Just came from Dr, trying to get Verapamil...He and Neuro both say NO, they had a ch patient go into full kidney failure 2 yrs ago with the Lithuim/Veramil combo, and won't prescribe the 2 together anymore. Neuro did suggest a valproic acid, DEPAKOTE is what they prescribed. I never heard of it and was wondering if anybody else out there has ever taken this med with Lithium, if so, what were the results? Blood tests show I'm borderline on Lithuim, and they won't go above 600 mg/day for that. Still trying to get some relief, enough to get some sleep anyway. Going on 18 weeks this time.
Any info on these meds would be appreciated.

That is to bad that the bad experience made them rule it out as a possiblity for anyone else.  Sucks.  I took 900mg of lithium a day for a couple years and it cut the number of ch in half and they were less intense.  That was by itself.  I did try depakote or another generic name for it volproic acid at another time and had a severe reaction to it.  Which didn't suprise me because I am allergic to all seizure meds except topamax and neurontin.  I hope this combo gives you the relief you need.  Have you considered taking melatonin at night?  Lots of people take it with some sucess at getting more sleep. 

Why not verapamil without the lithium?

What a load of crap. That ain't medicine. Do you know how many people that combination has helped? They don't call it the "chronic cocktail" for nothing.

Depakote didn't help my CH. Hope it works for you.

Don

My Experiences…

I believe you will find Lithium/Verapamil to be a common combination in the treatment of CH.

I’ve taken 1200mg Lithium Carbonate/720mg Verapamil daily for nearly a decade.  Get my blood tests and EKG’s regularly and have had few issues.  Verapamil will make my ankles and lower legs swell painfully when I’m on my feet for long periods.  A few minutes sitting down usually resolves the problem.

Had a serious side effect with Depakote (valproic acid) that manifested itself almost immediately.  I lost the ability to focus my eyes properly.  Stopped taking Depakote (after discussing with my Neurologist) but it took nearly a month for my eyes to focus properly.

A lot of detailed prescription drug information on each of these options is available at START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE I suggest reviewing the information and having a worthwhile discussion with your Neurologist regarding what you believe is the most effective way to proceed.  Take time to discuss the potential side effects and how to deal with them. 

If you don’t like what you are hearing or he/she isn’t willing to listen to your opinions – it may be time to find a new Doc.

Good luck,

burnt-toast
(Tom)

WOW!!!
Thanks so much for the feedback....I kinda wondered about the Depakote. Wish I could talk this Dr into the l/v combo, but we've had at least 5 discussions about it, including over an hr today about side effects, etc. I even had some printed stuff from the website here, but he wouldn't budge, since he had that one bad experience...as for the Neuro, will be getting a new one after first of yr since the current one is retireing.
Yes, I also take melatonin to help with sleep, have tried several different doses, 3mg w/25mg theanine seems to work best. Just getting tired of waking up ever 90 min or so with a headache, hitting the O2, then trying to get back to sleep. Kinda hard to hold down a job like that, but then I'm old enough to retire, so think that is what I'm going to do.
Thanks again for the info, I hadn't seen anything in print, and that scared me.
PFDAN to all
Fred

DO NOT let the beast force you to retire if that's not what you want to do. Make every attempt to kick its ass first. The l/v combo has been a life-saver for me.