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Topic: Verapamil and Fioricet question.. (Read 1994 times) |
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JDJ2
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Verapamil and Fioricet question..
« on: May 14th, 2004, 11:18am » |
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Hello everyone,
It is "bad" to be here. (Not a very good reason to have to join a group, but I am happy to finally found a place where people don't think I am nuts!) I know I still have to post my information as a new member above but I have a few questions and hope someone can help..
I am a 31 yr old mom. I have been having the most nastiest headaches in my life. Though back in 94 I had some of the same but not this severe. Back in 94 they did an MRI-negative results and said they thought it was clusters. They went away a month after it started and nothing but an occasional headache since.
Then BAM on the 24 th of April I woke with a headache that went away within 25 minutes, And kept coming back all day but only lasting 15-45 minutes. With the most excreciating pain concentrated around my left eye, forehead, temple, check bone. I thought it was a toothache went tot the dentist nothing. So after 1 week of living on Tylenol/Ibuprofin I went to my DR and she did a work up and stated I had Clusters. She put me on Maxalt and I could not take it, first pill gave me a reaction. So now i am stuck here with 5 tablets. Would of had 11 but I called the pharmacy and told them to keep the others, I still had to pay a co pay though.
So now I am on Verapamil, and also fioricet. I know you say by the time the fioricet works the pain is gone.. I fgiured that one out too!
I am to start taking Verapamil 40mg 3 times a day, waiting until Sunday to start as I am in a wedding on Saturday and would hate to pass out or something at the wedding. So yes I suffer... And the Fioricet about 2 times a day. What are the main side affects from the Verap that I should be aware of? I do know the label says avoid Grapefruit and juice. And not to get up quickly as you can get dizzy. My question is how long does it usually take to get your body use to the drug?
Also what other types of pain relief is there, besides banging my dam head!
I know they are clusters as I get 10-18 a day, some range from a 4 on a pain scale to a 10! They last anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes, and last week I had one that was a constant all day pain. Dr said it was probably a migraine on top of the clusters as I use to get migraines.
I see my Neuro on the 25th. But have been reading all your insights on everything and figured you would be the best people to ask..
Any advice for when I start taken the Verap? Anyone have any success with Verap? Also what type of things should I discuss with the Neuro? Thank You so much and thankyou in advance for any and all advice you can give..
Judy
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Karla
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Re: Verapamil and Fioricet question..
« Reply #1 on: May 14th, 2004, 1:03pm » |
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Verapamil has a very high success rate for treating clusters. But your dose is very low almost to low to do anything. I took around 960mg a day. Most people have very high doses. The most common side effect is constipation. I had problems with low blood pressure, shortness of breath and irregular heart beat when I got up to the highest dose. It didn't help me at all with ch but everyones body is different and we all react differently to it. Still I would recomend it because so many people have great sucess with it. Something i noticed is the number of ha you are suffering from per day is alwful high almost to high to be cluster headaches. It could be cph a headache dissorder that is almost identical to ch except the only medicine it responds to is indomethacin. People with cph have shorter lasting ha and more frequent ha. It is unusual for someone with ch to have more than 8 ha a day. Not saying it can't be clusters but if I was you I would definetly try indomethacin.
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Karla
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Bob_Johnson
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Re: Verapamil and Fioricet question..
« Reply #2 on: May 14th, 2004, 8:42pm » |
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Besides the Verap dose being much too low, keep in mind that it may take several weeks before you can judge whether it is effective for you. This is not a rapidly working medication like the abortives (triptans to stop an attack).
Would also suggest that you get either the second or third title. Both are excellent books.
HANDBOOK OF HEADACHE MANAGEMENT, 2nd ed., Au. Joel Saper, MD, 1999, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. A highly condensed volume for doctors but good for "advanced" clusterheads who have a grasp of medical terminology and medications. Covers all types of headache with the section on cluster being brief. Sections on general considerations in treatment and on medications are important.
MANAGEMENT OF HEADACHE AND HEADACHE MEDICATIONS, 2nd ed. Lawrence D. Robbins, M.D.; pub. by Springer. $49 at Amazon.Com. This volume is better organized and easier to read for nonprofessionals compared to Saper's book. It covers all types of headache and is primarily focused on medications. While the two chapters on CH total 42-pages, the actual relevant material is longer because of multiple references to material in chapters on migraine, reflecting the overlap in drugs used to treat. I'd suggest reading the chapters on migraine for three reasons: he makes references to CH & medications which are not in the index; there are "clinical pearls" about how to approach the treatment of headache; and, you gain better perspective on the nature of headache, in general, and the complexities of treatment (which need to be considered when we create expectations about what is possible). Finally, women will appreciate & benefit from his running information on hormones/menstrual cycles as they affect headache. Chapter on headache following head trauma, also. Obviously, I'm impressed with Robbins' work (even if the book needs the touch of a good editor!) (Somewhat longer review/content statement at 3/22/00, "Good book...."
HEADACHE HELP, Revised edition, 2000; Lawrence Robbins, M.D., Houghton Mifflin, $15. Written for a nonprofessional audience, it contains almost all the material in the preceding volume but it's much easier reading. Highly recommended.
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| « Last Edit: May 14th, 2004, 8:45pm by Bob_Johnson » |
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Bob Johnson
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Lizzie2
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Re: Verapamil and Fioricet question..
« Reply #3 on: May 15th, 2004, 2:14am » |
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Welcome to our forums! Even though clusters are really awful, it is great to find somewhere where you can relate to other people!
I would agree that the verap dose is pretty low. I take 120mg 4 times a day, which is a total of 480mg. I couldn't tolerate the higher doses, although they did help me more than this dose does.
Fioricet is definately not the best med for clusters. Fioricet is a pain med, and not an abortive. It is often used as a rescue med for people with migraine when their abortive meds fail. Good abortives for clusters are Oxygen (see the link to the left), Triptans (especially injectible imitrex), and DHE.
One other thing of concern is that fioricet taken on a daily basis (or greater than 2 days a week) can lead to rebound headache and a form of chronic daily headache. Definately not a good thing on top of clusters!
I agree with Karla also that the amount of attacks you are having a day is more representative of Chronic Paroxysmal Hemicrania (CPH) than cluster headache. However, only your doctor can give you a diagnosis. Indomethacin does resolve CPH for most people who suffer from it. It is a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID), and it can be rough on the stomach. However, it may be worth considering!
Hang in there!
Lizzie
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JDJ2
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Re: Verapamil and Fioricet question..
« Reply #4 on: May 16th, 2004, 10:17am » |
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Thank You for the replies..
I go to the Neuro on the 25th so I will definately get a more precise diagnosis and treatment. But my regular Dr said it is definately Clusters or the CPH as you have mentioned. And she started me on a low dose of Verap for my body to adjust and see how bad it affects the blood pressure. As for the Triptans, I did take Maxalt, one dose and had a reaction to it. So she said to stop it until I see the Neuro.
I have read about the CPH and have kind of thought the samething, that it is more that then Clusters. Even so they both hurt once then heck!
I heard about Indo for the CPH so will definately ask the Neuro. I have great insurance and they give me no problems at all. Great thing is I don't need referrels or have a primary which makes things nice and easy to go see a dr without having to go through the whole refferrel process. And the don't limit the meds unless it is a controlled substance. And even then if your Dr calls them and explains they usually give them the approval.
Anyway I am trying to not take the Fioricet and just sticking with Ibuprofin and Tylenol until I see the Neuro.
Well Thanks again for the informative information I will definately use all I can to get some relief..
Thank You
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