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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> new meds?
        
(Message started by: navymech on Jul 13^th, 2006, 8:49pm)

Title: new meds?
Post by navymech on Jul 13^th, 2006, 8:49pm

I am a 25 year old clusterhead who has been suffering for 10 yrs and I have recently been prescribed Fiornal and Midrin for clusters because my insurance limits my imitrex injections to 8 per month.(and im in the navy where healthcare is supposed to be free!) My doc wants to try these to see if they are effective as a preventive but I dont have a whole lot of knowledge about these meds so any feedback would be great! By the way its great to have found somewhere to share the pain cause if you dont suffer from this beast then you just dont have a clue what a living hell they can be.

Title: Re: new meds?
Post by unsolved1 on Jul 13^th, 2006, 11:13pm

I don't see either of those drugs helping you with cluster headaches. Sounds like the doc who prescribed them either doesn't think you have clusters or don't know much about cluster treatments. IMO :-/

Most 'clusterheads' start out with Verapamil for a preventative and either O2 or a Triptan (such as Imitrex) as an abortive. Indomethacin is also a good drug to try to rule out another variant of clusters. (CPH)

Some good readinghttp://www.brightok.net/~mnjday/chtherapy.pdf

Just a thought ... Maybe you could get more Imitrex per month if you got the vials & needles instead of the auto-injectors. Plus you could probably use less per shot and still get relief ... then you could stretch out you supply even more.

Goodluck

UNsolved

Title: Re: new meds?
Post by Guiseppi on Jul 13^th, 2006, 11:39pm

In the 80's I tried midrin as a preventative and didn't have any luck with it. I don't recall the dosing.

I also tried fiorinal, this is a very contentious topic on the board because narcotic pain killers are a poor choice for cluster headaches. They take too long to get into your system, and given the nature of our headaches pose a significant risk of developing tolerances or even addiction.

With that disclaimer, fiorinal was the only narcotic pain killer that ever seemed to attack "the mechanism" of the pain and not just the pain itself. So yeah it helped some. Doesn't hold a candle to my current regimen of lithium as a preventative, oxygen and cafergot for the break thrus, and imitrex for emergencies. Wishing you luck and some peaceful rest.

Guiseppi

Title: Re: new meds?
Post by sandie99 on Jul 14^th, 2006, 5:47am

Hi there!

Warm welcome to the board! :)

I'm glad that you found your way right here. I just sorry that you suffer from ch....

Do read lots about ch meds & treatments. There are lots of advice right here! I've met 6 neuros so far (I've suffered since 2001) and only 3 of them truly knew their ch. The more you know about the beast, the better.

Best wishes & PF days,
Sanna

Title: Re: new meds?
Post by Bob_Johnson on Jul 14^th, 2006, 8:58am

Unsolved's link is first rate and is essential reading for your doc.

Also, print this one and give to your doc. On a dose cost basis, it's relatively inexpensive compared to Imitrex and some of us have had excellent results.

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.

Title: Re: new meds?
Post by E-Double on Jul 14^th, 2006, 9:03am

I'll vouch for the above...Olanzapine has worked as quickly for me as imitrex and I didn't have any nasty side-effects afterwards

Title: Re: new meds?
Post by jenrob2006 on Jul 14^th, 2006, 10:28am

I was never on midrin but I was on fiornal for at least three years. It never worked and then my doctor said there was proof that it actually causes more headaches, so he took me off of it.

Good luck and welcome!

Title: Re: new meds?
Post by walkertexasranger on Jul 14^th, 2006, 3:35pm

The Midrin has worked for me for as long as I can remember. Not quite as effective as Imitrex, but 95% or so, and almost as fast.

I gave up on the narcotics years ago. They never helped me, the HA was always subsiding by the time the effect kicked-in and then I just wound up feeling drugged between the HAs.

Mark

Title: Re: new meds?
Post by Charlotte on Jul 14^th, 2006, 4:00pm

I used Midrin & Fiorinal in the mid 90's. The Dr was the one who identified the clusters diagnosed me as combination vascular. He said to take the meds at the 1st twinge in the lip, eyebrow, or chin (which I now know is where the ends of the branches of the trigiminic nerve are). The Midrin supposedly affects th e way you feel about pain.

There is a section on the left which shows how to extend those 8 imitrex shots.

Good luck, and welcome aboard.

Charlotte

Title: Re: new meds?
Post by navymech on Jul 14^th, 2006, 9:29pm

Thank god for competent doc's! After explaining to him the deal with our insurance we beat the system by going to the imitrex tablets, although they take longer to work at least its better than something that doesn't work at all. The doc i'm seeing right now is just a general practioner so his experience with CH's is kinda limited but thankfully he is willing to work with me and try new things to see what works. I am going to see a neuro sometime this month im just waitin on the referal to come through so hopefully this doc knows his stuff and what to give. Thanks for all the feedback and info before I found this website all I could find was medical articles and stuff online, not personal expreriances. Thank God I have insurance to pay for this now, for the past 8 years I just had to suffer the beast and my family paid the price. For all those out there without just keep on keepin on, things will get better. By the way has ne one had any experience with depakote? thanx all, go navy

Title: Re: new meds?
Post by bambina on Jul 19^th, 2006, 9:19pm

[smiley=huh.gif]hi: I have not used midrin but have used fiorinal and nothing has worked. Have had migraines for over 6 years(can't remember anymore). All I know is that I've seen 5 neurologists and they have all tried me on anti epileptic drugs and only ESgic worked for a while. Now I am on Imitrez tablets 100mg. which work for me but I am very excited lately because I had to change my doctor and this new one wanted to try me on Cardizem which is supposed to lower the blood pressure. It is used for heart patients. In May I had 18!!!migraines, and started Cardizem or (Cartia- generic) in June. I only had 8 and now in July have only had 3 and I feel very energetic. I am very excited because I have tried herbs, accupuncture, accupressure, meditation and nothing has worked. I hope this helps, please ask your doctor and try to get the tablets of Imitrex instead of the injections. Good luck!

Title: Re: new meds?
Post by rhino on Jul 19^th, 2006, 10:10pm

Has anybody heard of a med called NEURONTON?
I live in a great neighborhood and everybody on my block is trying to cure me,, One of my neighbors came to me with this and I told him I would post this and find out if anybody had heard of it.
Hell why not, the Neurologist is about worthless. :-/

Title: Re: new meds?
Post by StressFree on Jul 20^th, 2006, 12:43pm

Fiorinal worked well for me for a short time. It is a mild barbiturate which your system will get used to about as fast as you start taking it. Don't be surprised if it helps quite a bit for a week or so (or a few days), then no help at all. Same happens to me with any of the opiate type drugs like codein or vicodin. You might try alternating it with another abortive like Maxalt (a triptan not a pain killer). This works for me fairly well alternating with Stadol nasal spray. Also try Verapamil (blood pressure med) if you aren't getting relief or if your cycle is long or chronic. Verapamil should be started soon as it may take a while to start working.

Best of luck and prayers for you, Rich