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        New Message Board Archives >> 2002 Posts >> women who get cluster headaches 
        
(Message started by: bonnie21601 on Aug 19^th, 2002, 12:25pm)

Title: women who get cluster headaches
Post by bonnie21601 on Aug 19^th, 2002, 12:25pm

: :'(o

i am new to this so bare with me. iam 31 yrs. old and suffer from cluster headaches. i have for about 3 yrs. at first they thought it was my sinuses. trird everything, nothing worked. then tried meds for vasculr migraines. again, nothing. went to a neuro, and he said i had cluster headaches. put me on imitrex injections, worked like a charm, cant get my refills every other day! :-[ i get 3-4 headaches a day. im on lithium every night before bed. just started on vicodin today, hope it works! i cant get my imitrex refilled until tuesday, god help me!
i hope they go away soon! they are so painful, i want to blow off my head at times.

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by Drk^Angel on Aug 19^th, 2002, 12:40pm

Welcome to the board! Sorry that the beast is injecting gasoline into your cranium, then dripping highly corrosive acid on your eye, until it eats through and ignites the gasoline. Welcome to the family!

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

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by catlind on Aug 19^th, 2002, 12:59pm

Welcome to Clusterville Bonnie, sorry you have to be here. I'm 34 and also suffer from cluster headaches and have been through the gammet to get a diagnosis. First off, the lithium is one of the cluster meds, make sure you check out everything on this site, all the buttons to the left and search for things specific you want to know about. Imitrex is another front line med for CH, but the vicodin won't do you much good. From experience only am I talking, I'm not a doctor, but I can't take most of the traditional meds used to treat CH but one of the most effective treatment methods is Oxygen at between 8 and 12 lpm. Get your neuro to get you on O2 and Imitrex, that should get you much needed relief.

The only thing the pain killers will do is mask the pain, they won't abort the headache, and you may find yourself in a position of having to take more and more and more often and then end up with rebound headaches. Many people here will tell you the same thing, the pain meds only mask the pain.

I hope you are pain free soon, and remember to ask your neuro about the oxygen.

Cat

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by hub on Aug 19^th, 2002, 1:24pm

I have heard that women don't get clusters. Are you sure that you are in touch with your sexuality? ;D

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by Bob P on Aug 19^th, 2002, 2:03pm

Hub - Jack said he would touch your sexuality if you bought him dinner afterwards.

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by Slammy on Aug 19^th, 2002, 2:05pm

ROTFLMFAO!!!! ;D

Not bad, Hub...not bad! :D

Slammy 8)

(note to Bonnie) Do not be offended by this post. It was meant as a tongue-in-cheek inside joke that in no way is meant to down play your suffering.

Wishing you relief and PFDANs

Slammy 8)

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by hub on Aug 19^th, 2002, 2:06pm

leave it to you to make light of a serious post!
;D

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by Bob P on Aug 19^th, 2002, 2:13pm

You're right. I appologize.

What was that guys name who touched his sexualtiy every time he got a Kip # and claimed it stopped the attack dead in it's tracks?

Besides, women don't get clusters, they get migraines.

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by hub on Aug 19^th, 2002, 2:18pm

That was me. It seems as though there was someone else...Ted maybe, or Todd. I don't know.
Are migraines worse? Because if they are that's what I want... ;D

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by Bob P on Aug 19^th, 2002, 2:19pm

OK, seriously, Bonnie, try the other triptan drugs.

My insurance limited me so I got all the Zomig that they allowed per month and all the Maxalt and all the Imitrex nasals and all the Imitrex injections and Imitrex pills and all the Amerge, etc.

you know what worked just as well. O2 and a tab of cafergot. O2 holds it at bay until the cafergot kicks in and you're good for 6 hours at least. AND, the insurance doesn't limit these.

Title: ds ins my Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by NancyMcFree on Aug 19^th, 2002, 2:41pm

My insurance limited me as well, but when I called the 1-800 # they said that if my doctor submitted a letter indicating why I needed more than the"manufacturer's recommended dosage" they would review it. I got approved for 30 injections per month (this was what my doctor suggested in her letter to the insurance company). When I started getting more than one headache a day she ordered the oxygen for me. Both work really well for me. The doctor that ordered all my med is a GP. I have been to a neuro but my regular GP is treating me for the clusters and consulting with the neuro.

