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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> Adaptive
        
(Message started by: zmattmanz on Jul 15^th, 2006, 10:29am)

Title: Adaptive
Post by zmattmanz on Jul 15^th, 2006, 10:29am

Hey everyone. Just registered for this board, although I've read it for a number of years. CH started when I was 16 I'm 22 now.

I had a few questions for all of you, because I can't seem to get anyone around here with any CH knowledge, the medications I am on now I recommended to my doctor. Anywho, my cycle started around 6/20 on my flight back from Madrid, Spain. In which I used Imitrex Injections which worked fine despite what I would consider to be heavy side effects, so I asked my doctor if there was something like Imitrex with out the side effects so I started on Zomig, which didn't work at all. And Relpax which worked at first, and then seemed to stop. Then per some of the posts on here I tried energy drinks at that worked at first and then stopped, I just didn't know if other people have experienced something working incredibly well for aborting attacks and then suddenly becoming totally ineffective.

It's a similar situation with oxygen, no matter how early I use it, it is either hit or miss, I would say it works 65% of the time, and other times totally ineffective. I use a non-rebreather mask, I don't know if I am breathing too much or not enough.

Also, what is everyones plan of attack when they have already used two triptans in 24-hrs. Right now I get 3 a day, so two aren't an issue, I can imitrex it up, I feel like crap on a stick for 30 mins and then generally I'm fine. But with my success rate with oxygen so low, what else can I do? Right now I've been resorting to Fiorinal, which seems to help some.

Thanks everyone, glad to be here.

Matt

Title: Re: Adaptive
Post by Guiseppi on Jul 15^th, 2006, 11:46am

Sounds like you are using the oxygen corrrectly. It needs to be as close as possible to 100%.

No it's not unusual for something to work great for a while and then not work at all. It's one of the cruelest natures of the beast that he morphs so often.

I don't know how to do this cutting and pasting but read thru some of the other links and look fo EDOUBLE'S link on treatment options. It's as complete a list as I've seen of what your treatment options are.

I use lithium as my preventative when on cycle. 1200 mg a day. I start with a prednisone taper for the first 2 weeks as it takes that long for the lithium to take affect. Other then that, read, read, read, you have a lot to learn cuz it's your job to educate the doc!

Guiseppi

Title: Re: Adaptive
Post by Bob_Johnson on Jul 15^th, 2006, 1:18pm

Some of us have had good results with this one.

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.

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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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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