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jan_M
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severe anxiety
« on: Nov 19th, 2007, 9:23am » |
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Hi everyone.
I am new here and really have so much to say. Starting with thanks for a help. This is my fourth time in a set of clusters. Oxygen used to be my life savor. But not this time around. It worked once. And the energy dring worked once. Then on Saturday morning I started with the o2, then moved to the full throttle. Turned out having a 15 hour headache and then headed to the hospital where they gave torodal and maxaran. They took the pain away but was left with an upset stomack for the next 24 hour.
I really hate these things. I've been on verapamil 120(once a day) for over a week but my doctor doesn't want to increase the dossage because of my slim stature. I am hoping to get into my doctor and get some anxiety pills(maybe paxil) or lithium or something. I also been taking sleeping pills because I can't sleep since I am preoccupied with when the next fire poker will be back!!
All I know is I am pretty damn sure I have another month to go and have a dissappointed seven year old and husband because I had to cancel our trip to Disney World that we had scheduled for the end of the month.
Wow, It sure feels nice to bitch.
Jan
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Guiseppi
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Re: severe anxiety
« Reply #1 on: Nov 19th, 2007, 10:38am » |
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Since you're already considering lithium for your anxiety, it's been my primary preventative for over 15 years. I'm episodic, usually 2 cycles a year spring and fall. I'm 47 and weigh about 190 pounds for dosage compariosns. When on cycle i take 1200 mg a day of lithium and it works to block close to 90% of my hits, assuming I'm really good about avoiding my triggers. On cycle my triggers are alcohol, (a big trigger for most of us), sleep cycle disruptions, extreme stress or allowing myself to get really hungry.
Please read the oxygen link on the left, many find they get full relief just by changing HOW they use the oxygen. Used incorrectly it's failed many people.
Hope we can help you.
Guiseppi
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jan_M
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Re: severe anxiety
« Reply #2 on: Nov 19th, 2007, 4:49pm » |
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Hi guiseppi,
So all you are on is lithium? Anyways, My doctor is gone for the week and the other doctor i saw would not put me on lithium or the paxil I mentioned. Instead he gave me this drug that Reduces anxiety or helps to induce sleep. It is called ativan sublingua(from the benzodiazepine family)l. You put it under your tongue and it is supposed to work in 15 minutes. Does the lithum make your tired? Just wondering because I was warned that this medicaiton is habit forming, so I am thinking I will give it a week(since I really have no choice) and then maybe switch to lithium since my original daoctor had mentioned it before.
Some times I wonder if my 14 headache wasn't just "payback" for being able to abort it two days in a row. Once with oxygen and once with the full throttle. I can't understand why I didn't just get my usual 4 hour whopper, instead of the 15 hrs.
Thanks Jan
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Karla
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Re: severe anxiety
« Reply #3 on: Nov 19th, 2007, 4:57pm » |
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I also take ativan for anxiety. It is habbit forming as is any drug in the family (xanax, klonopin, valium, etc). Lithium isn't habbit forming that I know of. I took it for 2 years and it stopped half of my attacks and cut down the severity greatly of the remaining 4 attacks I was getting every day. I took 900 mg a day of lithium and It worked like a charm for 2 years than just quit working one day for me. Sucked. I liked being on lithium. It had no side effects at all. You may want to consider upping the dose of verapamil also. I know you said your frame was small but most people take around 960mg/day. I could see you taking at least half that amount I would think would be safe for you. Maybe I am wrong I am not a dr. Some people use verapamil and lithium together. When neither med works alone by itself sometimes it will work in a combo when used together. These are the best two meds out there two fight ch In my opinion. Good luck finding something that works for you to keep ch away.
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Karla
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Jonny
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Re: severe anxiety
« Reply #4 on: Nov 19th, 2007, 5:03pm » |
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A 15 hour CH?
I was chronic for more than 30 years and deffinetly would have killed myself before I got to hour 15.
You must have an unreal pain threshold!
