How very sad that this poor soul didn't find help.  Condolences to his family and friends.

Carol

"Mr Bedford took this into account and recorded the verdict: “Trevor took his own life while suffering from and receiving treatment for cluster headaches.”

This statement is what really bothers me.  This article is bad journalism at the very least.  There are a lot of questions that are not answered.  There is a comment section on that article, folks.  Post your response!

That is pitiful...

Wish he would have found this family....things might have turned out much differently.

I found this site within 24 hours of being diagnosed (only 8 years after they started).  I think anyone searching for "cluster headaches" will end up here and quickly find that this is the source for CH info.

When my wife read about the nickname "suicide headaches," she sat me down and said, "However bad things get, I want you to remember that I cannot do this without you, and that your kids cannot grow up without you.  No matter how you feel, that will always be true."

Since then, I've often felt not only worthless, but that I was a burden and my family would be better off without me.  It was her words that brought me back to sanity whenever my mind would wander down that path.  So to all of you supporters out there: If you ever worry about this, just remember that affirming words can make the difference.

As for treatments, those that worked all failed for me after days or weeks, except for triptans.  But with 9-16 hrs/day in pain imitrex and zomig aren't much help, and demand-valve O2 only worked while I was sucking on it.  Once my medical bills reached $40k I couldn't afford to go back to a neuro for the "next" pill to try.

Luckily, I lost all remnants of pride through the first year of daily back-to-back attacks, and was willing to try busting.  That has brought me at least back to the land of the living, though I'm still hoping for more.

Chappy, don't lose that hope.

There are those that need you.

All of us.

Linda_Howell wrote on Jun 10^th, 2009 at 7:42pm:


that was my thought. many of my friends seldom get on the computer. i will say this. ive been pretty close to that edge before i had anybody that could identify with scaring the hell out of co-workers and losing a job. anybody remember what is was like before we all had each other let alone before we knew what a cluster headache was?

Whether topomax increases the risk of suicide is an open question that is being debated ... I think mentioning it is valid.  There is some evidence to suggest it does (in a small subset of people), although the evidence is not iron clad.  Even drugs to treat depression can have such a paradoxical reaction in a few cases.  And topomax does not generally have positive effects on mood, although if it gives relief from clusters and merely makes one a bit grumbly (or forgetful), that is a good trade off.