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        New Message Board Archives >> 2006-2007 Getting to Know Ya Posts >> Verapamil works for me!!!
        
(Message started by: Will_Williams on Sep 26^th, 2007, 5:10am)

Title: Verapamil works for me!!!
Post by Will_Williams on Sep 26^th, 2007, 5:10am

Sure does!!! ;)

Title: Re: Verapamil works for me!!!
Post by Wayne on Sep 26^th, 2007, 5:23am

Hello Will

Sorry to bust your bubble mate but do you ever have the wrong idea about Verapamil!
Verap is a very well known Preventative for CH used effectively by many folks here, in other words you take it regularly (usually 3 times daily) in defined doses (typically 480mg/day) to prevent Ch attacks from occuring at all.
Verap is definitely NOT an abortive which is something that you take to make a CH attack go away when you have one. typical examples here are Oxygen, Immiterex, redbull etc.
Using Verap the way you are you might as well take Smarties. The relief you think you're getting is simply the attack going away by itself - which is why it sometimes takes so long to work hey!

Follow Up- I just read your post about endomyacin - if this is the same doc who told you to use Verap in the way that you descrbed above then you definitely need a new one.

Good luck with the battle mate - but do yourself a favour and read - read - read, there's lots of info here which will helpyou a lot.

Bonus tip - next time you feel a hit coming grab a Redbull and drink it as fast as you can, for me it kills a hit in 10 minutes flat - everytime.

Cheers,

Wayne

Title: Re: Verapamil works for me!!!
Post by Will_Williams on Sep 26^th, 2007, 5:38am

I've actually taken Imitrex and that did absolutely nothing for me. That was the equivalent of taking smarties. I tried to get Oxygen, but my insurance wouldn't cover it. I've taken Indomethacin, Medrin, something called Meclizine for nausea and a few other medications and so far "NOTHING" has worked the least bit. Whether Verapamil is a preventative or an abortive I'm actually 100% positive that it works for me. Having had clusters for about 6 years now they've never went away in less than 3 hours at a time until I started taking the verapamil. I guess the folks who have had it for longer than I've been born would be better educators about it though. I just thought I'd put my experience with Verapamil out there for people to check out. Being that I know different things work for different people.

Title: Re: Verapamil works for me!!!
Post by Wayne on Sep 26^th, 2007, 6:16am

If its working for you that's great, I just have no idea how it is. But yes, we're all different. I wish you many PF days.

Title: Re: Verapamil works for me!!!
Post by chewy on Sep 26^th, 2007, 8:02am

Is the Doc who diagnosed you the same as the one who prescribed Verapamil as an "abortive" ?

Title: Re: Verapamil works for me!!!
Post by Charlotte on Sep 26^th, 2007, 9:02am

Will, long time no see. I enjoyed a thread about lefties, that you started back when I was brand new.

40 mg verap as abortive does sound unusual, but if it works for you, more power to you. I hope it continues to work. I know some relief is better than no relief.

Good luck & check in from time to time.

Charlotte

Title: Re: Verapamil works for me!!!
Post by Will_Williams on Sep 27^th, 2007, 3:57am

on 09/26/07 at 08:02:59, chewy wrote:

Is the Doc who diagnosed you the same as the one who prescribed Verapamil as an "abortive" ?

It's actually been about a year now since I was first prescribed Verapamil so I don't really remember or care in the least whether the doctor introduced it to me as an "abortive" or a "preventative". All I know is that I take it how I take it and it works for me so whatever. I don't know why folks keep questioning whether I'm a true cluster head or not like this is some sort of an Elite Club that it's a privaledge to be apart of. I wish like hell that I didn't have this problem in my life. Like I just woke up one day and said "hmm... I think I'll go log onto a clusterhead site today and act like a CLUSTERHEAD!" All I know is that I get headaches delivered to me first class postage marked from some location in hell that must be juiced up with some of those steroids that the devil uses and they come just about every year for months at a time (I don't know... I guess you can say in "clusters"!) and can last for hours (without my verapamil)... No they don't make me wanna commit suicide or break walls like some people claim, because fortunately enough I can take pain and ain't nothing gonna drive me crazy or take my joy out of life! I wouldn't wish this pain on my worse enemy. All I did was make a suggestion and folks want to put me on trial like everyone here has a Phd. in medication or something... Can you cut me some slack! If it's like that I won't post here anymore... Hey Charlotte! I'm glad you enjoyed my post. Some folks here are a little harder to please obviously. I'll try my best to check in but I feel like I'm put on trial everytime I make a post on this board. I'm thinking that I'll go somewhere where my comments are more appreciated or at least respected, wrong or right...

Title: Re: Verapamil works for me!!!
Post by Wayne on Sep 27^th, 2007, 5:47am

Hey Will

Sorry man, didn't mean to come accross like the Spanish Inquisition. I learn something new pretty much every day here but your post was the first time I've heard of Verap being used that way. I guess that it's fairly normal to question things when someone 'pushes the balloon' so to speak.
Also please remember that many folks arrive here with very strange ideas fed to them by poor medical practitioners etc. So once again it's normal to question.

Title: Re: Verapamil works for me!!!
Post by Charlotte on Sep 27^th, 2007, 7:58am

on 09/27/07 at 03:57:38, Will_Williams wrote:

I'll try my best to check in but I feel like I'm put on trial everytime I make a post on this board. I'm thinking that I'll go somewhere where my comments are more appreciated or at least respected, wrong or right...

Will, it is always uncomfortable to be the deer in the headlight, but you should stick around. You're just getting past a bump in the road and getting to know us, right now.

Did you know that long after you were gone from the board, people were still responding to your post? This is a responsive group. I appreciate that.

Charlotte

Title: Re: Verapamil works for me!!!
Post by Will_Williams on Sep 27^th, 2007, 10:01pm

Oh no guys! I was more so referring to Mr. Sarcastic Chewy up there. I wasn't in anyway offended by your posts Wayne. If I'm wrong about something then feel free to correct me, nobody's perfect and I certainly don't want to falsely inform anyone. As a matter of fact I'll just edit my first post and exclude the faulty information.

Title: Re: Verapamil works for me!!!
Post by southwalessunshine on Oct 3^rd, 2007, 5:18pm

Wow! I too am surprised that you use verapamil as an abortive, but hey if it works for you who am I to say it's right or wrong? But have you ever thought about this? verapamil is usually prescribed as a prevent, so if you went back to your doc and got the higher dosage meant for long term prevent use, and actually took it as a prevent, maybe you could be one of the lucky one's that stops the Ch altogether?
It's just an idea, and if you're totally happy as you are right now than good on you. But you are still getting attacks otherwise you wouldn't be using anything as an abortive, the verapamil is in your system anyways and you feel like it works, so in for a penny infor a pound?
Good luck either way.