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        New Message Board Archives >> 2003 Posts >> o2 and indocine not cutting it!
        
(Message started by: Renee on Dec 12^th, 2003, 12:07pm)

Title: o2 and indocine not cutting it!
Post by Renee on Dec 12^th, 2003, 12:07pm

happy friday to all!

the o2 helps my ch but the indocine alone is not. the indocine helped for about 48 hours and now the demon has hit me many times yesterday to where i stayed in bed all day and the demon also appeared again in the middle of the night last night.

is it normal to still have neck pain and some minor pain and droopy eye after the major pain has subsided?

I'm gonna call my neuro today and insist on an abortive prior to my eeg and mri next Friday. I'm supposed to leave tomorrow a.m. for knoxville and have o2 already waiting for me there but...i fear i won't make it there or if i do make it, have a hell of a fight with the demon while there also.

can y'all tell me your opinions on best abortives other than o2. i'd have gone to e.r. for a shot yesterday but i could not stay still long enough to even get dressed because of the ha.

any input would be appreciated so i can call my neuro today!

wish me luck in making it to knoxville and have a great and pf weekend,
renee

Title: Re: o2 and indocine not cutting it!
Post by thomas on Dec 12^th, 2003, 12:17pm

dhe, imitrex, zomig, amerge, axert.

Title: Re: o2 and indocine not cutting it!
Post by Donna H. on Dec 12^th, 2003, 12:45pm

Indocine does not work as an abortive or a preventative for most people suffering clusters. It is most often prescribed for CPH. There is a lot of info in the archives on CPH.

Some of people use Prednisone to stop a cycle, although used long term, it is a nasty, nasty drug. My son uses it in the taper method and has a lot of success with it.

Good luck!!

Title: Re: o2 and indocine not cutting it!
Post by BlueMeanie on Dec 12^th, 2003, 3:17pm

on 12/12/03 at 12:17:06, thomas wrote:

dhe, imitrex, zomig, amerge, axert.

Imitrex & Amerge work. Not always, but most of the time for me.

Title: Re: o2 and indocine not cutting it!
Post by Prense on Dec 12^th, 2003, 6:41pm

After using Lidocaine for over a week now...I say it sucks!

Back to stabbing...

Title: Re: o2 and indocine not cutting it!
Post by Cerberus on Dec 12^th, 2003, 8:34pm

Oh by the way.......

INDOCINE SUCKS, besides the fact that its eating a hole in your digestive tract.

Be adamant about getting your abortives.

Ramon

Title: Re: o2 and indocine not cutting it!
Post by Renee on Dec 13^th, 2003, 12:31am

I called the neuro back today and she wrote me an rx for verapamil but told me it won't kick in for about 2 weeks.

I asked for an abortive and she said she would give me hydrocodone, but only 10 tablets per month... >:(

Is it best to take the verapamil in a.m. or p.m.?

Still hanging in and pondering whether to go out of town tomorrow a.m.

renee

Title: Re: o2 and indocine not cutting it!
Post by Bob_Johnson on Dec 13^th, 2003, 7:58am

Print this message and share with your doc. I've had excellent results with it.
---------------------------
1: Headache 2001 Sep;41(8):813-6

Olanzapine as an Abortive Agent for Cluster Headache.

Rozen TD.

Department of Neurology, Jefferson Headache Center/Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate olanzapine as a cluster headache abortive agent in an open-label trial. BACKGROUND: Cluster headache is the most painful headache syndrome known. There are very few recognized abortive therapies for cluster headache and fewer for patients who have contraindications to vasoconstrictive drugs. METHODS: Olanzapine was given as an abortive agent to five patients with cluster headache in an open-label trial. The initial olanzapine dose was 5 mg, and the dose was increased to 10 mg if there was no pain relief. The dosage was decreased to 2.5 mg if the 5-mg dose was effective but caused adverse effects. To be included in the study, each patient had to treat at least two attacks with either an effective dose or the highest tolerated dose. RESULTS: Five patients completed the investigation (four men, one woman; four with chronic cluster, one with episodic cluster). Olanzapine reduced cluster pain by at least 80% in four of five patients, and two patients became headache-free after taking the drug. Olanzapine typically alleviated pain within 20 minutes after oral dosing and treatment response was consistent across multiple treated attacks. The only adverse event was sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: Olanzapine appears to be a good abortive agent for cluster headache. It alleviates pain quickly and has a consistent response across multiple treated attacks. It appears to work in both episodic and chronic cluster headache.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Olanzapine has a brand name of "Zyprexa" and is a antipsychotic. Don't be put off by this primary usage. Several of the drugs used to treat CH are cross over applications, that is, drugs approved by the FDA for one purpose which are found to be effective with unrelated conditions--BJ.

Title: Re: o2 and indocine not cutting it!
Post by mikeyd on Dec 13^th, 2003, 8:30am

I use DHE nasal and verapamil.
I spread my dosage out ove rthe day to keep a steady level. Verapamil is a blood pressure dropper. I started at 240 mg/ day and worked up to 480 mg/day over two weeks. I take mine every 8 hours since it begins to disappear from the bloodstream in 8-10 hours. I find the shift schedule works best for me7am,3pm,11pm. I have had excellent results with the verapamil. I use DHE nasal mister if a CH is breaking thru the verapamil. usually works within 5 minutes if you can get it right away when you feel it coming on. only had about 10 really bad ones this cycle...I'm in week 10 or 11 of a 10-12 week usual cycle. Good luck I hope you find something that works for you very soon. ;)
PFDAN
Mikeyd
P.S.-Indocin is more of a pain killer for after the CH is gone to get rid of the aches and pains (usually from bashing head [smiley=laugh.gif]) Indocin doesn't do shit to abort if one is coming on.

Title: Re: o2 and indocine not cutting it!
Post by Cerberus on Dec 13^th, 2003, 1:37pm

Renee,

Nix the hydrocodone, Highly addictive and really doesn't help, will probably actually make em worse (granted your body won't care but your head will most likely object loudly).
Try and get some immitrex, or another "triptan".
Verap is a wonderfull drug but it does take a while to build up, partially why many take very high doeses. I managed this year with 120mg a day but had to increase to 240mg mid-cycle. now I'm tapering off, but it works.

Best of luck,
Ramon