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Topic: Pain Meds (Read 2430 times) |
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thekidd37
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I am a chronic sufferer. I have taken every pill that seems to be available. I know most of you are like me and can get your hands on pain meds when you need them. I personally hate it! But i did a test a couple months ago. I was given a moderate dosage of vicodine. 5mg-400mg. I would take a half pill in the am, half at at about 2pm and maybe a full at night.
This seemed to keep the pain away. I did it for a month and being the chronic sufferer that i am, i noticed the best results here. My question is this. Is there any other Chronic suffers out there like me that are on pain meds and they work? I don't really want to take pain meds but i cant take 3-6 attacks a day anymore. The topamax helps, but only so much anymore.
I just wonder if consistent pain meds offer relief. I know its not the cure. But then again there isn't one. 
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painintheworld
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I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #1 on: Jan 1st, 2008, 9:57am » |
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I tried this for a couple of weeks one time , worked ok , damn rebound headaches sucked though.
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Bob_Johnson
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #2 on: Jan 1st, 2008, 11:50am » |
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The most current therapies:
HERE ARE TWO MAJOR DOCUMENTS WITH RECOMMENDED TREATMENTS FOR CLUSTER HEADACHE, ONE FROM A U.S. PHYSICIAN, THE SECOND FROM EUROPE.
_________________________________________
http://www.plainboard.com/ch/chtherapy.pdf
Here is a link to read and print and take to your doctor. It describes preventive, transitional, abortive and surgical treatments for CH. Written by one of the better headache docs in the U.S. (2002. Rozen)
================
Treatment guidelines from Europe
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A. May, M. Leone, J. Áfra, M. Linde, P. S. Sándor, S. Evers, P. J. Goadsby:
EFNS guidelines on the treatment of cluster headache and other
trigeminalautonomic cephalalgias.
European Journal of Neurology. 2006; 13: 1066–1077.
Download free full text:
http://www.efns.org/files/guideline_49.pdf
(Thanks to "cluster" for link.)
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Bob Johnson
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Kevin_M
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #3 on: Jan 1st, 2008, 2:37pm » |
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on Dec 31st, 2007, 11:43pm, thekidd37 wrote:| I know most of you are like me and can get your hands on pain meds when you need them. |
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Definitely not me.
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Melissa
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #4 on: Jan 1st, 2008, 3:07pm » |
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on Jan 1st, 2008, 2:37pm, Kevin_M wrote:
ditto.
of course, i've never liked taking ANY meds to begin with. I wish I didn't have to take vitamins either.
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Linda_Howell
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #5 on: Jan 1st, 2008, 3:25pm » |
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Quote:| I just wonder if consistent pain meds offer relief |
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What they offer is addiction. And rebound headaches.
Have you tried Oxygen?
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Kindness, is gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us.
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rocketman3104
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #6 on: Jan 1st, 2008, 10:19pm » |
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Pain meds don't touch mine. I had a tooth pulled and my dentist put me on Vicodin. The vicodin would knock me out, but guess who would wake me up out of it, just so he could stab the back of my eye. Yep my monster got real mad when I took the narcotic, like M.C. Hammer said "Can't Touch This"
O2 Rocks, if you haven't tried it give a shot. Works for alot of us.
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Paul
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chewy
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Quote:| I just wonder if consistent pain meds offer relief |
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They sure will. They'll relieve you of a lot of things.
Finances, jobs, family, etc etc.
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George_J
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #8 on: Jan 2nd, 2008, 12:49am » |
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I'm an episodic.
For what it's worth, I was given a variety of pain medications for CH early on. Never became addicted, but none of them was effective. Some of them, (notably codeine, percocet, and darvocet) seemed to make them worse.
Speaking only from my own experience, it's not something I'll bother with again.
Best,
George
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Ah! The foreigners put on such airs
Wearing the tangerine suits
And their harlequin eyes.
The pain they inspire
Draws in harmonica melodies
And the feathers of birds
Which flame up at their touch.
It all comes to light in the sheer
Debonair.
(Ellen)
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Sean_C
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on Jan 2nd, 2008, 12:49am, George_J wrote:| I was given a variety of pain medications for CH early on, none of them was effective. |
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Thats because you have CH.
We need vaso constrictors, not opiates.
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Guiseppi
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #10 on: Jan 2nd, 2008, 10:32am » |
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In the early stages of diagnosis I went through the usualy range of pain killers. Vicodain, codeine, fiorinal, percocet, I used to think they helped because after about 90 minutes the meds would "kick in" and I'd fall asleep. It wasn't until I started keeping detailed diaries I realized that's all the longer the headache lasted untreated.
