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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004-2005 Getting to Know Ya Posts >> fellow clusterheads, hello from kansas city
        
(Message started by: labantayo on Oct 16^th, 2004, 9:42am)

Title: fellow clusterheads, hello from kansas city
Post by labantayo on Oct 16^th, 2004, 9:42am

i have been having ch's since 1992. finally diagnosed with them in 1999. my original doctor gave me the allergy/sinus headache crap. then i saw a neuro. he got me straight with what was happening in my head. i was thinking i had been abducted and the headaches were the aliens downloading stuff from my brain. ;;D
amerge and zomig are the triptans that work the best for me. 2 years ago i discovered this site. it has helped me tremendously with understanding our dilema. mine are episodic. i get them 1-2 times a year and they last 1-2 months a whack. luckily, they're not as bad as they were 5 years ago. they seem to be declining in intensity as i get older. i'm in a cycle right now and the worst was a kip 6. i feel that i am lucky with the intensity issue only after reading posts by you guys. i really wish that permanent relief was only a pill away with everyone who suffers. sfter reading the forum, i have been trying to stay away from triptans. over the years, i have noticed that if i fight them only with triptans, the cycle lasts longer and the intensity gets worse. i finally tried melatonin last nite. 1st full nite sleep in a month. i'm still a little drowsy right now, but i'm smiling. ;;D
thanks for all the good info on the site. thanks also for the support and strength you guys have given me through the past 2 years. and you didnt even know it. ;;D

Title: Re: fellow clusterheads, hello from kansas city
Post by nani on Oct 16^th, 2004, 11:07pm

Welcome and I'm sorry you're here. I'm glad you've found this board useful, I know I have. Hopefully your pain will stay less intense. Keep us posted. :)

Title: Re: fellow clusterheads, hello from kansas city
Post by Bob_Johnson on Oct 17^th, 2004, 9:47am

Yes, there have been a few reports in the medical literature about changes in cluster attack patterns after long Imitrex use.

You might consider trying this med as an alternative and then come back to Imitrex after a few months.
--
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: fellow clusterheads, hello from kansas city
Post by miapet on Oct 17^th, 2004, 10:06am

*YAY* and *happy dance* We're so glad the melatonin helped!
*positive light and energy*
miapet

Title: Re: fellow clusterheads, hello from kansas city
Post by clare on Oct 17^th, 2004, 12:34pm

hello...i'm glad this site has helped you. i only found it yesterday and i cant tell you how happy i was. when i read the first page it made me cry. its good to know there are others out there who battle with the demon too.......fight on my friend!!!!!!! :)

Title: Re: fellow clusterheads, hello from kansas city
Post by labantayo on Oct 19^th, 2004, 8:26am

hello again,
Thank you everyone for the kind words and advice.
I just wanted to give everyone an update with the melatonin trial.
4 nites total, 1 headache. The headache actually kicked in before the melatonin did.
So far so good.
I will keep going until this Sunday, then I’ll stay off of it and hope I’m off my cycle.
The drowsiness in the morning is tolerable, since the beast never visited.
My shadows during the day are pretty much non existent now. Theyre there, but not as intense. Thanks again everyone for your support.

Title: Re: fellow clusterheads, hello from kansas city
Post by labantayo on Oct 23^rd, 2004, 10:02am

Update:
stopped taking melatonin this past wednesday. so, total of 5 nites with melatonin. of those 5 nites, 1 ch.
after stopping melatonin, total of ch's = big fat zero. :):):)
either the melatonin ended my cycle, or the cycle ended on its own early. i'll have to do more research on my next cycle, but i'm really not looking forward to that.
thanks again to everyone here and all the good info.