Hello my neurologist is on vacation and my meds arent helping me, and my cycle is starting, so i need advice on what to do. I have no insurance and everyone i have called wants an outrageous amount of money just to see me. Any advice on where to go or what to do? I am in Las Vegas.

Isn't another doctor covering for your neurologist? Or could you speak to a nurse in his/her office?

Go to your county assistance agency and see if there are any medical programs you can get on, be sure to explain your situation with CH.

Read the oxygen info on the left and print some portions or all of it out if necessary to help get the oxygen prescription from the doc.  Or you can see if you can pick up some welders O2.

Here is a list of herbals/supplements that may give some relief over the next few days.  Keep in mind they will not be nearly as affective as actual prescription medication and abortives.

Omega 3 Suppliments 1000mg

Tanquil- (contains Humulus Lupulus and Valerian root extract)
        This can also help get you through the night and can help avoid night time hits.

Cetrizine/Zyrtec = over the counter allergy medication, taken before bed by about 1 hour it may help him get through the night with no hits and some decent zzz's. Found in most any grocery, drug, or walmart store.

The above are items I use.  Along with my regular prescription medications.



Others here also use...

Taurine - found in energy drinks (stay away from high acidity energy drinks if you haVe ulcer issues) such as redbull **there are others.     Taurine Combined with Caffeine/coffee works in many to help kill a CH hit.  You can also find taurine supplements at GNC or buy it off the internet, however if you use the internet you will be waiting for at least a week to even get  your shipment.

Kava - Herbal also found at GNC

Melatonin : take 1 hour before bed- GNC

Vitamin D2 suppliments

Magnesium - GNC

Hot or cold wet clothes to the head during an attack- depends on sufferers preference.

Good Luck and Hang in there!

Agree with Brew. If he doesn't have backup it's a good sign to start looking for a new doc.

If no backup, call the social work office at your larger hospials and ask for guidance at finding low cost/free clinics.

A backup doc is going to be cautious about making big changes in your current treatment BUT if you see one, print out this abstract and ask if he is willing to give you a sample. IF this med works, it's about the lowest cost abortive going, with high effectiveness.
--
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

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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.
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Since this abstract was first posted Zyprexa has appeared in some lists of recommended meds for CH. [BJ]

Some ideas regarding serious non prescription approaches that once you know about them could have you not Jonesing for a neurologist so much:

This first one, the clusterbusters approach, is showing real promise as being a more effective preventative than any prescription drug. Yep you read that right, and researchers at Harvard Medical are currently trying to launch trials with it. It's been many years now that CH'ers have been clusterbusting and reporting the results, many with astounding success. Here's a Newsweek article on clusterbusters for starters: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

I'll also second the welder's O2 (no prescription required), administered as outlined in the oxygen info link to the left.

If you're getting hit before you can even get some welder's O2, then deeply breathing freezing air with your nose right up to the blasting car air conditioner vent has the potential to abort a hit, even more so if you've just chugged an energy drink or shot.

There's a relatively recent hot topic here regarding a specific vitamin high dose D3 regimen that has some CH'ers reporting significant prevention results. Definitely worth checking out: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

It's possible you could join the contingent of CH'ers who have found much better results by not strictly relying on a neurologist, and becoming educated here and at clusterbusters.com on the powerful alternatives.