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        New Message Board Archives >> Oct-Dec 2003 >> Oxygen works, but headaches more frequent?
        
(Message started by: drhbooks on Nov 6^th, 2003, 10:04am)

Title: Oxygen works, but headaches more frequent?
Post by drhbooks on Nov 6^th, 2003, 10:04am

I'd like to thank everyone here for their help & support when I posted a few weeks ago about using 02. It is working well at stopping a cluster... 20 minutes of dwindling pain as opposed to 2.5 hours of intense suffering- a great tradeoff.
Unfortunately, I'm now getting 3 attacks a day instead of my usual one with an occasional skipped day. Has anyone else had this experience after starting using Oxygen?

Instead of my single 1 am brainbuster, I get attacks at 8:00 pm, midnight and 5 a.m.....

Title: Re: Oxygen works, but headaches more frequent?
Post by thomas on Nov 6^th, 2003, 10:06am

I have never had any more headaches with o2, it could just be that this cycle is different than your last one. Are you using imitrex? That can lead to more ch's.

Title: Re: Oxygen works, but headaches more frequent?
Post by drhbooks on Nov 6^th, 2003, 10:38am

No, I'm not using Imitrex, and have stopped taking the Topamax as well... tried to taper off it and haven't used it for a few weeks now.

You're probably right about this being just a slightly different pattern, but I found it odd that it started right after starting with Oxygen.

Title: Re: Oxygen works, but headaches more frequent?
Post by Jimi on Nov 6^th, 2003, 10:43am

I kinda thought that I experienced more during a 24 hour day after discovering 02 as well. My last cycle, I started taking cafergot once a day as a preventative and that seemed to help. I have heard others say that taking Amerge( from the imitrex family, only it is sustained relief over a longer period) has helped as well. I hope this helped.

Title: Re: Oxygen works, but headaches more frequent?
Post by Mark C on Nov 6^th, 2003, 11:11am

I am just starting O2 and so far so good.....Fungus therapy stopped my cycle in it's tracks and I have been using the O2 to knock out what few shadow there have been...fungus works!

As far as Imitrex causing re-bounds there seem to be two schools of thought....

Centonze V, Bassi A, Causarano V, Dalfino L, Cassiano MA, Centonze A, Fabbri L, Albano O.

Dept of Internal Medicine and Public Medicine, University of Bari, Italy.

Have published the following....most notably the Triptans may NOT cause re-bounds in CH patients as it does in Migraine patients.

OUCH article (http://www.clusterheadaches.org/library/medications/imitrex_rebound.htm)

"This observational study was designed to examine the pattern of sumatriptan use in patients with cluster headache using more than the recommended daily dose of subcutaneously injected (s.c.) sumatriptan. Thirteen patients suffering from episodic cluster headache were asked to record the characteristics of their attacks and drug intake for 1 year. All reported a high daily frequency of attacks (more than 3 per day) and the related overuse of s.c. sumatriptan. The results show that the overall incidence of adverse events among patients receiving sumatriptan injections for the treatment of cluster headache is low. The extended administration of this drug in episodic cluster headache did not result in tolerance problems or tachyphylaxis. Only 4 patients experienced minor adverse events and recovered more slowly than the others. They suffered from migraine without aura and cluster headache, and showed a family history of migraine. Even though they must be viewed with caution, due to the observational nature of the study and the low number of patients included, these results suggest that the profile of sumatriptan may differ in cluster headache compared with migraine."

I am aware of the many people who have re-bound HA, especially from OTC meds and some Narcotics. There also seems to be enough conflicting information to warrant futher study into exactly what the truth is. I myself have never seemed to suffer rebounds but I know many of you do. I wonder why the difference?

Here (http://neuro-www.mgh.harvard.edu/forum/HeadacheF/7.13.9811.23AMImitrexRebound.h) is a post from a migraine sufferer who seems to describe very well re-bound in migraine.

It seems some may rebound, some may not...it depends. Imagine that, the Beast being unpredictable!

I think more study needs to be done, they just don't study us Clusterheads enough.......yet. ;;D

PFDAN's
Mark