Good day all,Just a little vent here....I went to renew my prescription today and no one has injectable imitrex on the island!And there telling me they dont know when it will be in!Im in a panic right now. >:(

OUCH!!  That would have many of us seeing Red and hitting the panic button! 
Can you get a hold of some O2 ??

You could also try to contact GLAXO SMITH KLINE the makers of Imitrex and let them know of the issue with getting your Imitrex. START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

I do have a perscription for O2.But I find it doesnt always work.At night I get the beast every 2 hours,thats why Im in a panic.The triptan will give me a few hours of much needed rest.Ive tried calling my neurologist but he is in Boston and his assistants answering machine is full.I must say that living on an Island in the middle of the atlantic can really suck.If I could I would fly to the states for this! I hate these headaches...they have taken everything I had in me and swept it out the door.I try to stay positive but its really hard.I hope we all have a pain free day,we deserve it..

Have you tried a longer-acting pill form of triptan, like Frova or Amerge, for sleeping?

If you haven't tried melatonin yet it's worth a shot. An over the counter sleeping aid available at vitamin and health food stores, or even most pharmacies. Start with 9 mg 30 minutes before bedtime. Many can avoid the night time hits using melatonin. Takes a couple of days to kick in for some so give it a few days. Good luck.

Joe

Well I did fill my frovatriptan prescription today.I was worried about mixing the two,so I held off on it.Just found out we have melatonin here at home.Will try it...thanks for the input guys!

Might do a trial with this abortive; nearly as fast acting as Imitrex and less expensive. Note, that for a few people it stopped all attacks.

The nice thing is that, if it works but you choose to stay with Imitrex, it, being a pill, is easy to store as an emergency back-up.
=======
Headache 2001 Sep;41(8):813-6 

Olanzapine as an Abortive Agent for Cluster Headache.

Rozen TD.

Department of Neurology, Jefferson Headache Center/Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate olanzapine as a cluster headache abortive agent in an open-label trial. BACKGROUND: Cluster headache is the most painful headache syndrome known. There are very few recognized abortive therapies for cluster headache and fewer for patients who have contraindications to vasoconstrictive drugs. METHODS: Olanzapine was given as an abortive agent to five patients with cluster headache in an open-label trial. THE INITIAL OLANZAPINE DOSE WAS 5 MG, AND THE DOSE WAS INCREASED TO 10 MG IF THERE WAS NO PAIN RELIEF. THE DOSAGE WAS DECREASED TO 2.5 MG IF THE 5-MG DOSE WAS EFFECTIVE BUT CAUSED ADVERSE EFFECTS. To be included in the study, each patient had to treat at least two attacks with either an effective dose or the highest tolerated dose. RESULTS: Five patients completed the investigation (four men, one woman; four with chronic cluster, one with episodic cluster). Olanzapine reduced cluster pain by at least 80% in four of five patients, and TWO PATIENTS BECAME HEADACHE-FREE AFTER TAKING THE DRUG. Olanzapine typically alleviated pain within 20 minutes after oral dosing and treatment response was consistent across multiple treated attacks. The only adverse event was sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: Olanzapine appears to be a good abortive agent for cluster headache. IT ALLEVIATES PAIN QUICKLY AND HAS A CONSISTENT RESPONSE ACROSS MULTIPLE TREATED ATTACKS. IT APPEARS TO WORK IN BOTH EPISODIC AND CHRONIC CLUSTER HEADACHE.

PMID 11576207 PubMed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Olanzapine has a brand name of "Zyprexa" and is a antipsychotic. Don't be put off by this primary usage. Several of the drugs used to treat CH are cross over applications, that is, drugs approved by the FDA for one purpose which are found to be effective with unrelated conditions--BJ.

Well....had a really bad night...I took the frova at 5:00pm on sat with a headache.After about half a hour I was PF,cooked a nice meal and watched a movie then went to bed.I did take the 9mgs of melatonin before and prayed for a much needed nights rest.WELL! at2:09am I was awoken by the beast,took in some O2 and it went away...then at 4:09 I was once again hit by the beast,tried the O2 again and it worked somewhat.Then at 6:09 he came back!So I decided to ride this one out (k7).Went back to bed exhausted and in tears, at 8:10 I had the beast come and try and finish me off(k9-10).I was a mess.Head still hurts after 2hrs .Its seems bruised,I call it hamburgerhead.Im at a loss here,I live in Bermuda ...we dont have 24hr pharmacies.The emergency at the hospital is a joke.They dont know when the injectable sumatriptan will be on island.My neuro is in Boston and I dont know when he will be back.So little is known about cluster headaches here.Im tired of people whom I talk with saying when I get a bad headache I just take 222s or advil.....I just laugh and change the subject because Im not going to sit there and compare headaches.Im begining to think that we are all superheros because of the pain we go through.Well Ive taken another frovatriptan and Ill see how it works.Keeping my fingers crossed

Consider upping the melatonin to 12 or 15mg.

Also, if you can stave off the evening hits with O2, don't take the Frova until right before bed.