Welcome to the family. Hope you find something that works for you real soon.

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by ZAIRA on Aug 19^th, 2002, 3:10pm

Dear Bonnie,

I am a CH sufferer like you... unfortunately! I am 23 yrs. old, and I ve been suffering CH
for 8 years. The doctors realized it was CH after several months of unuseful treatments-
as therapy I am using an antiepylectic together with Verapamil, during the attacks I get Sumatriptan and O2. During the last and painful cluster (with very hard attacks) my neurologist adviced me to get Relpax to use as a -stopper- to the attacks.
This is the cocktail I use to relieve pain, I am afraid for yr. Bad time, and I hope with all my heart you re better in a short time

Love, your italian friend

Zaira :-*

P.S. Dear Jack, Yr. Joke is really nice!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by Charlie on Aug 19^th, 2002, 4:40pm

Welcome Bonnie:

Pay no attention to us. We like to have fun and sometimes we get carried away as most of us should.

Anyway, the problems with prescriptions are well-known and you'll find some good ideas on how to stretch Imitrex and alternative ideas as well. My alternative idea is here and take a look:

http://www.chhelp.org/circ.html

If you stick around, you'll find something here to help you in some fashion. It happens all the time.

By the way, CH is what happens when guys like Hub and Jack touch other MOTSS sexuality. You only go blind otherwise. What am I saying!? :o

Really satisfied old Charlie

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by don on Aug 19^th, 2002, 7:28pm

Really blind old Charlie

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by pjbgravely on Aug 19^th, 2002, 9:05pm

Click on the Imitrex tip to the right. I use the nasel spray which is slower for most but is a lot cheaper. My insurance limits me to 6 sprays per 15 days. Hopefully glaxo smith whatever will get them increased.

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by Ree on Aug 19^th, 2002, 10:36pm

I was waiting for you guys to post something like that see Deb I told you that some of the guys here dont believe that women get CH...

a myth of course... we wish that was true after all we have childbirth and cramps...

God was definately a man...

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by Night_Owl on Aug 20^th, 2002, 1:08am

Can I relate! I am only 15 and suffer from this crap. Sorry to hear that you have joined the club.

Night_Owl

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by Ree on Aug 20^th, 2002, 1:25am

you really are a night owl... I wish I could help you somehow... When is that appointment with the doc... let us know what happens ok... concerned Ree..........
awake like you

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by bonnie21601 on Aug 20^th, 2002, 3:09am

;D

thank you to the many responses. i hope i find relief soon. my doc prescribed the o2, i thought to myself, yeah right, but when i got on here, every1 said the same thing. thanks again for the info! ;)

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by Cin on Aug 20^th, 2002, 9:40am

Hello Bonnie,
Glad you got 02, sure has worked well for me. Sorry you have clusters, I had my first cycle the last of Dec. Lots of great support here so hang around.

Blessings,
Cin

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by KimY on Aug 20^th, 2002, 3:25pm

Well, here I am, another CH female. Am I imaginary? I must be if we don't exhist, right? OK then this headache is imaginary too, right? WRONG.

Glad to see some humor out here. Laughter is really a great medicine, even when it hurts to laugh.

I just got diagnosed today with CH. I'm a 39 year female and so far the meds are very little. I see a specialist nexty week. Wish me luck!! :'(

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by Slammy on Aug 20^th, 2002, 3:40pm

on 08/19/02 at 12:25:01, bonnie21601 wrote:

: :'(o

i am new to this so bare with me.

Ok... ( taking off shirt)... Your turn! ;D

Slammy 8)

Title: Re: women who get cluster headaches
Post by jonny on Aug 20^th, 2002, 6:12pm

HELL!!!!

I got pants off and am airing yambag.......Next!!

..................jonny ;D

Almost forgot......"Lust without remorse".......I owe you six bucks for using that Slam......LOL