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Topic: WDGCH (Read 668 times) |
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Bob P
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Shut up Bob!
 
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Quote:Research Submission
Testosterone Replacement Therapy for Treatment Refractory Cluster Headache
Mark J. Stillman, MD
Objectives.—To describe the clinical characteristics and laboratory findings of cluster headache patients whose headaches responded to testosterone replacement therapy.
Background.—Current evidence points to hypothalamic dysfunction, with increased metabolic hyperactivity in the region of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, as being important in the genesis of cluster headaches. This is clinically borne out in the circadian and diurnal behavior of these headaches. For years it has been recognized that male cluster headache patients appear overmasculinized. Recent neuroendocrine and sleep studies now point to an association between gonadotropin and corticotropin levels and hypothalamically entrained pineal secretion of melatonin.
Results.—Seven male and 2 female patients, seen between July 2004 and February 2005, and between the ages of 32 and 56, are reported with histories of treatment resistant cluster headaches accompanied by borderline low or low serum testosterone levels. The patients failed to respond to individually tailored medical regimens, including melatonin doses of 12 mg a day or higher, high flow oxygen, maximally tolerated verapamil, antiepileptic agents, and parenteral serotonin agonists. Seven of the 9 patients met 2004 International Classification for the Diagnosis of Headache criteria for chronic cluster headaches; the other 2 patients had episodic cluster headaches of several months duration. After neurological and physical examination all patients had laboratory investigations including fasting lipid panel, PSA (where indicated), LH, FSH, and testosterone levels (both free and total). All 9 patients demonstrated either abnormally low or low, normal testosterone levels. After supplementation with either pure testosterone in 5 of 7 male patients or combination testosterone/estrogen therapy in both female patients, the patients achieved cluster headache freedom for the first 24 hours. Four male chronic cluster patients, all with abnormally low testosterone levels, achieved remission.
Conclusions.—Abnormal testosterone levels in patients with episodic or chronic cluster headaches refractory to maximal medical management may predict a therapeutic response to testosterone replacement therapy. In the described cases, diurnal variation of attacks, a seasonal cluster pattern, and previous, transient responsiveness to melatonin therapy pointed to the hypothalamus as the site of neurological dysfunction. Prospective studies pairing hormone levels and polysomnographic data are needed.
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Men who get clusters are manly men. The Italians were right!
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| « Last Edit: May 24th, 2006, 4:15pm by Bob P » |
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Mrs. Barlow, I never, and I repeat never, ever pissed in your steam iron.
"SHUT UP HUB!"
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clarence
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Wake up
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #1 on: May 24th, 2006, 4:22pm » |
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Can one really be overmasculinized?
And yes, we are manly men!
Casey
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NY Yankees Suck!!!
"Bart, don't make fun of Grad students. They just made a terrible life decision," Marge Simpson
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Bob P
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Shut up Bob!
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #2 on: May 24th, 2006, 4:27pm » |
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Quote:| Can one really be overmasculinized? |
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Long Dong Silver and Moby Dick were (maybe Jonny too).
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Mrs. Barlow, I never, and I repeat never, ever pissed in your steam iron.
"SHUT UP HUB!"
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Redd
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #3 on: May 24th, 2006, 4:31pm » |
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No comment.....
Nope Nope Nope
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I saw an act of faith today. A man was on his knees, not in a pew in a Church, but in a garden planting seeds. ~~Unknown
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BobG
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #4 on: May 24th, 2006, 4:33pm » |
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ROTFLMAO 
overmasculinized........!
Yeah, right. That's my problem for sure.
 
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Stay stressed. Never relax. Never sleep. Ever.
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Sandy_C
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Burn that bra!
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #5 on: May 24th, 2006, 4:33pm » |
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What Redd said
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Lean on me when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
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seasonalboomer
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If I think hard enough maybe it'll go away.....
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #6 on: May 24th, 2006, 4:35pm » |
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seriously .... what would overmasculinized mean? from a medical standpoint?
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seasonal boomer
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Donna_D.
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #7 on: May 24th, 2006, 5:18pm » |
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Ummm....Think you better read again....
Quote:| Results.—Seven male and 2 female patients, seen between July 2004 and February 2005, and between the ages of 32 and 56, are reported with histories of treatment resistant cluster headaches accompanied by borderline low or low serum testosterone levels. |
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Quote:| All 9 patients demonstrated either abnormally low or low, normal testosterone levels. After supplementation with either pure testosterone in 5 of 7 male patients or combination testosterone/estrogen therapy in both female patients, the patients achieved cluster headache freedom for the first 24 hours. Four male chronic cluster patients, all with abnormally low testosterone levels, achieved remission. |
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And what are the results of low testosterone levels??
