Posted by Jerry on November 03, 1998 at 06:47:58:
In Reply to: Elavil/Amitriptyline posted by Linda on November 01, 1998 at 16:11:58:
Hi Linda!
I am not clued up on the medicine, as I have stopped taking any since 1996 due to the enormous price tag, without any relief in my case. I know that Elavil and other tri-cyclic antidepressants are succesful for some migrain sufferers. Anti-depressants can help in a way for clusters, but some of them does bring about headaches! My clusters were initially probably triggered by anti-depressants. One needs to go through those and find one which does not cause head-aches for a particular person. For cluster headaches, Lithium (commonly used for mood disorders, especially for mania but in some cases also for depression), has proved in some cases of cluster sufferers to be effective (according to the literature more particularly in chronic cluster cases). Interesting that Lithium (which is chemically very close to salt)has proved to be successful in some cluster cases.
My speculation is that because Lithium works on the body's serotinin regulator (and therefor by implication on the water regulator), it is oil on my fire regarding water therapy. Whatever the difference is between Lithium and salt (as I pointed out, they are very very similar) is worth taking note of. Osmotic thirst (too much salt)is associated with clusters, so why a salt like substance like Lithium proved to be somewhat associated with "curing" (helping for) clusters, is the one million dollar question, which is why I speculate that if someone can tell us what the actual difference is between salt(which we should avoid) and Lithium (which we can take), then maybe we have something again to work on.
Keep us posted! Painless times for you! Jerry