Lastly, is there nobody covering for your neuro while he or she is away?

will try upping the melatonin.And nobody is covering for him when he is in Boston.Thats island life for ya..... >:( :'(

That sucks. I had a similar experience the other day related to narcotic for post-surg pain. The scrip indicated a dosage they didn't carry. While my husband tried to work out the problem, I was sitting in the car in the parking lot in 8/10 pain. The lesson is to think ahead to possible hurdles and proceed proactively. With any Rx, it's worth a call to the pharmacy first to see if they carry it. Any pharmacy will get whatever you need. Maybe ask doc for some other scrips (e.g. oral or nasal imitrex) "just in case." Best of luck!

My heart goes out to you as this is how I live for about 14 years now...many hits every night.Many times i am afraid to go to bed.I wish i had an answer for you.The meds and the o2 don't really work for me either.I put imitrex in water and when it is diluted it seems to work faster although never fast enough.I have several attacks each night where nothing works and I shake alot from the extreme pain.Once in awhile a stiff cup of coffie,even cold gives me temporary relief.You are probably aware of the food triggers,mine are different than the most but this is something that makes a big difference.I wish so bad that I could help you because I sure know how you feel.I guess i am writing this just to let you know I am thinking of you and my heart goes out to you.
I hope you sleep beter tonight!!!

julyn wrote on Dec 5^th, 2010 at 1:28pm:

My heart goes out to you as this is how I live for about 14 years now...many hits every night.Many times i am afraid to go to bed.I wish i had an answer for you.The meds and the o2 don't really work for me either.I put imitrex in water and when it is diluted it seems to work faster although never fast enough.I have several attacks each night where nothing works and I shake alot from the extreme pain.Once in awhile a stiff cup of coffie,even cold gives me temporary relief.You are probably aware of the food triggers,mine are different than the most but this is something that makes a big difference.I wish so bad that I could help you because I sure know how you feel.I guess i am writing this just to let you know I am thinking of you and my heart goes out to you. I hope you sleep beter tonight!!!

Thankyou for that..I really dont know what my triggers are.My cycle kicked in when I lost my Dad.In the last 2 years I was eating and drinking all the foods I love.Aswell as repairing boats and working with solvents acetone and paints.I really dont think foods or smells are my trigger.I have a feeling its stress,when I was at home and dealing with the house making sure Mom is cool for the winter.I was chilling out doing the dishes and thats when it hit.I guess coming down from a hectic day and trying to relax was the trigger.I really dont know....anyways ,to all you cluster heads out there have a good night or a good day where ever you are.Bill

They have a generic now, also try the pill and nasal form?

Vials, come in 4 and 6mg as does the Stat! ask for all of
them.  When you find one then get a doc to write the script.
Also, try 5hr energy right before you go to sleep.  Seemed to
keep me out of REM sleep. Would sleep a little and not wake
every 2 hrs.

Hope it helps you too,

Boski   :D

[smiley=hug.gif]  You poor, poor thing, that just sounds terrible.  It is so horrible to know that you are suffering and that there is nothing we can do to help you  :-/

I just hope and pray that you get a good nights sleep soon, and some imitrex!!!

Take care,

Kate

Hi Bill;
Ja I agree that's why mine are back...stress or heart pain whatever word you give it.I was 2 years free and could eat and,even better,,drink anything.When I am in hitting season I cannot eat any chemicals so no chinese,only biological stuff vetsin or MSG kills me big time and garlic kills me double....only in cycle,out of hitting seaon i could eat whole garlic and it wouldn't bother me.I just found a herbal medicine I am going to try this week called rhodiola(Maybe a different name in english)Handels neurotransmitters and stress.If it helps I will be sure to let you know.
thinking of you and hoping for some rest for us all.

Rhodiola also known as Golden Root, Roseroot, Aaron's Rod START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

Let us know if it helps Julyn   ;)

Dec 7th at12 noon I was humbled...I had the worst headache in my 21 years of Clusters.It scared the shit right out of me.I honestly thought I was going to die.Never have I felt that kind of pain,I even called my Mom to tell her that I love her...

catscratchfever wrote on Dec 8^th, 2010 at 10:20am:

Dec 7th at12 noon I was humbled...I had the worst headache in my 21 years of Clusters.It scared the shit right out of me.I honestly thought I was going to die.Never have I felt that kind of pain,I even called my Mom to tell her that I love her...

There are a few I've had over the years that are unforgettable--real, killing attacks that are the "10's" I measure against every other CH.  Up to about an "8" I can control my reactions to one--but at "9" or above, my self-control flies completely out the window.  An attack like that still scares me, even after better than 40 years episodic.  It scares everyone around me.  On one memorable occasion, I couldn't even pace and bang my head against things--just rolled around on the floor screaming, and eventually crawled into a closet.  Scared the hell out of Elizabeth.

I haven't had one like that for 12 or 15 years.  "Normal" CH I can deal with--we've been uneasy companions for most of my life.  But those rare brainstorms are something else again.

Hope you never, ever get another one.

Best,

George

If you haven't done so yet, call them back and see if they have it in nasal.

thanks for that George.tears are in my eyes as I red that.Every tingle in my head sends me to the edge.Its not a suicidal feeling, its a terrified feeling Im dealing with.Thank god for this forum...It does calm me down a bit.