I began having CH's September 2008 at age 57.  I was told that this was very unusual. They lasted until November.  I was diagnosed by a neurologist and was prescribed indocin, prednisone and zomig nasal spray.  I took 75mg of topamax at bedtime then and still do now.  I was HA free until the end of January 2009 and I have only had 2 days in over a month in which i didn't have an episode.  Mine usually occur between 3 am and 4 am.  I am so afraid of the night.  I was wondering if anyone else uses the zomig spray during an attack.  It helps me if I am able to administer it.  

There are a lot of sufferers who use the Zomig nasal spray, with good results.  Many others use Imitrex injections to abort.

BUT, the safest, cheapest, and most effective (in my mind) is pure OXYGEN!  Have you tried it yet?  Even if you have tried it in the past, and it didn't work, try it again!  Make sure you are using it properly with the right equipment.

On the left side of your screen is the tab oxygen info.  Go there and read that.  It should answer most of your questions about it.  If you have any questions, ask them here.  We would love to help!

Good luck!

Chuck

I've never tried the zomig but many people have posted success with it.

I'm another big time proponent of 02. I'm almost 49, 30 plus years with the beast and 02 is still my first and most effective abortive. I can halt an attack in its tracks in as little as 6 minutes. Do read the link carefully as used incorrectly you might as well be sucking helium. ;) It's been an almost miraculous abortive for the majority who have tried it. Definitely worth trying. It's cheap, no nasty med side effects. Welcome to the board, hopw we can help you.

joe

thanks guys.  i did try o2 once and it did nothing for me.  i will what you asked me to and maybe i didn't do it correctly.  i've read that o2 is successful with about 60-70% of CH sufferers.  is this correct?  maybe i'm in the 30% but i will read.  thanks again for you input.

bigmenawa wrote on Mar 7^th, 2009 at 12:21am:

i've read that o2 is successful with about 60-70% of CH sufferers.  is this correct?

Those are the numbers that are bandied about, but I am not sure it is accurate.  I have talked and PM'd MANY sufferers, and many have said they tried it, and it didn't work.  

In continued talking, I found out that they were not doing it properly, or had the wrong equipment.  Once they got the right procedure, and equipment, they were amazed at how well it worked, AND how fast!

I have to admit, that I fought it, when I first came to this web site, because I HAD tried it, and it did not work for me, either.  Well, after MUCH harassment, nagging, and badgering, I finally agreed to give it another shot.  (Yes, even us gay men can be stubborn SOB's!  LOL!)  I could not believe that I had been so stupid in refusing to try it again!  The big difference, is now I had people who KNEW the proper way to administer it, and were VERY willing to help me.

It has changed my life TREMENDOUSLY for the better.

You just need the right mask, the correct flow rate, and get on it as soon as you feel one starting up.  There are those that did not get results, at 15 LPM, yet DO get results at higher flow rates.  Some are very lucky and get good results at 8 LPM, which is GREAT!

PLEASE try it again!  And, if you want to talk to someone, on the phone, or via skype, just send the person you want to talk to a PM.  I know that MOST of us would be more than happy to talk you through it.

Good luck!

Chuck

have any of you guys ever taken maxalt or know if it works on CH's?

Yes- the melt version is my first drug of choice for migraine BUT the poor thing just does not kick in anywhere near fast enough for CH. Its helps a bit but there are better triptains for CH.
You cannot mix rizatriptain with other triptains; you can still only take 2 as an absolute maximum in 24 hours and it is not available in a fast acting version as sumatriptain and zomatriptain.  

The only way I found it helped with CH to reduce the severity of the next attack on days I was getting 4-6.
The sumatriptain nasal spray and auto-injectors are one heck of a lot better for CH and last me a lot longer.

