Clusterheadaches.com Message Board (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)
New Message Board Archives >> 2002 Posts >> Mother of all CH's...
(Message started by: Jim R on Aug 19th, 2002, 6:02am)

Title: Mother of all CH's...
Post by Jim R on Aug 19th, 2002, 6:02am
Going blithely along, 3rd day on lithium and not a twinge.  Then, last night, a twinge crept into my head on the opposite side from where I'm currrently having them.  Strange, I thought.  They subtley, gradually the pain shifted to my right side.  Shadowy at first, the insidious pain built; the nose began to fill, the teeth to throb, and the jaw, neck, and ear to receive darting stabs of agony.  Okay, I thought, I can handle this.  On goes the O2 mask, pain gets better but doesn't leave.  15 min. on O2, paid getting worse.  Turn the O2 off.  Pain still building, I take a squirt of Stadol.  Pain still building.  Pacing.  Moaning.  Holding my head. Desparate, pain BAD. Pace. Take a Norflex (like droperidol), pain bulding still.  AGONY! AGONY!  I CAN'T TAKE THE PAIN!  Another half squirt of Stadol.  No effect from Norflex.  Flash of nausea.  Vomiting.  Vomiting again.  Head going to explode.  Pain still there at agony level.  Wife taking me to ER.  Have to explain to admitting clerk what CH is.  Pain still there, but is it subsiding?  Get triaged by ER nurse.  Have to explain about CH...pain maybe, ? definitely, might be starting a descent?  ER nurse says they are busy...translate = loooong wait.  Sit in waiting room.  Other patients saying they have been waiting over an hour and a half.  Pain sliding down from it sustained crescendo fast.  Leave ER without being seen.  Sleep restlessly with dull tudding headache all night and wake this morning like I've been through hell and back.   I hope today is a better day! and I hope lithium does still work and that this CH last night was an aberration.  I hope you guys are having better luck and PFDAN's.  - Jim R

Title: Re: Mother of all CH's...
Post by Jim R on Aug 19th, 2002, 7:52am
I see I left out my questions on this post...

Do you think the vomiting was caused by the Stadol, the Norflex, the mixture of drugs, the pain or something else?  I tend to think it was the Stadol as Percocet DS will do that to me too, but would appreciate any other opinions.  Thanks. - Jim R

Title: Re: Mother of all CH's...
Post by tlc_39_98 on Aug 19th, 2002, 8:20am
if i happen to vomit its from the pain not the drugs...along with the sweats

Title: Re: Mother of all CH's...
Post by Ree on Aug 19th, 2002, 8:20am
although it could be the meds... and the pain sometimes switches sides although it never has in my house... you could have had a good old fashioned migraine... Us Migrainoids throw up all the time... and Migraine aint as pretty as alot of you CH folk think it is... good luck friend  Ree

Title: Re: Mother of all CH's...
Post by debbie4278 on Aug 19th, 2002, 9:06am
I used stadol nasal spray once for a dusey.
Within 20 seconds I was vomitting violently for 4 hours.
Definately from the stadol.  Never touched the stuff again.  And it didn't touch the CH!!!

Title: earlier in the Re: Mother of all CH's...
Post by Jim R on Aug 19th, 2002, 9:15am
debbie 4278,

What do you use now when you get an over-the-top CH?

I have used Stadol once before and it did help, but I had taken it earlier in the headache.  That time, it did not make me nauseous and I didn't vomit, but once when I took a Percocet DS, I vomited for over 8 hours - couldn't hold anything down, even H2O!  This time though, within 20 min. I was worshipping the porcelain goddess in the bathroom AND it did little if anything for the pain - maybe made it even worse (as morphine did to me once when I went to the ER)...

Jim R

Title: Re: Mother of all CH's...
Post by debbie4278 on Aug 19th, 2002, 9:20am
Jim,
I am CH free for 12 days now.  I have nothing that works until I am on meds for a week.  I am on Procardia 60 mg a day, and Indomethicin 150 mg a day.  For the shadows that remain, I take Zomig ZMT 5 mg. every 12 hours.  So far, that is holding me.  And I do my best to avoid triggers.

I can't take any narcotics, they all make me sick.  And they never have helped the pain.

I tried Inderal this time for a week with no success.  Then started my current regime.

Hope that helps.
Debbie :)

Title: Re: Mother of all CH's...
Post by debbie4278 on Aug 19th, 2002, 9:25am
Jim,
Read your other reply, I was trying the Indomethicin to see if maybe it was CPH instead of CH.  Really don't know which is helping.  Maybe the Indo is doing nothing.
For my last 3 cycles though, Procardia has worked for me.  My new neuro says he has never prescribed it for CH.
Thanks for your reply.
Deb :)

Title: Re: Mother of all CH's...
Post by Elaine on Aug 19th, 2002, 10:34am
Here Jim, I think you will find its the med, that caused it.

http://www.rxmed.com/rxmed/b.main/b2.pharmaceutical/b2.1.monographs/cps-%20monographs/cps-%20(general%20monographs-%20s)/stadol%20ns.html

Title: Re: Mother of all CH's...
Post by Drk^Angel on Aug 19th, 2002, 12:11pm
If you don't normally experience nausea or vomiting during an attack, I'd say it was probably the meds causing it.

PFDAN............................ Drk^Angel

Title: Re: To Stadol or not to STAYDOL?
Post by forgetfulnot on Aug 19th, 2002, 1:12pm

Quote:
What do you use now when you get an over-the-top CH?
I have used Stadol once before and it did help


When I used to do the E.R. dance back in the eighties they always gave me a Demerol cocktail. I.E. Demerol 75mg mixed with Phenergan or some other antihistamine like Visteril. This combo would knock me out for 15-30 min and when I woke up the C/H would be gone. Some people are just plain allergic to narcotics just like penicillin and can't use them.

As for Stadol this was a real breakthrough for me 2 squirts and five minuets latter back in bed vs. a three hour ordeal at the E.R.
However after about a year it was loosing effectiveness and I started upping the dose and my Doc shut it off. Stadol is not a narcotic chemically but a narcotic agonist.

Then came along Imitrex inj. just in time, after 200 or so injections only once has a single dose failed to abort the C/H, I waited too long into the attack to take it but the second dose saved my ass. The way to beat the beast is bust his/her chops ASAP regardless of the abortive being used.

Go ahead Ueli, critique all you want, I’m bored today anyhow

Lee






Clusterheadaches.com Message Board » Powered by YaBB 1 Gold - SP 1.3.1!
YaBB © 2000-2003. All Rights Reserved.