hello everyone , my names tony and ive just stumbled across this site purly by accident really , i was looking at a youtube documentory and saw the website, im a 43 year old male , and ive been having cluster headaches since the age of 11 , i can still remember like it was yesterday when i had my first episode , and been having them ever since , Over the years ive tried every kind of beta blocker that the drs can prescribe but to no avail ... nothing works .. only 1 tablet and thats imigran .... for many years my GP prescribed me Zolmitriptan which worked but only after suffering the unbearable pain for a few hours if im lucky ... mostly more before the tablet kicked in ... many times i took a second or third depending on the length of the attack .... it would be freezing cold outside but i would strip down so i was bare chested and would often pace up and down my garden just to cool myself down , ive had multiple MRI scans ... but obviously nothing showed up .... then i came to wales 5 years ago ... and my new GP was concerned at the cost of the tablets i kept taking ... sometimes up to 8 per day depending on the number of attacks ... so he decided to switch me (against my better judgement) to a cheaper alternative ... imigran ... OMG what a relief ... after 30 mins or so .... the elastic band in my head suddenly released and the pain eased .... so imigran it is from now onwards ....
not once has any GP along the line suggested Oxygen , i dont mean this in nasty way but its so nice to see other CH sufferers ... i know im not alone now

Given the developments in treating Cluster ove the last 10-15 years suggest you forget your history re. treatments and start with a fresh set of eyes.
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LOCATING HEADACHE SPECIALIST

1. Yellow Pages phone book: look for "Headache Clinics" in the M.D. section and look under "neurologist" where some docs will list speciality areas of practice.

2.  Call your hospital/medical center. They often have an office to assist in finding a physician. You may have to ask for the social worker/patient advocate.

3. Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or ; On-line screen to find a physician.

4. Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or Look for "Physician Finder" search box. They will send a list of M.D.s for your state.I suggest using this source for several reasons: first, we have read several messages from people who, even seeing neurologists, are unhappy with the quality of care and ATTITUDES they have encountered; second, the clinical director of the Jefferson (Philadelphia) Headache Clinic said, in late 1999, that upwards of 40%+ of U.S. doctors have poor training in treating headache and/or hold attitudes about headache ("hysterical female disorder") which block them from sympathetic and effective work with the patient; third, it's necessary to find a doctor who has experience, skill, and a set of attitudes which give hope of success. This is the best method I know of to find such a physician.

5. Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or NEW certification program for "Headache Medicine" by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties, an independent, non-profit, professional medical organization.
        Since this is a new program, the initial listing is limited and so it should be checked each time you have an interest in locating a headache doctor.
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See the PDF file, below, for current meds.

hi,
    sorry to hi-jack the thread,
    hoppy, I was interested to read that you paid $29 for 4 tablets.   I buy the 50mg ones, im presuming that's what you are buying, but I know they come in stronger mg, so sorry in advance if im wrong.
   I buy 20 at a time, for $95 from chemist warehouse
   but they are 50 mg tablets, I think from memory my nuerologist found the best deal for me on line at my first appointment with her, but I think from memory you had to buy 5 boxes  (20 tablets) to get it for the $95.
  hope that helps
regards
colin

Blacklab Wrote,

sorry to hi-jack the thread,
    hoppy, I was interested to read that you paid $29 for 4 tablets.   I buy the 50mg ones, im presuming that's what you are buying, but I know they come in stronger mg, so sorry in advance if im wrong.
   I buy 20 at a time, for $95 from chemist warehouse
   but they are 50 mg tablets, I think from memory my nuerologist found the best deal for me on line at my first appointment with her, but I think from memory you had to buy 5 boxes  (20 tablets) to get it for the $95.
  hope that helps.

G'day Colin,
Thanks for posting your ? Back in 2005 when the beast
reared his ugly head i went to my GP to get some meds,
he wrote a regulation 24 prescription, 12 x 2 100mg tablets
in a box supplied all at once. I went to the chemist to
pick them up.Pharmacist said he had none in stock, only
4/tablet 50mg box. Off to another chemist same answer.
here we go  on it's way and no
meds, phone Shane "my doc" for help, CH now about kip5
told me to sit tight, as if i was going any time soon,
asked where i was and faxed a new script.4/50mg tablets
with 5 repeats 20 tablets.to late CH now at kip10 will have
to ride this one out.I was'nt aware you could get the whole
script filled with a discount. So the cost to me.

7 days x $29 = $203 x 1 month = $812  x 3 month cycle =
$2,436.                                                               

Cheers, Hoppy.

Quote:

Tony, welcome, and I have a question: do you mean the above to state that since no doc you know has suggested O2, you question its effectiveness? Or do you mean, since no doc you know has mentioned O2, you question their knowledge base when it comes to CHs? Makes a big difference. Blessings. lance

wow ... thanks everyone for the responses you have all give .... much much food for thought .... yes i do need to challenge my doctor more .... and im quite fortunate ... my doctor prescribes 40 x 50mg imigran tabs at a time each time i go see him without any questions being asked ..... he knows my pain because hes seen it in action and just gives me a script each time i see him ... and in wales there are no charges for prescriptions .

Hi all, no one has ever offered me 02 either, or even mentioned it. I didn't even know it would abort a CH till I came here.  I'm going to ask for it next time I see my doc. The internet is available to every one, and once a neuro has made a diagnosis it would be a simple thing for docs to have a look at sites like this one, and others, to learn a little about the condition, in order to save us from hours of agony. I have seen several GP's and not one of them has had a clue. My own GP said I know more about the condition than she does. Not very encouraging. I had to research meds myself and ask for what I wanted ( the same as I will with 02) and she gives it to me without question because she doesn't know what else to do. I finally met a professional - a pharmacist - who had some idea of what CH was all about and he asked me to be interviewed in the office so he could hear about it first hand. It was such a relief to talk to some one (other than neuro) who didn't just suggest co-codomol or ibuprofen.