I used to have intermittent CH cycles for 30 days every 12-18 months. Unfortunately I have been in an unbreakable cycle since August 2007. However, my doctor had the pharmacy make up a lidocaine nasal spray as my insurance limits my Imitrex to only 4 refills per month. I guess they think the ER is cheaper!

For whatever reason, this combination has worked to abort 95% of my CH if I am home to use it so I save my Imitrex inj and nasal spray for when I am away from home for now and have to make an occasional ER trip while I appeal my insurance.

My dr is sending me to a specialist in Michigan, but I am going to post that with a different subject as I am curious if anyone else has done this trial med.

I tried the 4% lidocaine, nasal drops,  in the mid 1980's and didn't have much luck with it. I wasn;t using oxygen back then. Now I use oxygen combined with oral cafergot to knock a hit down and keep it away. If Lidocain and 02 works, hang with it!

Guiseppi

JJ,

I had the same experience with lidocaine drops as Giuseppi.  Although lidocaine drops or spray can be effective in numbing the sphenopalatine ganglia, you feel it sting sometimes before you sneeze, I suspect it's more than likely the oxygen that's doing the magic in aborting the pain of your cluster headache attacks. The cluster headache specialists at MHNI have found that an oxygen flow rate of 12-15 liters/minute can be very effective if lower flow rates are ineffective in achieving an abort.

The simple way to find out if it's the lidocaine, oxygen, or a combination of the two that's doing the trick, is to try each of these three abortive methods separately.

Take care,

V/R, Batch

JJ,

Your neurologist has to go to bat for you and request an "over-ride" on the numbers of imitrex injections that you need.  At one time I was getting 18 per month via the over-ride.  I would stock pile them for the next pending cycle.  I now get 36 zomig nasals every three months.

Hope this might help,

John