02 can make a big difference but it can also take some getting used to using if your new to it- its worth trying to wrestle with as it can make life nicer for most of us.
Thanks to Batch I found this PDF on the main OUCH USA website which made using o2 better and enough backed with ice packs and coffee or redbull to chase away the smaller hits leaving me the sumatriptain as back up for the nastier buggers.
START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

Maxalt was too slow to abort when I tried it however I've heard some say its helpful to them

I've used zomig nasals to abort and I like them better then immitrex nasals but  immitrex stat dose aborts the fastest for me of the trex.

good luck to you

kelly

Imitrex and Zomig nasal sprays are good abortives. The Zomig lasts longer, and doesn't seem to give you the rebounds you may get with imitrex. Don't mix the two, you must wait 24 hours from the time you use one until you use the other one.

Also, you can ask your doc for imitrex vials, and syringes. That way, you can split the shots. A single vial is one dose. A lot of us will split it into 3 shots. This works well, and very fast. And it makes your trex last longer, if you are limited by insurance on how much they will let you get each month. Also, splitting the shots lessens the rebound effect from trex.

But do read up on the LATEST O2 info over to the left. It is a great abortive, with no side effects. Used correctly, it helps most people kill a hit in as little as 5 minutes. Even though you've tried it in the past, you may be very pleasantly surprised this time around.

I've used Zomig tablets and they have worked well for me. The only nasal spray I have used was Migrinal and it worked for me as well.

I too am a "02 pusher", though apparently I am not part of the club that gets a cool badge. LOL.

I now use 02 as my main abortive, then whatever med works for me that I have the most of or that will expire soon.

too am a "02 pusher", though apparently I am not part of the club that gets a cool badge. LOL.

It's not a badge that's "earned" Hawk! ;) Ya just gotta cut and paste it onto your profile. I haven't had my computer wise wife do it for me yet!

Joe

Have you tried melatonin at night?  I have been taking 10mg a night for 3 weeks and I have not had a hit at night except in the very beginning when the regimen was new to me (I learned about it here!).  I tend to have 3 hits a day starting at night so finding ways to abort or avoid are paramount to me; I also take verapamil as my prophylactic.

I have found that Maxalt Melts alone do nothing except postpone when I can use Imitrix but with an energy drink like Rock Star Light with coffee as a chaser can abort...

I use Imitrix injections when necessary and I prefer it to the Maxalt regimen.

Like others, I tried the O2 after reading up on it and checking out the link on the left and it is AWESOME!  When I get daytime hits and I am home, it is my first choice!

One key is to ACT as SOON as you can when you are hit!  There is no reason to suffer more than necessary... I have also found that being willing to experiment has really opened up options for me and makes these hits more manageable!

Good luck and may you be PF ASAP!

Well, Joe, when she does it for you have her do it for me too!

I will pester her tomorrow and forward you the instructions! ;)

Joe

bigmenawa wrote on Mar 12^th, 2009 at 9:19pm:

have any of you guys ever taken maxalt or know if it works on CH's?

I've tried maxalt melt (wafers), but like Katie, it only works well for my migraines (of which I get several a week quite often too), if I am in cycle I dont use it for migraines, otherwise I'd be using up my 'triptan' quota on the migraine headaches, when the hits are majorly worse. I did once abort one hit with maxalt melt but it took over 30 mins.

I'm just about to try sumatriptan nasal spray tomorrow (provided my hits come as usual), the tablets just dont work fast enough to abort a hit.

I tried the sumatriptan (imigran) nasal spray tonight, it did abort my hit in under 10 mins which is fabulous, however it made me very shaky and I threw up, probably cos it ran down my throat and tasted vile I think, told hubby that I think I'd rather jab myself than have that again, but I would, just to abort another hit.

Your right the taste is truly vile. I am glad they helped with the pain but sorry they made you so sick.

I think your right in your case the auto-injectors would be a better option.
Get Val at OUCH UK to give you some tips on using the things when you can get them her tips  really were helpful.  [smiley=thumb.gif]

My first few goes were disasterous. :o [The wall and ceiling benefited more than me!]

Is your GP happy to hand them over without a three line whip from your neuro?

will ask him tomorrow and see if he's prepared to prescribe them to me, I've given myself sub-cut heparin before but that was not an auto-injector - so will be a new experience