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rhizome570
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I am a chronic sufferer of the beast. I can tell you this: out of everything I try, I find the only thing that helps is BC Powders. When I get a headache, without a doubt it will end up a 8-10 on the kip scale... every time. Here is the thing... as soon as you start feeling the shadows, it is best to take one then. Most of the time, if you catch it early enough, it will stop it from developing. However, there have been instances when I have taken one while I was at a 8, 9, or 10, and it is the only thing that will provide some releif. It may not get rid of it, but it most certainly takes the edge off. Many times I will take one in the morning with breakfast, just as a precautionary measure. If I do this, it greatly decreaes the chances of me getting a headache that day. Most of the time I will only have to take one a day, whether as a precautionary measure, or beacuse I feel an attack, and I will usually be safe with the one. However, there are some days when I will have to take two. I would recommend never taking more than that. As many of you may or may not know, asprin has the ability to burn a hole in your stomach if you take too much. I have been taking them for a long time now, and have had no such problem, but you should still be aware. I also try to make it a habit to eat a little something with it, but I don't always. I don't know where I would be without them. I carry two with me in my wallet at all times. I call them my "emergency powders". As a chronic sufferer, there is no rhyme or reason as to when the beast will attack, so it behooves me to keep them with me. Give it a shot... anything is worth a try. Good luck.
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floridian
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Are you sure you have cluster headaches? It is almost universally accepted that aspirin, acetominophen and ibuprofen are of no value in treating clusters.
BC Powder Active Ingredients: Per Powder: Aspirin 650 mg; Salicylamide 195 mg; Caffeine 33.3 mg
Inactive Ingredients: Dioctylsodium Sulfosuccinate; Fumaric Acid; Lactose; Potassium Chloride
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judyw
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #2 on: Aug 16th, 2003, 12:46pm » |
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Thanks for sharing...Never worked for me....had these HA's for more years than I like to think about...but a friend in south FL uses them constantly for her Migraines which she gets regularly...Like you say..." get it with the first indication"...always has her powders handy....
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Karla
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #3 on: Aug 16th, 2003, 4:51pm » |
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Are you sure you have clusters. Take the cluster quiz on the left and see what it says. I would hate the thought of you being misdiagnosed. Asprin, tylanol, and ibuprofin never work for clusters. I am glad you have found such an easy solution.
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Karla
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rhizome570
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #4 on: Aug 16th, 2003, 6:53pm » |
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What happens to a person during an attack is nothing like anything else in this world. There is really no way it could mistaken for anything else. Am I sure what I have are clusters? Well let me tell you what happens to me, and you can make the determination yourselves. The pain only happens on the left side of my face. It starts in my neck and starts traveling up around my head at a quick pace until it hits my eyeball. My left sinus cavity becomes completly congested. It feels as though someone is inside my head, behind my eyeball scraping it with a red hot poker. My left eye tears uncontrollably, and I start almost beating my eye with the palm of my hand. On some occasions, I have actually lost my vision in the left eye during an attack. Not completly, but for the most part. The teeth on only the left side of my mouth, as well as the left side of the roof of my mouth become ridiculously sensitive. If my tongue even lightly brushes against my left teeth or left side roof of my mouth, it brings on a pain I cannot even begin to describe. But it is enough to make you cry.
This is just some of what goes on during an attack. What would you say they are? I have tried maxalt, topamax, and midrine in the past, and they are useless. Unfortunately, I am bereft of health insurance right now, so my options are limited. I am sure there are better treatments and medications out there, however, they are in no way an option due to the cost of medical care in the US. I will agree that acetominophen and ibuprofen are useless. I can also note that I have tried asprin by itself (excedrin, bayer), and it too is useless. Perhaps it has something to do with the Salicylamide and Caffeine, but I am obviously in no position to make such a determination. I have heard before that caffeine sometimes helps during an attack, but then again, I have never tried it stand alone. I don't think someone who suffers from clusters could mistake it for anything else. Well, except maybe brain tumors, which I have been tested for in the past through countless catscans. That of course was a long time ago when very little was known of clusters. Doctors were not educated on the topic at the time. But that is neither here nor there. It is almost insulting to say to a clusterhead; someone who has experienced the excrutiating pain of the beast-spawn of satan; someone who has thousands of dollars in unpaid ER visits due to lack of insurance, yet their family did not know what to do as you are squirming around on the floor, wimpering like a beaten red headed step child, so they called 911; it is almost insulting to say "are you sure these are cluster headaches." I am not lashing out at anyone here, but it stands to reason, it is a sensitive issue. As it should be. They have complete control over us when they come. We are at their mercy. We are powerless. They have the ability to take the best day of your life and turn it into the worst. So like I said, it is a sensitive issue. I know I went off on a tangent here, but I am just trying to answer everyone's question on the issue of whether what I suffer from are, indeed, clusters.
