back to productive in about 5 - 10 minutes. (at least that's fast how it works for me)
You didn't mention, how long do your HA's normally last, how long are your cycles or are you chronic? Wendy touched on a preventative in Verapamil. If you are episodic and your cycles are longer than 2 or 3 weeks or if you're chronic, a neurologist could prescribe you a preventative that may help abort the cycle or keep the headaches at bay. O2 is a really good and cheap abortive for most people.
READ all the information to the left, take the cluster quiz, go to the OUCH Website and read there as well. Print off info for your doctor to read. The link Superpain gave you has excellent info on the treatment of CH.
Oh, and Welcome to the asylum! Just kidding. This is an excellent place for informatioin and support for Cluster Headaches.
Gator
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Prense
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Re: I'm so glad I'm not alone...
« Reply #4 on: Jun 18th, 2004, 9:53am » |
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Do you see a doc/neuro regularly about your CH? I am wondering why you would take the excedrine migraine. It took me no time at all to test the numerous OTC headache and general pain meds only to find that they did nothing for me.
If you are looking for a fast, easy to carry abortive...imitrex injections are probably the best suited as Chris suggested. I use them all the time at work, and I will be back to work in less time than it takes most people to take a dump.
Regards,
Chris
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blfno4
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Re: I'm so glad I'm not alone...
« Reply #5 on: Jun 18th, 2004, 5:37pm » |
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Thank you all sooo much, today I was taken to the hospital, as our wonderful friend was too severe...FINALLY!!! I got a prescription for some Imitrix, and boy oh boy, $96 for 5 pills?? This is gonna suck on the ol' checkbook! I don't care as long as it rocks....On another note, my 13 year old neice has already started hers...poor thing, she hasn't got a clue what she's in for...she only gets them about once a month or so....Pray for her...
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Superpain
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Re: I'm so glad I'm not alone...
« Reply #6 on: Jun 18th, 2004, 7:18pm » |
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on Jun 18th, 2004, 5:37pm, blfno4 wrote:| Thank you all sooo much, today I was taken to the hospital, as our wonderful friend was too severe...FINALLY!!! I got a prescription for some Imitrix, and boy oh boy, $96 for 5 pills?? This is gonna suck on the ol' checkbook! I don't care as long as it rocks....On another note, my 13 year old neice has already started hers...poor thing, she hasn't got a clue what she's in for...she only gets them about once a month or so....Pray for her... |
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I've never had luck with the pills...
You should try to get the injections. They're only $140 for 2 shots! 
BUT realistically, if you use the shot splitting technique you can get about 6 effective shots, so that's about $22 per headache. I call that money well spent.
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Chris
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Prense
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Re: I'm so glad I'm not alone...
« Reply #7 on: Jun 18th, 2004, 9:35pm » |
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Good luck with the pills...
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Filbert
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Re: I'm so glad I'm not alone...
« Reply #8 on: Jun 20th, 2004, 7:03am » |
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Hi and welcome to the board.
Really the tablets aren't much good for CH as they take too long to get into the system and you almost certainly won't get any relief for at least forty minutes! As mentioned already either the nasal sprays Zomig or Imitrex, and Imitrex injections are better. I know it would probably be difficult at work but oxygen delivered at a high flow rate brings relief to about 80% of sufferers. Anyway hope you get some painfree time soon!!
All the best Filbert
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Bob_Johnson
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Re: I'm so glad I'm not alone...
« Reply #9 on: Jun 20th, 2004, 9:10am » |
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If Imitrex injections are not affordable, try this med. It works in 20-minutes for me. Your doc can give you a sample: one or two doses will show whether it works for you.
1: Headache 2001 Sep;41( :813-6
Olanzapine as an Abortive Agent for Cluster Headache.
Rozen TD.
Department of Neurology, Jefferson Headache Center/Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate olanzapine as a cluster headache abortive agent in an open-label trial. BACKGROUND: Cluster headache is the most painful headache syndrome known. There are very few recognized abortive therapies for cluster headache and fewer for patients who have contraindications to vasoconstrictive drugs. METHODS: Olanzapine was given as an abortive agent to five patients with cluster headache in an open-label trial. The initial olanzapine dose was 5 mg, and the dose was increased to 10 mg if there was no pain relief. The dosage was decreased to 2.5 mg if the 5-mg dose was effective but caused adverse effects. To be included in the study, each patient had to treat at least two attacks with either an effective dose or the highest tolerated dose. RESULTS: Five patients completed the investigation (four men, one woman; four with chronic cluster, one with episodic cluster). Olanzapine reduced cluster pain by at least 80% in four of five patients, and two patients became headache-free after taking the drug. Olanzapine typically alleviated pain within 20 minutes after oral dosing and treatment response was consistent across multiple treated attacks. The only adverse event was sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: Olanzapine appears to be a good abortive agent for cluster headache. It alleviates pain quickly and has a consistent response across multiple treated attacks. It appears to work in both episodic and chronic cluster headache.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------
Olanzapine has a brand name of "Zyprexa" and is a antipsychotic. Don't be put off by this primary usage. Several of the drugs used to treat CH are cross over applications, that is, drugs approved by the FDA for one purpose which are found to be effective with unrelated conditions--BJ.
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Some folks get good response with Ergomar. This little tab is dissolved under your tongue--a good approach if you have to use at work. The key is to use it at the very earliest sign of a cluster. Any delay and it's not very effective. But inexpensive on a dose cost basis.
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Bob Johnson
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mynm156
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Re: I'm so glad I'm not alone...
« Reply #10 on: Jun 20th, 2004, 10:18pm » |
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Just a quick greeting and I hope that painfree days are headed your way.
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"Half of the modern drugs could well be thrown out of the window, except that the birds might eat them."
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