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Diagnosed early (Read 688 times)
Kikipowa
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Diagnosed early
May 29th, 2013 at 6:30pm
 
3 weeks ago I got this horrible pain in a college lecture (I have always had light migraines but the pain was unreal). I started to scream, the pain was so bad. They took me to the hospital and the neurologist diagnosed it quickly (Instant scan, so they managed to see my brain activity while I was having my first attack). Im currently getting mild to extreme ones 3-6 times a day. They can last 15minutes to 2 hours. My college was cooperative enough to let me homeschool the rest of my semester (Hoping I get better).

Im taking:480mg of Verapamil (240mg x2 per day).
               240mg of Apo-Verap (120 x2 per day)
               Complex Cortisone pill treatment
               Imitrex shots (When pain is unbearable)
               Oxygen (O2) Treatment
               10mg of Melatonin
               
               
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Mike NZ
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Oxygen rocks! D3 too!


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Re: Diagnosed early
Reply #1 - May 29th, 2013 at 9:40pm
 
Hi and welcome

From your medications you list 480mg of Verapamil (240mg x2 per day) and 240mg of Apo-Verap (120 x2 per day). Apo-verap looks to be verapamil, so you're on quite a high dose of this. Most people respond to 360-480mg a day, although some go as high as 1000mg to get relief. So it appears that you've just been started on a high dose. Hopefully this will give you relief, although it'll take 10 days or so to take effect.

For the "Complex Cortisone pill treatment" can you explain more about what this is. Typically when someone starts with CH and they are on a preventive, like verapamil, that takes a while to become effective they are given a prednisione taper dose, starting high, say 80mg, and then it tapers off to nothing over about 7-10 days. The intention is to give preventive relief in the short term.

For imitrex you have the injections (which is good), although the "When pain is unbearable" comment implies that you're not taking them at the onset of the CH but sometime later. Imitrex works most effectively when taken as close to the onset of the CH as possible, so this waiting will result in the imitrex not being as effective as it can be.

For oxygen hopefully you've been set up with a non-rebreather mask (one with a bag) and a high flow rate, at least 15lpm, with higher being better, with the oxygen delivered from oxygen cylinders, not an oxygen generator. Using 25lpm I can kill off my CHs in 5 minutes or less. Again it is essential to start on the oxygen as soon as you can after the CH starts.

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I assume the melatonin is for taking at night to prevent overnight CHs. Quite a few people have had success with that approach, although people did find differences between brands and some needed higher doses.

Tell us more about your CHs and also post where you're from as people will be able to give you targetted local advice.

Keep reading and asking questions.
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