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Chronic and now trying everything (Read 899 times)
Joshua
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Chronic and now trying everything
Sep 3rd, 2009 at 9:34am
 
Hey guys-  I'm just throwing this out there to the fates.  I flipped from episodic to chronic this past year.  While I am treating this with verapamil and other drugs I am now looking to try other things.  Mostly because I want people to stop asking me if I've tried acupuncture-  I'm trying it today.

I've read varying experiences, but there's not much (that I've found) on this board about it.  I am not holding out much hope for it, but am curious.  Anyone have any experience?
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Bob Johnson
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"Only the educated are
free." -Epictetus


Posts: 5965
Kennett Square, PA (USA)
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Re: Chronic and now trying everything
Reply #1 - Sep 3rd, 2009 at 11:12am
 
Lithium has a good track record for chronic. Don't be put off by reading about side effects; used wisely, it's an effective med.
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J Headache Pain. 2005 Feb;6(1):3-9. Epub 2005 Jan 25.

Chronic cluster headache: a review.

Favier I, Haan J, Ferrari MD.

Department of Neurology, K5-Q Leiden University Medical Centre, 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.

Cluster headache (CH) is a rare but severe headache disorder characterised by repeated unilateral head pain attacks accompanied by ipsilateral autonomic features. In episodic CH, there are periods of headache attacks with pain-free intervals of weeks, months or years in between. A minority of patients have the chronic form, without pain-free intervals between the headache attacks. Chronic CH can occur as primary or secondary chronic CH; the rarest form is episodic CH arising from chronic CH. In this article, we give a review of the chronic forms of CH and focus on demographics, clinical manifestations, social habits, predictive factors, head injury, genetics, neuroimaging and therapy. IT IS REMARKABLE THAT LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT RISK FACTORS THAT MAKE CH CHRONIC.

Publication Types:
Review

PMID: 16362185 [PubMed] 
--------------
Refractory chronic headache associated with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.

Mitsikostas DD, Vikelis M, Viskos A.

Athens Naval Hospital, Neurology Department, Athens, Greece.

The aim was to investigate the comorbidity of chronic refractory headache with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAs). Seventy-two patients (51 women and 21 men) with chronic and refractory headaches, whose headache occurred during sleep or whose sleep was accompanied by snoring, were submitted to polysomnography. Patients diagnosed with OSAs (respiratory disturbance index > 10) began continuous positive airway pressure (C-PAP) treatment and were followed up for >/= 6 months. Twenty-one cases of OSAs were identified (29.2% of the total investigated, 13.7% of the women and 66.6% of the men). Headaches were classified into several headache disorders, medication overuse headache and cluster headache being the most prevalent (nine and six of the 21 cases, respectively). In one case (1.4% of the total sample, 4.7% of all the men), the criteria for hypnic headache were fulfilled. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that age, male gender and body mass index were associated with OSAs. C-PAP TREATMENT IMPROVED BOTH SLEEP APNOEA AND HEADACHE IN ONLY A THIRD OF THE CASES. Patients suffering from chronic refractory headache associated with sleep or snoring, in particular those who are also middle-aged, overweight men, should be considered for polysomnography. C-PAP treatment alone does not seem to improve headache, but further investigation is needed.

PMID: 17999682 [PubMed]
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Neurology. 2006 Nov 28;67(10):1844-5. 
Acute hypothalamic stimulation and ongoing cluster headache attacks.

Leone M, Franzini A, Broggi G, Mea E, Cecchini AP, Bussone G.

Department of Neurology and Headache Centre, Istituto Nazionale Neurologico Carlo Besta, via Celoria 11, 20133 Milano, Italy. leone@istituto-besta.it

Long-term hypothalamic stimulation is effective in improving drug-resistant chronic cluster headache (CH). We assessed acute hypothalamic stimulation to resolve ongoing CH attacks in 16 patients implanted to prevent chronic CH, investigating 136 attacks. A pain intensity reduction of > or =50% occurred in 25 of 108 evaluable attacks (23.1%). Acute hypothalamic stimulation is not effective in resolving ongoing CH attacks, suggesting that hypothalamic stimulation acts by complex mechanisms in CH prevention.

Publication Types:
Evaluation Studies

PMID: 17130420 [PubMed]
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Bob Johnson
 
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OmG.it.Hurts
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The young one.


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Re: Chronic and now trying everything
Reply #2 - Sep 3rd, 2009 at 11:27am
 
I know maybe this post isn't right but I really can't imagine what you're going through.. You are a brave man, dude. Brave, and I honestly shed a tear at imaging this episodic pain becoming chronic.. I don't know what I would do, and it would take a man everything he's got to suffer with it chronically. My best goes out to you, dude. ANd I hope in the near future there is a cure.
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"It feels like... Mike Tyson is here, giving me right hooks to my eye, while a jackhammer is chipping away at the top of my head.. Oh, and to top it off, my neck feels like it's in a huge vice grip."
OmG.it.Hurts blue_am_i 517791446  
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rane4rane
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I Love CH.com!


Posts: 5
Re: Chronic and now trying everything
Reply #3 - Sep 3rd, 2009 at 12:02pm
 
Hey Joshua, I too just went from episodic to chronic after 30 years of HA. I just posted something about hydrogen peroxide therapy, which has apparently stopped mine. I haven't altered anything else and they were hitting me around 2-3x per day, starting about 3 weeks ago and after trying the peroxide for 2 weeks, the HA have stopped completely (not even a shadow)! I can't believe it could be that simple but when you read the testimonials about H2O2, why not?!?! Research info on the Internet - search under
hydrogen peroxide therapy
and make an informed decision. I hope it works for you if you decide to try it. 
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gizmo
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Posts: 522
Germany
Gender: male
Re: Chronic and now trying everything
Reply #4 - Sep 3rd, 2009 at 2:03pm
 
I never tried acupuncture mainly because I'm sure it doesn't work (just like all the other meds I've tried).

I've quit taking any preventative meds last year.
Until February I only used O2 and (in rare cases) Imitrex.
I felt a lot better after stopping the meds.

In February I took part in a medical trial (worked great for 5 months) and after that (end of July) I switched to seeds.

Since February I'm almost pain free (only 1-2 hits per week instead of 6-8 hits per day).

Oliver
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gizmo
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Re: Chronic and now trying everything
Reply #5 - Sep 3rd, 2009 at 2:06pm
 
OmG.it.Hurts wrote on Sep 3rd, 2009 at 11:27am:
I know maybe this post isn't right but I really can't imagine what you're going through.. You are a brave man, dude. Brave, and I honestly shed a tear at imaging this episodic pain becoming chronic.. I don't know what I would do, and it would take a man everything he's got to suffer with it chronically. My best goes out to you, dude. ANd I hope in the near future there is a cure.


Many chronics (myself included) will tell you that being chronic in fact is easier.
You'll never forget and you're always prepared.
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