Welcome scrub_nurse.  I'm new too and i'm only replying because I get warm/hot and blushy on the side of my attacks.  I'm not chronic though so this only happens during my cycles.  I don't take Verapamil
by choice.  I try to stay as natural as possible, but if I was chronic I would probably consider it then.  I'm sure some others will be on here to share info about the blushing.  I know one thing, I was in the GP office during a attack once through my cycle and she said, my ear was even swollen as well as that whole side of my head it seemed.  I had every symptom and she was the original doc I had that suspected CH, however she isn't a specialist and sent me to a neuro that does specialize in it.  I wish I would have had that attack in front of him so he could have studied me a bit, LOL!

For me, shadows are anything from partial symptoms (tearing eye, stuffy nostril, ...) to pain on the cluster side that doesn't develop into a full blown hit and persistents for hours.

Everyone is different though.

-Dennis-

Verap and prednisone, cause my face to become beet red at times, face hot etc.  Sort looks a little funny huh?


I take 680 mg in cycle.  HOw do you know you are chronic? 

Welcome-

kelly

I suspect the flushing is a more intense expression of one of the effects some people have during an attack: face sweating, tearing, nasal congestion. All part of the neurological response of CH.

Suggest you talk to your doc about trying this med as an abortive. Number of us have had good restults, low per dose cost, and, being a pill, easy to taken when you are at work/in public, etc.

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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.



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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.

my attacks became at some point chronic, so my GP prescribed verapamil, it worked, my CH disappeared. Then I had to stop after I believe it was 2 weeks, for some days to see if the headache came back, and it did, in all his glory. So I started the verap again. Then at different moments I had to stop to see if my headache came back, and every time I stopped my headache was back. So my GP said, keep taking your verap, and maybe you can decide at some moments to see if your headaches come back. After some time I tried, and within some time again, the headache was back. So now I take verap every day, and I don't have any attacks, but I keep feeling, I guess I should call it shadows, at the background that it is there.
I hope you understand now. English is not my native language (I'm Dutch) be I'm not very clear.

It's great that the verapamil is working so well as a prevent. I use lithium the same way. After 4 weeks of pain free time, I start to wean off of it. If the headaches come back, I go right back on it again!

Would your doctor consider prescribing the oxygen to have on hand the next time you try to wean off of the verapamil? That way if the headaches do come back, at least you're not sitting there defenseless!

Guiseppi