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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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Guiseppi
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Re: severe anxiety
« Reply #5 on: Nov 19th, 2007, 5:15pm » |
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When I go on cycle lithium is my only preventative and lucky for me it's still working after all these years. The only effects I notice is a little lethargy the first few weeks and you pee a LOT the first 2 weeks. Both of those effects stop after a couple of weeks and I don't even notice I'm on it.
You'll see many people posting that what worked forever all of a sudden stops, something that didn't work before starts to work or becomes more effective combined with another medication. It's the nature of the beast.
I use oxygen and oral cafergot for the headches that break thru the lithium. I use imitrex injectables on rare occaisons due to their cost and their side effects on me.
I think what Jonny was asking is did you suffer an actual 14 hour CH??? Or did you get your butt kicked numerous times in a 14 hour period. A 14 hour CH is almost unheard of and would lead most to think you have a combination of problems going on, CH and maybe migrains. Good luck with the doctors. 
Guiseppi
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rolo65
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When I get hit for more than 2 hours, I get the 1" needle & DHE out and slam that bugger the first break I get. The trex don't do $hit any more (except give me rebounds). 
I’m on lithium also and it’s the only prevent that works for me. I am getting bad shoulder and knee pain though, it must be kicking my arthritis or drying out the joints ect.
PFW, Rolo.
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Bob_Johnson
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Re: severe anxiety
« Reply #7 on: Nov 20th, 2007, 12:20pm » |
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UNLESS you have some underlying heart condition, I think your doc is too cautious re. Verap dosage. Suggest you print both of these artricles and give to him.
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HERE ARE TWO MAJOR DOCUMENTS WITH RECOMMENDED TREATMENTS FOR CLUSTER HEADACHE, ONE FROM A U.S. PHYSICIAN, THE SECOND FROM EUROPE.
_________________________________________
http://www.plainboard.com/ch/chtherapy.pdf
Here is a link to read and print and take to your doctor. It describes preventive, transitional, abortive and surgical treatments for CH. Written by one of the better headache docs in the U.S. (2002. Rozen)
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Treatment guidelines from Europe
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A. May, M. Leone, J. Áfra, M. Linde, P. S. Sándor, S. Evers, P. J. Goadsby:
EFNS guidelines on the treatment of cluster headache and other
trigeminalautonomic cephalalgias.
European Journal of Neurology. 2006; 13: 1066–1077.
Download free full text:
http://www.efns.org/files/guideline_49.pdf
(Thanks to "cluster" for link.)
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While Xanax, or anything in that family, will give relief from your anxiety, it will return quickly when you stop using it--IF you are a person for whom anxiety is a common experience in various aspects of your life. IF this is the case, please take a look at this link and consider the value of this approach to build in some protection which does not require meds.
http://www.ouch-us.org/chgeneral/painvsuffering.htm
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Bob Johnson
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DannyV
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Re: severe anxiety
« Reply #8 on: Nov 20th, 2007, 5:24pm » |
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Longest in my life was a little over 2 hours. Cold turkey. I have had days where it just kept coming back over and over, but never full blast for the whole day. I could not even imagine that. I know migranes last for long periods like that. Are you positive that it is not another type of headache? I only say that because what you describe I personally have never heard of. Perhaps others here have though.
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seasonalboomer
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Re: severe anxiety
« Reply #9 on: Nov 20th, 2007, 5:33pm » |
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don't give up on the O2 and energy drinks - sometimes they don't work - but for me they have a pretty decent batting average. maybe they have stopped working but its always worth another go. after all you're just sitting there writhing in pain anyway right? 
i don't see that your doctor has prescribed an abortive like injectable imitrex.
this could be a nice thing for you if you don' have any underlying heart conditions. I go to them when the O2 disappoints. The result, for me, is like a miracle.
Scott
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jan_M
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Re: severe anxiety
« Reply #10 on: Nov 21st, 2007, 9:39pm » |
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I'm 5 feet 7 inches and 120 lbs. My blood pressure is a little low to start with.