Let's Investigate!!
http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZO7PDVDLC&a mp;sub_cat=57#tes
Oh wow...look what I found!!
Quote:
Physical Symptoms Related to Low Testosterone
Signs of low testosterone in men may include decreased sex drive, poor erections by the penis [erectile dysfunction (ED)], lowered sperm count and reduced fertility, or increased breast size. Men also may have symptoms similar to those seen during menopause in women — hot flashes, increased irritability, inability to concentrate, and depression.
Some men may have a prolonged and severe decrease in testosterone production. As a result, they may experience loss of body hair and reduced muscle mass, their bones may be more brittle and prone to fracture, and their testes may become smaller and softer. In younger men, low testosterone production may reduce the development of body and facial hair, muscle mass, and genitals. In addition, their voices also may fail to deepen. |
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Women may not get CH...but apparantly...REAL men don't get it either 
 For my sisters with CH...we may in fact be more manly than our male counterparts!!
DD
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 The information contained above is for the expressed use of fellow clusterheads and their supporters. Any misuse of this information by any of my "Ex's" is considered to be creepy and a form of harassment and will be duly noted by the ch.com webmaster
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Lizzie2
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #8 on: May 24th, 2006, 5:27pm » |
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LMAO Donna! Nice one!!! 
Women who have higher than normal testosterone levels often have an increased amount of chin acne and irregular periods - for starters.
The "D" in WDGCH means "DO" right?
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pattik
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #9 on: May 24th, 2006, 5:28pm » |
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on May 24th, 2006, 5:18pm, Donna_D. wrote:
Women may not get CH...but apparantly...REAL men don't get it either |
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Donna, that was also my take on the article.
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shut up bob
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The voyage of discovery is not about seeking new landscapes, it's about having new eyes--Marcel Proust
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Donna_D.
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #10 on: May 24th, 2006, 5:30pm » |
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Don't worry guys....
There is a solution to that low testosterone problem...
Testoderm®
Alza Pharmaceuticals
4mg/day, 40cm2 patch
or 6mg/day, 60cm2 patch
Applied daily to scrotum.
Happy Patching!!
DD
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The information contained above is for the expressed use of fellow clusterheads and their supporters. Any misuse of this information by any of my "Ex's" is considered to be creepy and a form of harassment and will be duly noted by the ch.com webmaster
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Tom K
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Wait 5 days, but I'm angry now...
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #11 on: May 24th, 2006, 5:43pm » |
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Thanks for opening that door, Bob 
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"America, you're so fine, you're so fine, you blow my mind. America, America."-Bart Simpson
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Karla
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #12 on: May 24th, 2006, 5:51pm » |
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Oh DD say it aint so!
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Karla
suffer chronic ch
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Proud Mom of Chris USMC Semper Fi
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unsolved1
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on May 24th, 2006, 5:43pm, Tom K wrote:| Thanks for opening that door, Bob |
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LMAO
Does that mean my testes are going to shrink ??
UNsolved
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Linda_Howell
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Hearing is one thing. Listening is another.
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #14 on: May 24th, 2006, 7:03pm » |
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So, let me see if I got this right.
All women with CH should march into their Dr.s office and demand shots of Testosterone?
Begs the questions :
will we then need aftershave or perfume?
Boxers or briefs?
Salon or barbershop?
Linda
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Kindness, is gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us.
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Jonny
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #15 on: May 24th, 2006, 7:11pm » |
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on May 24th, 2006, 7:03pm, Linda_Howell wrote:
So, let me see if I got this right.
All women with CH should march into their Dr.s office and demand shots of Testosterone?
Begs the questions :
will we then need aftershave or perfume?
Boxers or briefs?
Salon or barbershop?
Linda
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Brazilian wax
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It is up to YOU to educate yourself and then help your doctor plan your treatment. If you just sit down in front of your doctor and say "make me better" you are setting yourself up for a great deal of pain.
- Guiseppi
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floridian
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There is conflicting (and relatively sparse) info on the testosterone levels of men with clusters. Both testosterone and anti-testosterone treatments help some people to varying degrees. I think I read somewhere that the testosterone only drops when a person is in cycle. But this is really still a roscharch, so believe what you like.
(The clusterhead formerly known as Floridian).
Quote: Int J Clin Pharmacol Res. 1988;8(1):21-4.
Antiandrogenic medication of cluster headache.
Sicuteri F. Institute of Internal Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Florence, Italy.
