Hi,
I tend to have success with O2 but have recently tried sumatriptan (Imigran) with decent success.
I have to go to Japan next week and unfortunately in in the middle of a nasty cluster, so I was planning to take a bunch of Imigran with me. (I tried a portable O2 concentrator once but it was just not up to the job...)
My question is whether anyone knows about the maximum amount of sumatriptan you can safely use over a month?
I'm getting 3-4 headaches per 24 hours, so could easily go through a fair few tablets over the next few weeks...
(I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I didn't find it in my searches...)
I'm going to chat to my GP again, but any personal experience or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Peter
PS also just started the D3 regime, so finger crossed.

Hi Peter.Drome,
I picked this up from medicinenet.com about sumatriptan

DOSING: The recommended oral dose is 25-100 mg and the maximum dose is 200 mg daily. The recommended intranasal dose is 5-20 mg and the maximum dose is 40 mg daily. The recommended injection dose is 4 or 6 mg injected under the skin. The maximum dose is two 6 mg injections separated by 1 hour.

However you say that you have started the D3 regimen, that's great as it is a safe and effective way to deal with CH. I started the regimen about 1 1/2 year ago and am now pain free and have been since about 3 weeks after starting the regimen. Apply the loading schedule for the 1st month and make sure that you take all of the co-factors as advised by Batch and you should be pain free pretty soon. Make sure that you take all of the tablets with you on your trip to Japan so that you can take all the tablets every day.
If you can, get your D3 levels tested and once you reach 80 ng/mL, you will be in the therapeutic zone. You can very safely take 600000iu D3 per month so don't be afraid to load up for the 1st month as per Batch's loading schedule

Week 1 - 20,000 IU/day plus one (1) 50,000 IU loading dose
Week 2 - 20,000 IU/day plus one (1) 50,000 IU loading dose
Week 3 - 15,000 IU/day
Week 4 - 15,000 IU/day
+ all the co-factors

All the best

G'day Pete. Can't answer a single one of your questions but thought I'd jump in to say welcome.

Regarding the imigran, most folk find the pills to be far too slow acting to be of much use. By the time they kick in the worst is over anyway so the preferred method is self-administered imigran shots or perhaps the nasal spray.

As to your joy with the O2 concentrator, it perfectly reflects the experience of others here - great idea, just a shame it doesn't work.

I'm told Japan is beautiful at this time of year. Will you send us some pics?

Peter.Drome, you should really read this article by Dr. Alexander Mauskop, titled "How much sumatritpan (or another triptan) is too much?"
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To sum up: he says there's no proof that DAILY use of triptans is harmful in any way (as long as you're not in any risk groups, like having high BP for example). He's a neurologist who treats some of his patients with daily triptans for years.

Looked it up some time ago in Google Scholar and found several interesting studies that go along with this thesis.