Hi. I'm a 10 year chronic sufferer who uses Verapamil and oxygen to cope with my attacks. I have managed like this for several years.

Last week my attacks switched sides for the first time. Since switching sides, I am getting one or two FIVE HOUR attacks a day. The kind of attacks that don't respond to oxygen or imitrex injections. The shadow (kip 5-7) lasts 3 or 4 hours after, making the attacks last roughly 9 hours.

I haven't left the house for days now. Missing NHL playoff game tonite, the tickets were a treat to myself for working so hard this past year.

I'm actually terrified of the next hit and for the first time in a long time I'm not sure I can deal with this.

Has anyone else experienced attacks like this? How about correlation between intensity and switching sides? Soon I'll be back on the bathroom floor rocking myself in and out of delirious thoughts, asking for god to forgive me for wanting normality

Hi I hate the switcheroony! Hate, HATE, HATE!!!

Even though my lefties are far less intense it still throws me completely. It's ucky and yucky and lurking and bleaugh!

As always we suggest that if your headaches change, and you're concerned about it, you should check it out with a medical professional but in the meantime I agree with you completely.

It's horrible, horrible, horrible.

Hey Dietcola,

I agree with Brian...  Turning into a CH switch-hitter is grounds for a call on your neurologist at the soonest if at all possible.

In the mean time, check your PM inbox at the top left of this page...  I've left you some information...  Click on "you have 1 new message" to read it.

Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch

I remember the first time I had a side change and it threw me totally.

I'm in agreement with Brian and Batch about seeing your neuro when the change is sudden and drastic, with not just the change in side (which isn't too unusual) but also the change in duration plus the lack of response to your normal abortive medication.

Hopefully things will return to "normal" soon.

I assume you are using a preventive. Consider a dose increase--admitting this a guess!

Several years ago we batted around the speculation that switching sides sometimes signalled a movement into chronic cluster. That based on one medical report and I can't recall anything since on the topic that's worth mentioning.

What is recognized is the sudden failure of our effective meds for ???? reasons. Usually necessary to start all over again, trying different meds/doses as if this was a new a new case of Cluster.

Consider talking to your doc about a trial....

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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