Missed a 2nd day of work today due to CH's.

I've been in cycle 8 weeks now and although my hits are average KIP 2-3 each time, the frequency has been more than past cycles.  I've been getting these small hits 5+ x daily. 

This past several days has been a bit rainy and cooler temps here in Las Vegas and believe the weather has something to do with my hits becoming incredibly painful.  As mentioned above, i've averaged KIP 2-3 for past 7 weeks and this week has been KIP 7 - 8. 

Many have reported they get worse at a "peak" before end of cycle. 

My cycles usually last 8 to 12 weeks, so hope this is what is happening.

Yesterday and today I have called in sick from work.  I am a one man show in a small company as their only salesman.  This is obviously not good that I am not available to produce sales due to my absence.  My boss has been given the "letter to employer" and is empathetic and has been taking it easy on me this past month of September.  But I fear he will not remain patient. 

I have no patience for any BS right now and honestly could not see myself dealing with clients and work while experiencing fatigue from CH's, let alone a shadow or an attack.  This sucks!

That's good advice from Bob.  Frova is a long acting triptan that can give you a good break - for a day anyway.  All you can do is rest up as best you can and get back in there. 

You've been around here a while now.  You know what options there are.  Have you tried Batch's regime?

-Dennis-

My boss is getting very frustrated with me missing so mu h work and being very unproductive.  I have only been putting in mornings and leaving work in the early afternoon and not returning.  I fear being away from my home as that is where the o2 is located.  I bring Imitrex to work with me, but fear taking more than 2x/day, so feel more comfortable at home next to the o2 as I get attacked btw 2pm and 3pm, middle of my 9am to 5pm workday.  Think I am going to get fired because of these fucking CH's!

Might be time to look at alternatives.

Clusterbusters.com

Given new life to many here. Either way you go, wishing you a break soon, good luck with the job.

Joe

what about another O2 tank at work, my boss is very understanding and lets me have one here if a hit happens at work right to the O2 and then back to work. I haven't had to use it for weeks as Batchs D3 regime has had me PF except when I stopped it thinking my cycle was done - it wasn't and right back on it and back to PF

Title: Triptan safety--latest statement
Post by Bob_Johnson on Jun 1st, 2004, 9:47am
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Since this is a report on medications and not on the condition being treated, I believe it would be O.K. to apply these findings to folks with Cluster. NOTE: there are no comments about using triptans at the high/multiple dosing which is often done by cluster patients. (Treat everything below the line as a quotation. These are selected para. from the total report.)
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Consensus Statement: Cardiovascular Safety Profile of Triptans (5-HT1B/1D Agonists) in the Acute Treatment of Migraine

Headache 44(5):414-425, 2004.

Posted 05/25/2004
Abstract
Background: Health care providers frequently cite concerns about cardiovascular safety of the triptans as a barrier to their use. In 2002, the American Headache Society convened the Triptan Cardiovascular Safety Expert Panel to evaluate the evidence on triptan-associated cardiovascular risk and to formulate consensus recommendations for making informed decisions for their use in patients with migraine.
Objective: To summarize the evidence reviewed by the Triptan Cardiovascular Safety Expert Panel and their recommendations for the use of triptans in clinical practice.
Participants: The Triptan Cardiovascular Safety Expert Panel was composed of a multidisciplinary group of experts in neurology, primary care, cardiology, pharmacology, women's health, and epidemiology.
Evidence and Consensus Process: An exhaustive search of the relevant published literature was reviewed by each panel member in preparation for an open roundtable meeting. Pertinent issues (eg, cardiovascular pharmacology of triptans, epidemiology of cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular risk assessment, migraine) were presented as a prelude to group discussion and formulation of consensus conclusions and recommendations. Follow-up meetings were held by telephone.
Conclusions: (1) Most of the data on triptans are derived from patients without known coronary artery disease. (2) Chest symptoms occurring during use of triptans are generally nonserious and are not explained by ischemia. (3) The incidence of serious cardiovascular events with triptans in both clinical trials and clinical practice appears to be extremely low. (4) The cardiovascular risk-benefit profile of triptans favors their use in the absence of contraindications.

----------
These data should be interpreted in view of characteristics of the patient population in migraine clinical trials. Generally, controlled clinical trials with triptans excluded patients with cardiovascular risk factors including known ischemic heart disease, symptoms or signs consistent with ischemic heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias requiring medication, and supine diastolic blood pressure >95 mm Hg and/or systolic blood pressure >160 mm Hg. Thus, the clinical trials data cannot be generalized to migraine sufferers with cardiovascular risk factors.

