Hello All,
I have only had CH for about 4 months. I have seen a Nero and he diagnosed me as having CH. I was put on a Prednisone taper ad 180mg of Verapmil daily. The Prednisone is long gone so all I have now is the Verapmil. The Verapmil seems to be working fine because all I have now are very minor attacks. I tried to stop taking the Verapmil because I felt much better but after 2 days I started to feel the monster return. I am back on the Verapmil now. I hate taking meds but I would rather take them than deal with the Bitch.
I have read about 10 pages of this forum and I am trying to figure something out. I read a lot about O2 and how a lot of people here use it.
Is there anyone here that uses O2 only without any of the other drugs and if so WHY?
:)

Yes. I know at least one of the others says he does for the most part and I'm sure he'll respond. I expect he, and possibly others, will tell you its preferable (for them) to abort the attacks with O2 than deal with the side effects of the preventative drugs.

I think each of us is different and has to decide what is best for us individually. My goal is O2 as a primary abortive, but if I can find a medicine that works as a preventive with tolerable or no side effects I'm all over it.

I'm one of the guys who displaced all preventatives.

The reasons were:
- they didn't work
- they made the CH worse
- I felt like shit due to the side-effects

I'm now using O2 and (in the rare cases where O2 doesn't work) Imitrex.
I'm also looking into alternatives (shrooms, seeds and the like).

Oliver

Stickman,

The latest cluster headache survey completed in January with 1134 participants. It indicates an increased use of oxygen therapy over the last few years.  One of the pleasantly surprising results of that survey is there are now more folks using oxygen therapy as their abortive of choice than folks using imitrex.

The following link will take you to a post on how to go about obtaining a prescription for oxygen therapy:

START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

This link provides a lot of information including a few files you can download, print, and take along to your doctor when you ask for the oxygen therapy prescription.

Oxygen therapy is not a cure, but if used properly at flow rates that support hyperventilation, and there are no other medical conditions that interfere with the vasoconstrictive effects of oxygen therapy, it is very effective and very safe.

Oxygen therapy is the least expensive, most effective, and least invasive abortive available to us...  There are no side effects...  You can't say that for the triptan based abortives or any of the preventatives...

Most folks using this method of oxygen therapy have found a significant improvement in their quality of life.  One of the major benefits of using this method of oxygen therapy is a new level of confidence in being able abort attacks in a minimum amount of time.  

Once the therapy procedures are mastered, all the anxiety and dread of the next attack goes away...  The next cluster headache attack is just that...  and easily dispatched with oxygen therapy with a minimum of discomfort or disruption...

Please let us know if you have any problems obtaining the prescription...

Take care,

V/R, Batch

I use nothing but Oxygen. I am episodic.  I passed on the Prednisone. Neuro would not prescribe Oxygen because I was a smoker---quit two months ago.  I get my Oxygen from a welding supply and own my own regulators and masks and the tank. ;)

After 20 years of trying dozens of things that never really worked, I can get complete relief, depending on how quickly I can respond with Oxygen in anywhere from five to fifteen minutes.

Going to the neuro thrusday I have been using O2
since I found this site two weeks ago
I have found a new use for my blowtorch
one question I smoke and use o2 ( not at the same time )
what is the hasered
smoking dosent seem to effect my CH  

Clint,

I am also one who ditched the Verap and other medical prevents.  The side effects got to be to much for me for the amount of relief I got.  I did try Kudzu instead (do a search on the meds section of the "old m-board", button on the left).  I weaned myself off of the Verap as I increased the Kudzu and I find I get as much relief with the Kudzu as I did with Verap and no side effects other than a little gas.  Kudzu is an all natural substance adn is effective for quite a few of us. YMMV

Be sure to read the info on O2 use carefully.  If used improperly, or with improper equipment you will be disappointed and think it doesn't work.  Properly used at the right flow rate it can be very beneficial.

Jerry

Batch wrote on Jul 30^th, 2009 at 5:35am:

.............One of the major benefits of using this method of oxygen therapy is a new level of confidence in being able abort attacks in a minimum amount of time............... ............ all the anxiety and dread of the next attack goes away....................

Worth repeating.

Killing the pain is the obvious goal. Regaining some control and the confidence that goes with it - priceless.

1.   Would someone smarter than me please tell the previous poster how to safely use O2 as a smoker.  Many smokers use O2, but just take the precautions they post.

2.  I use mostly O2 these days.... I'll return to lithium if I start a bad cycle.

3.  I have 2 alternate prevents.  Energy drinks and Zyprexa (last resort).

I have tried all sorts of prevents and abortives and if I can avoid it, I use only O2 and energy drinks (with taurine in them).

Good grief, I've smoked forever and I've used O2 forever -- so far NOT at the same time and never had a problem with it. What's the deal with it??? Use some common sense -- DON"T SMOKE AND SUCK O2 at the SAME time!!! How hard is that for a doctor to figure out and/or tell you??? Lame excuse!!!

And O2 doesn't EXPLODE!! Now if you saturate something it will BURN, but we don't usually stay on it long enough to saturate the room or whatever so that's never been a problem that I've had either.

My idiot son is still paranoid when I light a cigarette in MY house because I have O2 in the house! So far the house is still here (the fifth house I've had O2 in) and we've yet to have a fire and I smoke next to the tank (when it's turned off of course - I'm not exactly stupid!).

What I'm getting at is GET OVER YOUR FEAR OF O2 and get some relief from it! I think it's wonderful as do a LOT of others here. Demand it from your doc and take literature in to PROVE why it WORKS (go to the O2 site here on this MB and print out the literature). Used properly it works for about 70% of us and that's a pretty fair percentage.

That's my 2cents - well you asked for advice didn't you? ;)

Hugs BD :-*