Bob Johnson
CH.com Alumnus
 
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"Only the educated are free." -Epictetus
Posts: 5965
Kennett Square, PA (USA)
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If your cycles are as regular as you say, consider a treatment response which is quick acting and doesn't require you to take/us full time for the other two -plus years.
Verap is the old standby, of course, but using O2 as an abortive has the disadvantages of having to keep the equipment/tank on hand all the time; inconveniende of lugging the tank, etc., and its short effectime life compaed to some of the meds.
For an active cycle of weeks(?) once in three yeaers even the effective D3 treatment consumes your attention and $ for most of the time.
Suggesting sticking with the Verap, when in a cycle, and using one of the fast acting abortives for the relatively short time they are needed. Just easier than being another approach which requires your attention and $ for the majority of time when your head is quiet.
I found this med, as an abortive, has seveal advantages: fast actding, inexpensive, pill, and may be a permanent fix. At least print the following and talk to your doc about it. ======== 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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