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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004 Cluster Headache Specific Posts >> Saw the specialist again today
        
(Message started by: Redd715 on Apr 21^st, 2004, 2:14pm)

Title: Saw the specialist again today
Post by Redd715 on Apr 21^st, 2004, 2:14pm

Here is where we sit as of today...

Upping the topomax to 50 mg a day as of tonight at bed time, and going to begin to wean off the verapamil. Dropping back down to 200 mg. PM's. Got another supply of imitrex. Trying to figure out now if this is the tail end of a cycle, or if the topomax is whats working...too soon to tell she says..all we know is that the afternoon attacks have quit. Been a few shadows here and there...but nothing has ramped up during the day to anything highter than 3-4. Functional... except for that I'm beat from the night attacks. But can't sleep when I try. Double edged sword there...anyway there is some daytime relief...but still trying to get the night's under control. Thank the powers for imitrex.

Title: Re: Saw the specialist again today
Post by Karla on Apr 21^st, 2004, 2:33pm

Just thought I would mention that when I saw the headache specialist at the ha clinic he recomended up to 600mg of topamax. Also I tried around 960 of vereapamil. Your doses seem a bit low but I hope you find relief soon.

Title: Re: Saw the specialist again today
Post by Redd715 on Apr 21^st, 2004, 3:09pm

Well, I'm one of the odd ducks. I'm immune to most opiates to begin with...but then I'm hyper sensitive to valium...lol. Had my wisdom teeth pulled back when I was 23 and they used it to put me in a twilight state...was supposed to have been up and about 20 minutes after they done and I was out cold for 3 hours...LMAO.

As she said...it may be that I'm cycling down, we don't know yet...all we know is that the afternoon attacks stopped with the introduction of topomax. And her idiology is the fewer drugs as possible the better...so that is where we are headed at this point. She and I talked at length about how in general, CH manifests itself differently in women than in men. Was a very enlightening and educational day.

Title: Re: Saw the specialist again today
Post by broomhilda on Apr 21^st, 2004, 3:14pm

on 04/21/04 at 15:09:23, Redd715 wrote:

Redd, in terms of manifestation differing between men and women, how is that? Could you explain what she talked bout? Curious...

Hope the cycle is ending soon for you!

Andrea

Title: Re: Saw the specialist again today
Post by Redd715 on Apr 21^st, 2004, 3:53pm

Remember she talking about in general...

She expaned more on how women tend to have been told they have migrains when they present with these. Especially back when I started having them 13 years ago. Anyway...she also said that generally women who seem to begin to get these in cycles they will begin for them somwhere in their later 30's, where for men they get nailed in their 40's generaly. Women are socialised to "suck it up"...or "it's a hormone thing" and they are generaly told to go lay down in a dark room. Ironic...the the assistant who took me back to the room asked if I wanted the lights turned out and lay down if that would help me feel better....LMAO. (go figure) Anyway...Even knowlegable Neurologists will pass off CH for a woman as Migraine, or CPH first, and maybe rightly so. But it does impeed the process of getting the ball rolling to get the meds going to get the HA's under control. Maybe a sort of sexual stereotyping, but then again, the majority of the information we have on CH is male based. Has to do with the the male female ratio. At least this is her take on it. Thats pretty much it in a nutshell.