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ClusterChuck
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #5 on: Aug 16th, 2003, 7:22pm » |
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It seems like clusters to me. You are lucky if BC Powders work.
Another treatment to try that is in your budget. O2. If you can't get a script for it, go to your local welding supply house and use one of their tanks. Works for most sufferers, with next to no complications. (I don't suggest you smoke a cigarette while using it though! Ha ha!) Make sure you get a ful mask (over nose and mouth) as the nose inserts do not work.
Good luck
Chuck
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Prense
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #6 on: Aug 16th, 2003, 7:34pm » |
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on Aug 16th, 2003, 6:53pm, rhizome570 wrote:The teeth on only the left side of my mouth, as well as the left side of the roof of my mouth become ridiculously sensitive. If my tongue even lightly brushes against my left teeth or left side roof of my mouth, it brings on a pain I cannot even begin to describe. But it is enough to make you cry.
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I agree, sounds like CH...this part sounds alot like what I have read about TN though. TN is right up there on the pain scale from what I have heard. I have personally never experienced any pain around the mouth area, but we are certainly all different in the ways this affects us.
I understand what you are saying about "are you sure it's CH?". There are many who come here diagnosed, or thinking what they have is CH and it turns out that it was something else. People here want to make sure especially when it is a "new face" because many of the treatments discussed here are CH only and can have serious adverse effects if the diagnosis is not correct. I had a meegrainer give me some BC, and it did jack for me. That's just me though. Try not to take offense, we are just here trying to help and support one another.
My 2 pennies...
Chris
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ksmiggy
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #7 on: Aug 17th, 2003, 5:49am » |
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Prence,
forgive the ignorance what do you mean by "TN", i ask, as Rhizome's description is spot on to me, i too am chronic, perhaps this teeth thing is mainly for chronic sufferers, our own little bonus.
Rhizome, i use a similar system, but instead of bc powders, i have kapake( 500mg paracetamol, 30mg codiene), but again, you must catch it at the very start or the beast wins again.
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ClusterChuck
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #8 on: Aug 17th, 2003, 6:19am » |
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[/b]KSMIGGY[b] The BEAST NEVER wins!!!!! We always kick his ass back in to the back, at least for a little while! And sometimes it takes a lot longer than we want, but WE DO IT!!!!!! And yes he sure does get to kick our butts, but WE WIN!!!!!
He NEVER wins!!!!!! We are too strong!!!!!!
Chuck
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ksmiggy
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #9 on: Aug 17th, 2003, 6:55am » |
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Clusterchuck, am with you all the way on that, sometimes though a draw is the best i can manage, he leaves me alone, i leave him alone, but we both know the other is there, building for another fight, ultimately i know i will win, can win, but occaisionally a draw has to be accepted
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Hound_Dogg
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I've gotten lucky (once in a great while) with some over the counter meds...usually extra strength excedrin. But, like you said you have to take it right at the start of the first "twinge"...or forget it.
Prescription pain meds also give me some relief if I take it right at the first sign of the Cluster. But it's kinda hit & miss. (Mostly miss). If I wait until it gets to the eye area, the only thing that helps is imitrex. Which I can't take too often due to other problems.
Consider yourself lucky & continue to do what helps for you.
Jim
P.S. Just be careful with the aspirin. 650mg. is a lot of gut-busting power. I wouldn't take more then 4 per day. And definitely keep an eye on any problems with ear-ringing or stomach problems.
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Prense
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #11 on: Aug 17th, 2003, 9:28am » |
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TN...
Trigeminal neuralgia (TN -- tic douloureux) is a disorder of the fifth cranial (trigeminal) nerve that causes episodes of intense, stabbing, electric shock-like pain in the areas of the face where the branches of the nerve are distributed - lips, eyes, nose, scalp, forehead, upper jaw, and lower jaw. A less common form of the disorder called "Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia" may cause less intense, constant, dull burning or aching pain, sometimes with occasional electric shock-like stabs. Both forms of the disorder most often affect one side of the face, but some patients experience pain at different times on both sides. Onset of symptoms occurs most often after age 50, but cases are known in children and even infants.