The mechanism of CH is such that it's really not responsive to "pain killers." Most on the board are far more suucessful using the 2 pronged approach of a good preventative strategy, something you take daily to reduce frequency and intensity of your attacks, these include lithium, verapamil and topomax, then a good abortive strategy, somrething to stop the attack...not the pain,,, the actual mechanism of the attack.
The most popular...that is most consistently effective aborts, are oxygen, and imitrex. There are many more to read about. Both in the short run, and the long run, you will experience far less pain using this routine then the narcotic run. Good luck to you my friend!
Guiseppi
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thomas
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #11 on: Jan 2nd, 2008, 10:39am » |
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Haven't ever had pain meds that would touch a ch. Not a therapy that I would recommend, but hey what do I know, I'm not a doctor.
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Religion and sex are powerplays. Manipulate the people for the money they pay. Selling skin, selling God, the numbers look the same on their credit cards. Triptans cause rebounds. Learn it, believe it, live it. I use triptans as the absolute LAST RESORT when treating my CH.
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lashultz
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #12 on: Jan 2nd, 2008, 11:25am » |
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For me, anyway, pain Medicines like vicodin did nothing. I tried it a few times and it did not even touch the headaches.
Lee
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Crappy
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #13 on: Jan 2nd, 2008, 9:26pm » |
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From what I've read, I think I have a longer experience with narcotics than most chers, because I wasn't diagnosed at the time, and worked with a pain doc who was open to using them long term for chronic pain.
First, everyone is right, at least with vicodin the dosages never work for long, and don't help with much more than shadows. I used them for 18 months. I never had any problems with addiction, and stats show people with chonic pain have low single-digit tendencies toward that. However, I'll say emphatically that if I had a time machine I'd go back and tell myself not to start. They never helped at night when the worst pain was (my "attacks" , and by the end I was on 3 morphine sulphate extended release daily plus 4-6 vicodin or percoset for breakthrough pain (read: rebound headaches). Through all of that time I became more and more fatigued, was sleeping 12-15 hours many days, and found my testosterone took a nosedive. A pharmacist suggested they could be the cause of the fatigue, so I went off them, was diagnosed with chronic CH, and the proper doses of topomax and verapamil with O2 as an abortive has me much more pain free than 120 vicodin/month and 120 morphine ever did, and I can play with my kids again.
I've been chronic for over two years, and before I found preventives that worked my attacks came 5-6 times during the day, plus 2-3 3 hr kip 7-9s every night. Now I have only shadows during the day, which O2 handles, and one attack at night that triptans or O2 work for.
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The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence."
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Brew
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #14 on: Jan 2nd, 2008, 9:34pm » |
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on Jan 2nd, 2008, 9:26pm, Chappy wrote:| I used them for 18 months. I never had any problems with addiction, |
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Do you see the inherent contradiction in these two statements?
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Linda_Howell
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #15 on: Jan 2nd, 2008, 11:40pm » |
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If he doesn't...I do. 
Quote:[I think I have a longer experience with narcotics than most chers, /quote]
Lemmee see here. Could it be that WE are smarter than the average bear?
[quote]However, I'll say emphatically that if I had a time machine I'd go back and tell myself not to start. They never helped |
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Quote:| and by the end I was on 3 morphine sulphate extended release daily plus 4-6 vicodin or percoset for breakthrough pain (read: rebound headaches). Through all of that time I became more and more fatigued, was sleeping 12-15 hours many days, |
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Holy crap...I cannot even find a smiley to describe what I'm thinking right now...(Charlie help!!!!!)
Chappy...? Pm me, I need to straighten your butt out big time fella. O.k. I'll be nice and polite...a little.
Seriously..PM me. Linda
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Kindness, is gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us.
