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Title: Help Post by mel_mae79 on Sep 25th, 2007, 12:19pm I am new on here, and I am in a really bad cycle right now. I am in tears crying for my mom each night because of my pain; I am in tears right now just thinking about going to bed tonight. I am drinking a lot of water, caffeine, and taking Melatonin. But the pain is still there and it's so bad. I have an appointment, in 2 weeks, at the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, but I need help now. Sometimes an ice pack will bring some relief, but other times it makes it worse. Does anyone have any other suggestions to help, at the least, descrease some of my pain? I need to get some sleep. I have not slept a full night in weeks, and I am exhausted. I am starting to get smaller versions of the night's headache during the day and I am getting 2 at night now. It just seems to be getting worse. If anyone can be of some help, please do. Melissa |
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Title: Re: Help Post by Ray on Sep 25th, 2007, 12:49pm I'm so sorry that you are going through this right now. If you can talk to your primary care Dr. about a prescription for Oxygen, please do. Read the link to the left "oxygen info". It is relatively inexpensive and is a life saver to many of us. Good luck and never let the cluster headaches win. Ray |
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Title: Re: Help Post by Guiseppi on Sep 25th, 2007, 2:09pm Go buy a couple cans of Monster, rock star, or any energy drink containing caffeine and taurine, try slamming one down at the first sign of a headache, it helps to abort for many. You need to chug it as quickly as you can. I can ratchet a headache down 2-3 notches by hyperventilating cold air, in through my nose, out through the mouth. I will either stick my face in the freezer compartment of my fridge, or go sit in the car with the AC on full blowing in my face. Those are my two emergency tricks when I get caught with nothing. If at all possible, get oxygen, either from a friend or your GP, it's still my best abortive, hang in there. Guiseppi |
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Title: Re: Help Post by Bob_Johnson on Sep 25th, 2007, 2:19pm I assume your have a primary care doc who knows about your Diamond appointment. Print out this reply (it is from a medical journal your doc will recognize); handcarry to the doc's office and declare an emergency; ask for a sample of this med. If it works, you will get relief in 20-min or less AND you will have some important information to give to the folks at Diamond. ---------------- 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: Help Post by Linda_Howell on Sep 25th, 2007, 2:23pm Melissa, stop crying, and go blow your nose and KNOW you are not alone in this anymore. We will do everything we can to help you deal with this. The emergency tips Guiseppi gave you are right-on. Go here and print out whatever you can to take to the Diamond HA clinic when you go in regards to 02. It truely IS a life-saver. http://www.ouch-us.org/medications/oxygen/o2info.shtml You've got 2 weeks to really educate yourself here so that when you see the Dr. you can be armed to the teeth and know what you're talking. Besides all the lkinks to the left of here, go to the OUCH website and read the info there regarding abortives and preventatives. If you need someone to talk to on the phone, pm me your number and I will call you. I am chair of Family Services at OUCH and I have been here on this board for more than 9 years now, just in case you feel funny about giving me your number or are in doubt if I can be trusted. Linda Howell |
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Title: Re: Help Post by Kilowatt3 on Sep 25th, 2007, 8:35pm on 09/25/07 at 12:19:46, mel_mae79 wrote:
I posted this a while back on the "Getting to Know You" board, but it sounded like it might be helpful to post it here for you. I have had GREAT success with the following regimen: Kudzu - 1000 mg, 2x per day (morning & night) Magnesium - 250 mg, 2x per day (morning & night) St. John's Wort - 300 mg, 2x per day (morning & night) Skullcap - 425 mg at bedtime Melatonin - 10 mg at bedtime In addition, I keep Red Bull at hand, and slam one down at the first sign of a shadow, along with a couple of 500 mg Taurine tablets. A little background: I'm a 50 y/o male, 210 lbs, episodic CH since 1992. I was in complete remission for about the last six years until a couple months ago, when the Beast came back. I decided to try 'alternative' treatment, since I've never had very good luck with doctors for much of anything. I also would rather avoid the potentially severe and/or permanent side effects that most of the pharmaceutical treatments seem to offer! All of my 'ingredients' are pretty benign, available OTC, and cheap. Total cost is well under a buck a day. Most importantly, they work - at least for me. I believe I have stopped the Beast in its tracks! No wild claims of a "cure", but I continue to be ecstatic over my success with this "program" - I've been on it for about six or eight weeks now. I had two really light hits in the first week or so - nothing worse than a K3. I now think the episode is completely aborted. I've heard there might be some issues with taking kudzu along with triptans, but it sounds like you're not taking any pharmaceuticals (yet). No promises, and no guarantees, of course, but I sure feel good about this. I urge you to try it and lemme know how it works out! Very best regards & PFDAN, Jim |
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