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Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> ER Meds ???
(Message started by: EstieSA on Jan 27th, 2008, 10:10am)

Title: ER Meds ???
Post by EstieSA on Jan 27th, 2008, 10:10am
Hi all !

I've been to ER on a  DAILY basis the last couple of days hitting k7-k9s.

The normal IM injection consists of Pethidene , Largactil & Stemitil giving plus minus 20 hours of relief (NOT pf) with BAD side effects :(

What meds are used in your case ???

Title: Re: ER Meds ???
Post by MJ on Jan 27th, 2008, 10:43am

on 01/27/08 at 10:10:42, EstieSA wrote:
(NOT pf) with BAD side effects :(

What meds are used in your case ???


The last I went to the ER was in the 1980s.

The last 1/3 (10 years) of my cluster carreer I quit all RXmeds due to side effects and no value.

For me it was easier and cleaner to muscle through the hits allways at K10 with no side effects. Was allways hit 8-10 times a day. Never fun.

Have you tried oxygen? Prednisone, Verapamil, Immitrex? Might help.

Title: Re: ER Meds ???
Post by Melissa on Jan 27th, 2008, 11:11am
Holy crap!  Ok, I googled all those med names and it says the first is a pain killer, the 2nd an antipsychotic and the 3rd is used for nausea and vomiting??  Yikes.

Get thee to a neurologist as soon as possible!  Most folks here take what MR listed, like Oxygen (an abortive) and Verapamil (a preventative).  Please check out this link to all the different kinds of cluster headaches meds and treatments: http://www.ouch-us.org/chinfo1.htm

Title: Re: ER Meds ???
Post by chewy on Jan 27th, 2008, 11:35am
Fill this out with your Doc and bring it with you.

http://www.ouch-us.org/downloads/ercard5807.pdf

Title: Re: ER Meds ???
Post by Bob_Johnson on Jan 27th, 2008, 1:08pm
Melissa's idenification of the meds sounds like they gave you a run of migraine meds, none of which are specific for Cluster.

Our experiences and the medical literature make it clear that the ER is one of the weakest places to get a good Dx/treatment for cluster. I'd encourage you to find a good headache specialist--and not just any neurologist for many of them lack training/experience in headache issues.

This is excellent material to guide you in discussing treatment options with any doc.

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

------
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.)



Title: Re: ER Meds ???
Post by Melissa on Jan 27th, 2008, 1:28pm
Here are a couple cluster headache sufferer recommended doctors in South Africa...

George Davie
Pretoria, Gauteng

Dr Pieter Slabbert
Pretoria, South Africa

Title: Re: ER Meds ???
Post by EstieSA on Jan 27th, 2008, 3:52pm
Thanks for the replies.

Just to recap my history:

I've been chronic for the last 3 years , 11 before that episodic...!

In the beginning I was diagnosed with Trigeminal neuralgia and had the "jeanetta procedure" performed on me twice. Basically a teflon plate installed between the 5th nerve & the main ajoining arterie.

No success. The nerve was then sewered/clipped which left me with blurred vision in my left eye, numb left side of face, no tears in left eye or runny left nostril...but Horners' Syndrome still sets in during the early stages of an attack.

Looong time ago a neurologist put me in hospital and over a 10 day period shoved every medication remotely related down my throat & into my veins!

In the end I was sent home with a handful of Neurontin & Isoptin but no stipulated dosages, and I wasn't going to take any chances...

Medics in SA are quite clueless when it comes to CH >:( , they just don't listen when you try to explain yourself!

For the last two years I used 3 x 400mg Neurontin /day, which gave relief right in the beginning. Dec 07 saw me change to Topamax, 250mg in total with daily breakthroughs.

02 + Clustermasx did wonders for about a month , after which it turned around and actually became WORSE when breathing medical 02 @ 15l/m.

Melissa, can you put me in contact with SA sufferers that's used these docs...?

Thx a lot for reading/listening to my "saga" !

PS: How can I forget - plenty nerve blocks over the years!

Title: Re: ER Meds ???
Post by Melissa on Jan 27th, 2008, 5:17pm

on 01/27/08 at 15:52:58, EstieSA wrote:
Melissa, can you put me in contact with SA sufferers that's used these docs...?

No, I'm sorry but I don't have that information.  I found those doctors on this web page from OUCH: http://www.ouch-us.org/chgeneral/doctors.htm

Title: Re: ER Meds ???
Post by Ace_Sterling on Jan 30th, 2008, 4:50am
If you ever want to get into the ER without the wait, let me know.

Title: Re: ER Meds ???
Post by Ray on Jan 30th, 2008, 7:53am

on 01/30/08 at 04:50:34, Ace_Sterling wrote:
If you ever want to get into the ER without the wait, let me know.


Ah, no thanks...

Ray

Title: Re: ER Meds ???
Post by thomas on Jan 30th, 2008, 9:35am
DHE?

Title: Re: ER Meds ???
Post by EstieSA on Jan 30th, 2008, 4:05pm

on 01/30/08 at 09:35:53, thomas wrote:
DHE?

In the (banana) Republic of SA  [smiley=huh.gif]

Not a chance...

Yonks ago an IM jab of Dihygergot snuffed the beast completely. It was withdrawn from the market here in the late '80s  :(

Title: Re: ER Meds ???
Post by thomas on Jan 30th, 2008, 4:35pm
That is really too bad.

Title: Re: ER Meds ???
Post by EstieSA on Feb 2nd, 2008, 6:06pm

on 01/27/08 at 13:28:02, Melissa wrote:
Dr Pieter Slabbert
Pretoria, South Africa


8)
The 1st opening to see him is on 31 March , so I took it. I'll be taking ch diaries, etc along.

Anything in particular I should remember...?

Title: Re: ER Meds ???
Post by Melissa on Feb 2nd, 2008, 7:42pm

on 02/02/08 at 18:06:43, EstieSA wrote:
8)
The 1st opening to see him is on 31 March , so I took it. I'll be taking ch diaries, etc along.

Anything in particular I should remember...?

Well, the diaries are good.  That should explain to your doctor just what sort of headache they are dealing with.

You also may want to print out the different kinds of medication treatments on this page: http://www.ouch-us.org/medications/medications.htm  

Also this article on O2 therapy: http://www.chhelp.org/mhni.html

Good luck to you!



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