The effectiveness of cyproterone acetate, a synthetic steroid with antiandrogenic action, was tested in 40 (young, adult) males, suffering from episodic (29) and chronic (11) cluster headache. Previously a minority (15) cases had been unsuccessfully treated with lithium, the conventional therapy of this condition. The rationale for an antiandrogenic treatment in cluster headache was based on its well-known clinical characteristics: 1) about 90% male sex preference; 2) rarity of clinical manifestations in childhood and in old age as well as women, e.g. in subjects with low androgenic secretion if compared to young adult males; 3) altered levels (increased or reduced, according to different authors) of plasma testosterone. The parameters to evaluate the effects of treatment were those conventional ones: intensity, duration and frequency of attacks. Antiandrogenic treatment improved, with few exceptions, by a slight, moderate or large extent, the course of cluster headache in all patients. The efficaciousness was mainly evident in those cases (15) of episodic or chronic cluster headache, previously resistant to lithium.
PMID: 3366500 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] |
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Quote:Cephalalgia. 1987 Mar;7(1):43-54.
Prolactin in cluster headache: diurnal secretion, response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone, and relation to sex steroids and gonadotropins.
Waldenlind E, Gustafsson SA.
The diurnal rhythmicity of serum prolactin (PRL) and the PRL and thyrotropin (TSH) response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) were studied in 31 cluster headache patients (4 chronic cases) and 14 healthy controls. Sixteen of the patients were studied both during clinical remission and headache periods. In males the nocturnal PRL peak was blunted during remissions as compared with that in cluster periods and that in control individuals. The 24-h mean PRL levels were lower during remission and cluster periods than in the controls. There were no significant differences in the PRL levels between female patients and controls. Headache attacks were often associated with increases of serum PRL levels. The PRL response to TRH was lower in the female patients but not in the male patients as compared with controls. The maximum testosterone levels were lower during cluster periods than during clinical remission but not when compared with controls. Serum levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, progesterone, estradiol, T3, T4, and TSH did not differ between patients and controls. The results suggest an altered regulation of PRL secretion not only during active cluster periods but also during symptom-free intervals. The possible influence of sleep, estradiol, testosterone, medication, pain, and serotoninergic and dopaminergic mechanisms are discussed.
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That last bold statement is consistent with the idea that we manly men are normally over-juiced on T, and it drops to normal when we are in cycle or chronic.
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| « Last Edit: May 24th, 2006, 7:27pm by floridian » |
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Jonny
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #17 on: May 24th, 2006, 7:23pm » |
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on May 24th, 2006, 7:17pm, floridian wrote:| (The clusterhead formerly known as Floridian). |
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LMMFAO.....Too funny, Flo!!
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It is up to YOU to educate yourself and then help your doctor plan your treatment. If you just sit down in front of your doctor and say "make me better" you are setting yourself up for a great deal of pain.
- Guiseppi
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floridian
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on May 24th, 2006, 7:23pm, Jonny wrote:
LMMFAO.....Too funny, Flo!!
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Can't help it if I get a little confused....
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chewy
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Quote:| For years it has been recognized that male cluster headache patients appear overmasculinized. |
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Obviously they haven't seen BobP in his sun dress.
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Melissa
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on May 24th, 2006, 5:27pm, Lizzie2 wrote:| Women who have higher than normal testosterone levels often have an increased amount of chin acne and irregular periods - for starters. |
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Oh man, I wondered why I had that problem. 
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Mr. Happy
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #21 on: May 24th, 2006, 7:53pm » |
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on May 24th, 2006, 5:27pm, Lizzie2 wrote:| Women who have higher than normal testosterone levels often have an increased amount of chin acne and irregular periods |
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Bugger acne and periods. I don't care about that crap........
but it's hard to bypass a wench with a finer 'stache and thicker beard than mine.
It's a "druthers" kind of thing.
RJ
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May those who don't want any
Have memories of never getting any.
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deltadarlin
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I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #22 on: May 24th, 2006, 7:58pm » |
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A hilarious end to an otherwise shitty day
Nor have they seen Chuck in his pink thongs
'darlin
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If it weren't for the gutter, y mind would be homeless.
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DonnaHar
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I've been saying this was a testosterone problem since 1999, right Bob?
I have a history to give this theory some leverage.
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Jonny
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Give me a shovel Ill dig my own grave!
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Re: WDGCH
« Reply #24 on: May 24th, 2006, 9:57pm » |
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on May 24th, 2006, 8:50pm, DonnaHar wrote:I've been saying this was a testosterone problem since 1999, right Bob?
I have a history to give this theory some leverage.
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Please share!
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It is up to YOU to educate yourself and then help your doctor plan your treatment. If you just sit down in front of your doctor and say "make me better" you are setting yourself up for a great deal of pain.
- Guiseppi
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