Triptans are associated with a modestly elevated incidence of chest symptoms (ie, triptan sensations) relative to placebo in well-controlled clinical trials that excluded patients with significant cardiac risk factors or known ischemic heart disease. The chest symptoms in clinical trials were generally transient, mild, and nonserious.

Given the widespread use of triptans, the risk of serious cardiovascular adverse events during postmarketing surveillance appears to be very low. While the risk of a serious cardiovascular event during triptan use appears to be very small, it cannot be dismissed. Serious cardiovascular events, some of which resulted in death, have been reported in association with triptans during postmarketing surveillance. The causal association of triptan use with serious cardiovascular adverse events is difficult to determine based on the postmarketing surveillance data alone.
===========
Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2010 Nov;11(16):2727-37.
Sumatriptan therapy for headache and acute myocardial infarction.
Barra S, Lanero S, Madrid A, Materazzi C, Vitagliano G, Ames PR, Gaeta G.
SourceAntonio Cardarelli Hospital, Cardiology Unit, Via Antonio Cardarelli, 9, 80131 Naples, Italy. giovanni.gaeta@tin.it

Abstract
IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Migraine is a common, debilitating, chronic neurovascular disorder. Triptans are considered the drugs of choice to treat migraine attacks; however, their use is limited owing to concerns about cardiovascular safety.

AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: The aim of this review is to describe: the mechanisms of action of triptans; the case-reports of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) associated with sumatriptan use; and the results of studies evaluating its tolerability and safety.

WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: Sumatriptan administration can be followed, in close temporal relationship, by AMI in young or adult migraine patients. Some of these cases have developed in subjects taking their first dose. Based on the results of prospective studies,

THE RISK OF SEVERE CARDIOVASCULAR ADVERSE EVENTS AFTER THE USE OF A TRIPTAN IS ESTIMATED AT 1:100,000 TREATED ATTACKS. THESE ADVERSE EVENTS, ALBEIT VERY INFREQUENT, HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF CAREFUL ADHERENCE TO THE SUMATRIPTAN PRESCRIBING INFORMATION.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Inherent in its mechanism of action, sumatriptan could produce (coronary) vasospasm sometimes followed by AMI. The drug should not be prescribed to patients with history, symptoms or signs of ischemic vascular disease; an in-depth evaluation should be carried out in subjects at intermediate cardiovascular risk.

PMID:20977405[PubMed

OUUUUUCH!!!

Good thing I stayed home today, much easier to scream loudly and pace frantically when all alone   

coach_bill wrote on Oct 21^st, 2011 at 9:33pm:



I've never had a worthy supporter in 32 yrs of suffering, except you guys and now my 11 yr old son, thanks to all of you in Clusterville for continued support.

If somebody could please PM me who is familiar with how to properly do the "Imitrex Tip", I really need to learn and try it.  Will gladly give my phone number to be coached.

Vegas,

The trex trick is not at all tricky,  there is a great video to help ya along with that on youtube, but i gotta ask... If your willing to take the chance of running the trex trix, Tell me you have at least looked at clusterbusters????

Protect the Plate...
Coach Bill

Sub-q injection hurts the least in belly fat.

You're welcome, LV. I inject myself subcutaneously with a different med twice a week, and I've developed a circular pattern around my tummy so I won't hit the same spot but every three weeks.

Of course, it's not Imitrex, so I'm not in the throes of pain when deciding where to stick either.

Mike NZ wrote on Oct 24^th, 2011 at 2:23pm:

That's pretty funny.

Does anybody remember at the end of Total Recall movie when Arnold and his lady sidekick were gasping for air and their eyes started bulging out of their skulls?  This is how i've felt several times today, yesterday, everyday is running together as one continuous long living nightmare.

I sure hope this is the "grand finale" and about to end my cycle, as this is truly unbearable but will not quit as I recognize this is temporary and must live to the fullest btw hits. 

The o2 is only helpful if started at onset of attack and to hyperventilate need to be at 40lpm, sometimes 60lpm.  25 lpm is for slow deep breaths only and 15lpm is used for 5 or 10 minutes after successful o2 abort.  But even with Redbull, o2 does not always work, especially if KIP level is high. 

Imitrex inj works best and am using half doses manually with qtip in stomach, but probably getting rebounds as the frequency is countless times per day now, my guess is up to 8x/day and running out of trex. 

So leaving in a few hours after I get my 11 yr old off to school and take advantage of my leave of absence and make a full day drive roadtrip down to Mexico.  Did this 6 yrs ago and no prescription required, unlimited supply (despite limited cash) and change of scenery w/ a lonely desert drive should do me good. 

Thanks again to all of you for your encouraging words, wisdom and support.  We are all unique, yet each of us here are so very much alike sharing this rare disorder that nobody else understands.

Will post upon my return tomorrow night.