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Title: IMETREX HELP!!!! Post by gitgraphic on Jun 9th, 2005, 10:03am Hi, I was wondering is my husband alone. This has been the WORST round of Cluster HA he may have ever had. Today for instance, he is upstairs in bed and has take 4 shots since 6am and it is now 10:15am. Does this happen to alot of people???? He seems to need more than one injection for the pain to subside!!! HELP!!! :'( |
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Title: Re: IMETREX HELP!!!! Post by Margi on Jun 9th, 2005, 10:11am Hi, sorry you're going through such a rough time. I hate to tell you this but it's probably the imitrex that is making him have more attacks. My husband uses the nasal sprays sometimes and, when he does, he ALWAYS sees an increase in the number of hits he gets in a day. Can your husband use oxygen instead? It's much safer and doesn't seem to cause the increase. Please know that overuse of imitrex can cause cardiac problems and if he starts complaining of chest discomfort, left arm pain, etc. you need to get him to a hospital FAST!! 4 shots in 4 hours is WAY too much imitrex! Is he on any other meds? |
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Title: Re: IMETREX HELP!!!! Post by gitgraphic on Jun 9th, 2005, 10:15am Thanks for the replay...yeas we know that is WAY to much!!!! But it seems to be the ONLY thing that aliviates his pain and it seems to be working less and less these days. he has tried oxygen and that did not help. I think he needs a new doctor..maybe a fresh pair of eyes looking at him...I just know it is getting really though on the entire family but I can only imagine how hard it is on him. |
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Title: Re: IMETREX HELP!!!! Post by nani on Jun 9th, 2005, 10:18am Is he using any preventatives? Has he tried ice or heat? Also look at the water X 3 link over on the left. edited to add: was he using 100% oxygen with a non rebreather mask at 10 - 15 lpm? Look over at the oxygen info link on the left also. |
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Title: Re: IMETREX HELP!!!! Post by Margi on Jun 9th, 2005, 10:20am yes, it's hard but it is survivable. You say he tried oxygen but it didn't work. All too often we hear of inadequate prescription of oxygen for clusterheads and proper delivery is crucial to its success. It MUST be delivered through a non-rebreather mask at a flow rate of higher than 8 litres per minute. Those nose canule thingys won't work. A flow rate of less than that won't work. Read the button to the left for detailed description of oxygen therapy. It rarely fails those who use it properly. How long has he been in cycle this time and is he on any other meds? |
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Title: Re: IMETREX HELP!!!! Post by Jasen on Jun 9th, 2005, 10:27am Imetrex worked great for me for a few days. Then the headaches started to change, which were rebound headaches from the meds. |
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Title: Re: IMETREX HELP!!!! Post by marlinsfan on Jun 9th, 2005, 11:18am O2 at 8 liters/minute works for me in about 15 minutes. I have not used imitrex since I got the oxigen on Monday (3 nights now!). |
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Title: Re: IMETREX HELP!!!! Post by E-Double on Jun 9th, 2005, 11:39am This is a great resource to know like the back of your hand...print it out and give it to your doc http://www.brightok.net/~mnjday/chtherapy.pdf It will present the appropriate treatments that you should seek and your doctor should know!!! Ask for a script and if needed FIGHT fOR Oxygen... http://www.maplefallswebdesign.com/misc/oxygen/oxygen.htm In addition, many of us that use Imitrex injections find that we can get relief by using half the amount.....If he is using the stat-dose autoinjector, click on the link to the left of the board that says"imitrex tip"....I can abort just as quickly most times with 1/3 of a shot as I can with a full.....If he has multiple attacks this will be helpful because he will be able to do so without exceeding the limit which is proposed to be dangerous!!! Educate your doctors!!! Good luck and stay strong! E Edited because this teacher's spelling and grammar suck! [smiley=laugh.gif] |
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Title: Re: IMETREX HELP!!!! Post by Bob_Johnson on Jun 9th, 2005, 12:10pm : Headache. 2004 Jul;44(7):713-8. Related Articles, Links Subcutaneous sumatriptan induces changes in frequency pattern in cluster headache patients. Rossi P, Lorenzo GD, Formisano R, Buzzi MG. Objectives.-To document the relationship between the use of subcutaneous (SQ) sumatriptan (sum) and a change in frequency pattern of cluster headache (CH) in six patients. To discuss the clinical and pathophysiological implications of this observation in the context of available literature. Background.-Treatment with SQ sum may cause an increase in attack frequency of CH but data from literature are scant and controversial. Methods.-Six CH sum-naive patients (three episodic and three chronic according to the International Headache Society (IHS) criteria) are described. Results.-All six patients had very fast relief from pain and accompanying symptoms from the drug but they developed an increase in attack frequency soon after using SQ sum. In all patients, the CH returned to its usual frequency within a few days after SQ sum was withdrawn or replaced with other drugs. Five patients were not taking any prophylactic treatment and SQ sum was the only drug prescribed to treat their headache. Conclusions.-Physicians should recognize the possibility that treatment of CH with SQ sum may be associated with an increased frequency of headache attacks. ======== You might try: 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. |
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Title: Re: IMETREX HELP!!!! Post by gitgraphic on Jun 13th, 2005, 6:44am thanks for all your help!!!! I printed ouut all the sugesstions and have pssed them on to my hubby! He went to the doctor last week he sugested some kind of brain probe stimulation?? Anyone else ever heard of that?? |
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Title: Re: IMETREX HELP!!!! Post by seasonalboomer on Jun 13th, 2005, 9:15am Check out this recent thread: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=meds;action=display;num=1117946110 |
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