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StressFree
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #16 on: Jan 8th, 2008, 4:54pm » |
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I've been through the whole gammut of pain meds before getting a correct diagnosis and better treatment. My experience was that tollerance to the opiod type drugs would make them rapidly ineffective. I do think that mild antianxiety agents (Meprobamate/Equanil) are usefull if taken at first signs of a cycle. Oxygen didn't work for me due to multiple daily hits, but I haven't tried the new masks that are now in use. The last 2 cycles I've had, Verapamil with a Prednisone taper got things under decent control, but still had some very high KIP level breakthough attacks. Alternating everyother day between a strong pain killer (Stadol nasal spray) and a triptan drug (Maxalt) worked well for me last cycle for break through attacks. Trying not to get wacked on strong pain meds is a tricky thing, and then they end up not working for you. I started out chronic and finally broke into episodic with verapamil and cafergot. Now getting more than several years between each cycle. Wishing the best for everyong out there, especially you chronics! Rich
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jace77
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #17 on: Jan 15th, 2008, 4:11pm » |
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Hubby was chronic or so we thought for 7 years, tried all the pain meds too, at first they helped if he took them an hour before falling asleep, nothing now. We saw a Dr in Cincinnatti and I think he walks on water! Long story short, he stopped what we thought was chronic in ONE visit. THey returned 18 months later, another single visit and gone for 13 months. The beast is back and we are heading back to Cincy the 23rd, lets hope 3 times is a charm!
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Kevin_M
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #18 on: Jan 15th, 2008, 8:09pm » |
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on Jan 15th, 2008, 4:11pm, jace77 wrote:| We saw a Dr in Cincinnatti and I think he walks on water! Long story short, he stopped what we thought was chronic in ONE visit. THey returned 18 months later, another single visit and gone for 13 months. |
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You haven't mentioned what he does in one visit.
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Kevin_M
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #19 on: Jan 15th, 2008, 8:26pm » |
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on Jan 8th, 2008, 4:54pm, StressFree wrote:| Oxygen didn't work for me due to multiple daily hits, but I haven't tried the new masks that are now in use. |
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That's what oxygen is for, handling hits daily or nightly when they come, without medication. A non-rebreather mask and 15Lpm will make a difference.
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Redd
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #20 on: Jan 15th, 2008, 8:48pm » |
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on Jan 15th, 2008, 8:09pm, Kevin_M wrote:
You haven't mentioned what he does in one visit.
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Call me a sceptic, but I smell something reptillian mixed with petrolium with 6 posts.
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jace77
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #21 on: Jan 15th, 2008, 10:29pm » |
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The first time we went to Cincy, all he did was increase the verapamil by 240 mg day, was at 240 X 2 day and went to 3 per day. You would think someone would have done that long before. The second time we went he did some sort of nerve block at the base of the skull, insurance didn't cover it as they said it was experimental, don't remember the exact cost but it was under 200.00 and well worth it.
Just an FYI, though we show as newbies, we have been a member since 1999, and was one of the first to register in the WHere we live when it first started. I simply forgot the log in and finally decided to re-register today.
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| « Last Edit: Jan 15th, 2008, 10:49pm by jace77 » |
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Kevin_M
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #22 on: Jan 16th, 2008, 4:56am » |
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on Jan 15th, 2008, 10:29pm, jace77 wrote:| increase the verapamil by 240 mg day, was at 240 X 2 day and went to 3 per day. You would think someone would have done that long before. |
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It's quite common for me to have the doc change the verap dosage in steps as needed. It does help.
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midwestbeth
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #23 on: Jan 16th, 2008, 11:16am » |
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Tylenol, Excedrin, Naproxen, then went to trying codeine and vicodin...............nothing ever touched the pain. I was taking pain meds daily and this was before I was diagnosed with ch. Gave up all pain meds about a month before being diagnosed. I thought I was immune to pain meds since they never brought me any relief......................well, actually I thought I had a brain tumor.
Beth
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StressFree
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James4:8 I'm a moral failure, but there is hope...
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Re: Pain Meds
« Reply #24 on: Jan 17th, 2008, 6:13pm » |
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Quote:| A non-rebreather mask and 15Lpm will make a difference. |
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Kevin_M,
I did have some success with oxygen years ago. It would stop an attack within 10 to 15 minutes, but the same high KIP level attack would always return within a half hour. I had the same issue with Imitrex. It became almost a 24 hour/7 day a week cluster event. I went from one attack each day like clockwork, to so many attacks day and night that I couldn't count them. The shadows inbetween were extremely intense as well. You know the residual temple burning type thing? This had never happened before using the 02 and Imitrex as abortives. One thing I've used along with meds is a TENS nerve stimulator to try to calm things down. This didn't seem to give as strong of an abort, but I think it gave more lasting results. Also Maxalt worked better for me than Imitrex. It's odd that it's so different for each of us, and even from one cycle to the next. I will likely try the non-rebreather next time anyway. Prayers going out for you all. Rich
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| « Last Edit: Jan 17th, 2008, 6:18pm by StressFree » |
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