Something as simple and routine as brushing the teeth, putting on makeup or even a slight breeze can trigger an attack, resulting in sheer agony for the individual. Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is not fatal, but it is universally considered to be the most painful affliction known to medical practice.
Initial treatment of TN is usually by means of anti-convulsant drugs, such as Tegretol or Neurontin. Some anti-depressant drugs also have significant pain relieving effects. Should medication be ineffective or if it produces undesirable side effects, neurosurgical procedures are available to relieve pressure on the nerve or to reduce nerve sensitivity. Some patients report having reduced or relieved pain by means of alternative medical therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic adjustment, self-hypnosis or meditation.
Anyway, the comment about the oral sensitivity rang this bell for me.
Chris
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Prense
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #13 on: Aug 17th, 2003, 10:03am » |
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Thanks Andy, I couldn't find it for some reason.
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ksmiggy
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #14 on: Aug 17th, 2003, 10:54am » |
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thanks guys, not TN then, the oral sensitivity is more like the jaw trying to push your teeth out, (not sure if thats what you meant rhizome) but thats about how it feels during some attacks, we all have many minor differences in pains, but the attacks are still the same, devastating!
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Prense
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #15 on: Aug 17th, 2003, 2:31pm » |
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on Aug 17th, 2003, 5:49am, ksmiggy wrote:| perhaps this teeth thing is mainly for chronic sufferers, our own little bonus. |
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Not for me, but yep we are all different.
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Smurf
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #16 on: Aug 18th, 2003, 11:16am » |
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My teeth hurt during a bad attack....goes from the temple, into the eyeball (tears), into the nose (clogs up), and down to my teeth. Since I've been on Imitrex and O2 I haven't had them progress that badly.
I've tried BC Powders, too, and not much success. I'm glad you've been able to find an over-the-counter aid!
-Smurf
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Patrick_A
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #17 on: Aug 23rd, 2003, 12:14am » |
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Only possible reason i can see that BC would work is the Caffeine. Aspirin thins your blood, and that aint what i want while full blown!
Patrick
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Charlie
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #18 on: Aug 23rd, 2003, 11:43pm » |
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Code:| Only possible reason i can see that BC would work is the Caffeine |
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That makes sense to me. Hard to imagine anything else there that would have an effect. No matter, consider yourself lucky.
Charlie
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UAL_FlyGal
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #19 on: Aug 26th, 2003, 9:36pm » |
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on Aug 16th, 2003, 6:53pm, rhizome570 wrote:What happens to a person during an attack is nothing like anything else in this world. There is really no way it could mistaken for anything else. Am I sure what I have are clusters? Well let me tell you what happens to me, and you can make the determination yourselves. The pain only happens on the left side of my face. It starts in my neck and starts traveling up around my head at a quick pace until it hits my eyeball. My left sinus cavity becomes completly congested. It feels as though someone is inside my head, behind my eyeball scraping it with a red hot poker. My left eye tears uncontrollably, and I start almost beating my eye with the palm of my hand. On some occasions, I have actually lost my vision in the left eye during an attack. Not completly, but for the most part. The teeth on only the left side of my mouth, as well as the left side of the roof of my mouth become ridiculously sensitive. If my tongue even lightly brushes against my left teeth or left side roof of my mouth, it brings on a pain I cannot even begin to describe. But it is enough to make you cry.
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Hi rhizome!
I have the exact same symptoms when I'm in the throes of a CH!! It's awful!! 
Quote:| I can also note that I have tried asprin by itself (excedrin, bayer), and it too is useless. |
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This is where we differ, though.
Excedrin does take the bite out of the pain..... for me. I don't like taking them because they're belly-bombers and I get 3-4 CH's per day.
Imitrex doesn't help anymore and neither does Relpax.
I'm gonna try the BC powders.
Thanks!!
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NewHeadPLZ
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Re: BC POWDERS
« Reply #20 on: Aug 29th, 2003, 1:59pm » |
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I've had some success with BC powders, but only in the very beginning of my cycle and only if I get it at the first signs of a h/a. Doesn't work for a full blown h/a.
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