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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> eposodic clusters n lithium
        
(Message started by: dmurp on Aug 14^th, 2006, 9:17pm)

Title: eposodic clusters n lithium
Post by dmurp on Aug 14^th, 2006, 9:17pm

Hey have been suffering from CH for a little over nine years. I was of course misdiagnosed for first two years. I have tried the prednisone with no luck. Use oxygen for last six years and is wonderful. Have used lithium twice before and ended cluster within three weeks. Just started lithium four days ago and hoping it will do the same as before. Any comments regarding lithium and success with would help. Also anyone live in cincy area with these? Painfree days and nights to all!

Title: Lithium
Post by Bob_Johnson on Aug 14^th, 2006, 9:59pm

If I recall correctly, it's used more often with chronic CH but one can never argue with you past success. Might explore, for options:

Here is a link to read and print and take to your doctor. It describes preventive, transitional, abortive and surgical treatments for CH. Written by one of the better headache docs in the U.S. (2002)

http://www.brightok.net/~mnjday/chtherapy.pdf

Title: Re: eposodic clusters n lithium
Post by big_guy on Aug 14^th, 2006, 10:15pm

I took Lithium 22 years ago for episodic CH and had good results from it, but I believe for me there are better or at least less troublesome treatments available now

Big Guy

Title: Re: eposodic clusters n lithium
Post by Margi on Aug 15^th, 2006, 10:17am

There is the lithium pulsing method that did help my husband at the beginning of his last cycle, thanks to Chet Hedden.

The theory of it is to kill the biggest attack of the day by taking a small (150 - 300 mg) dose of lithium two hours before it hits. Most clusterheads know which one of their attacks is the whopper - for Mike it was his 10 p.m. hit. So he took 300 mg at 8 p.m. and then had to add in a second dose upon waking to kill the second biggest hit of the day. That kept him relatively pain free for the first four months of his cycle - he still got the hits but they never went above a 3...

I got email from Chet a month ago and he's back in cycle but was, again, able to kill it by doing this. This time, however, he lowered the dose by splitting his 300 mg in half. He had ramped up to 600 mgs a day and the same thing happened to him that happened to my Mike - the beast switched sides and ramped up again. So he totally detoxed for a few days and let the beast regulate again. He hit the largest hit of the day with a dose of 150 and it seemed to do the trick for him.

Doc's usually prescribe 600 - 900 mgs for a clusterhead though and Chet feels this just might be too much because it blurs the "pattern" that we need to learn.

Just a theory but it does hold some water.

Title: Re: eposodic clusters n lithium
Post by Jasmyn on Aug 16^th, 2006, 8:14pm

Thanks Margi for this information, I just had the husband of a CHer write me today asking about the correct dosage for Lithium.