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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> Prednisone and drug interactions
        
(Message started by: SammyG on Apr 20^th, 2006, 11:47am)

Title: Prednisone and drug interactions
Post by SammyG on Apr 20^th, 2006, 11:47am

I'm 21 and concluding week 3 of my very first cluster cycle. I took nothing but caffeine the first week, imitrex and maxalt the second week, and cafergot and oxygen this week. I've heard good things about prednisone, which I took when I had a hives outbreak last fall and still have some 20 mg pills left (about 10). But I have some questions for you more experienced folks:
1. Does prednisone interact with cafergot or triptans? Becuase I'm very worried that the prednisone won't cut it for me or that I'll take it too soon after cafergot or imitrex and they'll interact.

2. Will the fact that I took prednisone last fall make it less effective for me? I know I've read from some of you that prednisone is less effective each cycle.

I've got a real whopper right now that oxygen killed for about an hour and then it came back. The cafergot can't kick in fast enough. Where is the relief?

-Sam

Title: Re: Prednisone and drug interactions
Post by AfraidOfTheDark on Apr 20^th, 2006, 11:58am

Can't comment on the Prednisone with other drugs, but I've had clusters yearly since 1999 and every year I would take a Prednisone dose pack. The CH would cease once I started the pack, and my cycle would end. However, this cycle I took a Pred pack, no CH while on it, but they came back a couple days after I finished the pack. Took another pack, same thing happened. I just started Verapamil and Melatonin.

I'm really curious to know why some people seem to dislike Prednisone.

Title: Re: Prednisone and drug interactions
Post by Bob_Johnson on Apr 20^th, 2006, 1:14pm

Pred will quickly abort a cycle BUT you must, at the same time, start using Verapamil. Verap takes several days to become effective but you want it in your body, active, before you stop the Pred.

Oxygen works for a high percentage of folks to abort an attack but the cluster will return, quickly, for some people when you stop using it.

Pred does not interact with ergotamine or triptans.

It has received bad press from a minority of users. Overall, it's safe and effective for the short term use for which cluster folks find it effective. If you use--and I'd recommend it unless you have a bad history with it--the side effects, if they do appear, will disappear quickly (assuming you pay attention to adverse changes and stop using it fast. Always check with your doc if something strange starts to happen.)

Title: Re: Prednisone and drug interactions
Post by I Cant Dance on Apr 20^th, 2006, 1:43pm

I am currently mid way through a pred taper. No side effects, other than I feel a little more energy. Has had no effect on my hits.

Title: Re: Prednisone and drug interactions
Post by Lizzie2 on Apr 20^th, 2006, 2:29pm

Some of the side effects are silent. They come with multiple tapers. They come without warning.

I'm 25 and last year had bilateral knee surgery for core decompression of both femoral condyles due to a disease called Avascular Necrosis (Osteonecrosis/Aseptic Necrosis). In this disease, the blood supply to the bone gets cut off and the bone dies - similar to a heart attack, except to bone. This disease is silent until it gets bad enough to cause severe pain. I did many tapers without knowledge that I had AVN, and I didn't think I had any lasting side effects.

Doesn't happen to everyone but I say it because the theory that "I don't feel any side effects" doesn't really work with pred. The class of meds it belongs to is the only class of meds to have adverse effects on every single system in the body.

They are dangerous and potent drugs. Once in awhile, not such a bad thing. But used improperly and used a lot, they can cause some really bad problems that aren't going to show up for some time!

Carrie