I guess I should clarify the 15 hour cluster. You know how the ch just starts to build and build until your ready to bang your head against the wall. This 15 hr ch just never reached the maximum- like it got to 8 out of 10 but wouldn't progress! I kept waiting for it to get to the worst because then I could see the light at the end of the tunnel- sort to speak.
During other cluster periods I tried prednisone- I hated it. I had a metal taste in my mouth that was just aweful.The triptans have not worked in the past. I am going to increase my o2 up to 15 the next time I start to get a ch.
Does anyone know if verapamil makes you tired. Even though I am tired all day, I avoid napping or I'll trigger a migrain. Then I get to bed and can't fall asleep b/c i'm so nervous about getting the next ch. I'm trying really hard not to use a sleeping pill every night- don't want to get addicted which seems like the least of my worries. Not to mention all day I have this tiny little headache on the right side of my head-just behind the eye, to remind me not to get to relaxed- a headache could come at any minute.
Can't get in to see my doctor until the 28th so it is just a waiting game. I do agree that my verapil dose should be higher and more frequent. Crossing my fingers that the o2 will work next time.
Thanks everybody, it is nice to chat with fellow suffers. Nobody else really gets how much they truly hurt.
Jan
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billyjoe
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Re: severe anxiety
« Reply #11 on: Nov 21st, 2007, 10:08pm » |
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on Nov 21st, 2007, 9:39pm, jan_M wrote: Not to mention all day I have this tiny little headache on the right side of my head-just behind the eye, to remind me not to get to relaxed- a headache could come at any minute.
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I too have this "little headache" and just talked to my Neuro about it. His first question was if I was using any pain medication, including over the counter stuff. Over use of pain meds can cause rebound headaches, so be aware of this. If you haven't had an MRI lately, it may be a good idea to rule out other causes. And Yes, high levels of Verapamil can make you more tired.
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chewy
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Quote:| Does anyone know if verapamil makes you tired. |
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Yes
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kcopelin
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Re: severe anxiety
« Reply #13 on: Nov 21st, 2007, 11:13pm » |
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I have had unremitting waves of ch in a day, where it seemed to be a day long battle, but it was really 5 back to back Kip 9s with about an hour in between. Sorry to hear you've experienced this nightmare.
My blood pressure is usually nicely low, so they won't go higher than 360 on the verap for me. Lithium, unfortunately didn't do it for me.
I do take melatonin for the night time hits-12-15 mgs 30 minutes or so before bed-I still wake up around 90 minutes into sleep with the sweatiness and beginning of a hit-but I pop out of bed, go outside and breathe cold night air-seems to work. Daytime hits are a different beast....
Did you already cancel the trip? JMHO, but life goes on, and if your pain free time is more than your CH time-maybe you should go.
Best wishes and prayers for
PFDAN y'all
kathy
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jan_M
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Re: severe anxiety
« Reply #14 on: Nov 22nd, 2007, 8:02am » |
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Does any one else find light really bothers them during a cycle. I find most of the time the blinds are closed and the lights are off. When ouside the sunglasses are on. The light sensitivity is just one more constant reminder that a ch could be just around the corner. I also can't do the reading that I so much enjoy either.
Jan
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ski2k
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Re: severe anxiety
« Reply #15 on: Nov 22nd, 2007, 10:42am » |
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Hey Jan,
Light sensitivity is usually more associated with migraines, though it does happen to some of us during a cluster headache.... I'm one of them. For others, sound may bother them. Still others need to staw away from certain scents.
We're all a little different, and you're not alone in this!
Adam
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gore2424
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Re: severe anxiety
« Reply #16 on: Nov 24th, 2007, 12:54am » |
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I used to get really bad panic attacks where it was loud bright and lots of people like a walmart I seeked help and have been taking an anti drepression med in am and 1.0 mg clonazepramand its been almost two years and I can go places again Terry
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