Richard, I hate these things for you and for me as well. I understand the fear. You know I get the pain. My best advice is to do what sounds like an exercise in frustration but can actually help with the fear...unfortunately it will not have a short term impact on the pain but one thing at a time. Begin an exhaustive list of everything you have tried and done to abort and prevent the attacks. Sort of like a CH diary in reverse, looking back over a year or more, as far back as you can remember. The idea is to engage your rational processes in an analytical way which will have adverse effects on your ability to feel fear while doing it. You are searching for patterns. You are also searching for something you have not yet tried. In addition, you are creating a list of things to do which may or may not have worked in the past but which might work now or again in the present. You become a detective poring over the clues of your own medical history. It will give you some feeling of control and you may discover some new or old means which can be effective. Good luck, and God bless. lance

The range of BP you report does not strike me as extreme given the emotional intensity you are now experiencing. Obviously, an issue to take discuss with the doc but--layman's read--not a range which would preclude Verap.

However, see the PDF, below, for the latest ratings on Cluster meds.

I'll push Zyprexa again as a viable alternative to Imitrex. A number of us have had excellent response, quite consistent with those noted in this abstract.
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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.

PMID 11576207 PubMed

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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.
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Since this abstract was first posted Zyprexa has appeared in some lists of recommended meds for CH. [BJ]
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While we regularly write about anxiety & such here, I'm disappointed at how little evidence I see that many folks are actively working on taming their emotional responses.

This approach is quite effective if you are willing to devote some time to training yourself on how to alter thinking patterns....

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

My wife and I catch a flight to Nashville tomorrow morning, most everyone else arrives on Thursday. Last minute but could you at least stop by and hang out?

Joe

Check yur PM's!

Joe