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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> I need Lithium advice
        
(Message started by: Katherinecm on Aug 2^nd, 2006, 9:56pm)

Title: I need Lithium advice
Post by Katherinecm on Aug 2^nd, 2006, 9:56pm

How long do I take lithium for before I know it's not working for me? I'm chronic, and I once read somewhere it's my best shot for going back to episodic, but for some reason I can't find that information. I've been on 300 mg twice a day since 7/7/06.

I think this drug is making me depressed. There are some other pretty stressful circumstances in my life right now, but I'm constantly crying. Not to mention nauseatead and the insomnia in addition to CH. I was getting non-stop hits, which I attributed to the Lamictal (I quit that last week). The number of hits has gotten slightly better since, now down to 8-10/day. My migraines are worse than ever too, which are probably also making the nausea worse, but the lithium is contributing.

If there is a shot in hell that this drug can help me go back to episodic I want to be sure and give it a fair shake. But I also don't want to be needlessly suffering if it's time to switch to a different drug. Can anyone point me to the studies regarding lithium ending chronic episodes, and how many weeks those studies were for?

Thanks,
Katy

Title: Re: I need Lithium advice
Post by rhino on Aug 2^nd, 2006, 10:57pm

I am posting this note to you and I am not sure why.
I started Lithium 06/19/06, stayed with it about 3 weeks
and no help.
I can also tell you Verapamil and Ergotamine, no help.
I am back on Prednisone, with out the Doctors knowledge, The only thing that gives me any relief.
I have got to get off the stuff and start taking Sancert.
It looks to me like a medication crapshoot,, I keep
rolling the meds and getting snake eyes. :o

Title: Re: I need Lithium advice
Post by unsolved1 on Aug 3^rd, 2006, 12:12am

Different people may need different dosages of Lithium to obtain a 'theraputic level'. You should have blood tests done in a couple of weeks to see where your Lithium level is at, then your doc may need to adjust the amount. It'll take a couple of weeks to reach any kind of theraputic level.

Goodluck

UNsolved

PS. I took as much as 1050mg / day with no help. Hope you have better luck. I know it's worked for some.

Title: Re: I need Lithium advice
Post by E-Double on Aug 3^rd, 2006, 4:43am

The lithium seemed to help stabilize my attacks after a couple of weeks.

Soon after I became very blahhhhh.
Flat affect.
Not too long after that developed Lithium toxicity.

"Depression" or malaise can be a side effect.

Title: Re: I need Lithium advice
Post by Bob_Johnson on Aug 3^rd, 2006, 7:57am

http://www.headachedrugs.com . Explore this site; excellent material; site run by a headache doc in the Chicago area. [ enter in "search" box: cluster +lithium]

"Lithium: Very helpful for chronic cluster and, to a lesser degree, episodic cluster. Small doses, one to three of the 300 mg. tablets per day, are used for cluster headache. May be combined with verapamil and/or cortisone. Lithium is usually well tolerated in low doses; drowsinesss, mood swings, nausea, tremor, and diarrhea may occur. Blood tests need to be done." --from this site.

Title: Re: I need Lithium advice
Post by Charlotte on Aug 3^rd, 2006, 9:45am

Thank you for the link. I'm printing out pages to take to the neurologist tomorrow. I have 4 pages from the last neurologist in 2000 who thought I was successfully treated & delighted with my progress although I still had 3-12 ch daily and multiple migraine and had had 3 really bad days the week follow-up. Yep, that's success for ya.

I actually am having success with kudzu, which lowers the pain to bearable, and maxalt melt - which I get 18 a month and cut into 4ths. The neurologist appointment was scheduled because I asked for more triptans.

I don't intend to give up kudzu until it stops working, and I do want enough maxalt melt to make it through my work day. I think kudzu kept me from having a long round of hourly hits, and now it's usally 2 hours and sometimes 3 apart.

Thank you, Bob. I appreciate the articles and the links.

Charlotte

Title: Re: I need Lithium advice
Post by Guiseppi on Aug 3^rd, 2006, 1:45pm

I use 1200 mg a day when I'm on cycle. I'm 46, weigh about 190 pounds. It takes about 10-14 days to kick into gear, I use a prednisone taper during that time as prednisone offers 100% block for me. It's been my medication of choice forever and works well. I pea, A LOT, for the first couple of weeks, and I do feel the lithium drag for the first few weeks. An easy trade off for me since it works so well for me. Hoping it works as well for you.

Guiseppi

Title: Re: I need Lithium advice
Post by Karla on Aug 3^rd, 2006, 4:15pm

I used 900mg a day for 2 years and it worked wonderfully. Then it quit working for me. It took about 3 weeks to kick in. Lithium is used in people as a mood stabalizer and for bipolar. I never noticed any mental effects with it.

Title: Re: I need Lithium advice
Post by Katherinecm on Aug 4^th, 2006, 12:15am

Thanks for all your help guys. I think I'm going to call the neuro tomorrow and ask to be switched to something else. Not really sure what the next option is; I moved back in with my Mom when I went on disability (too lonely to stay home alone all the time) and Mom sat me down today and said it's quite clear I have been more miserable and in more pain in the past few weeks then at any point in the past 3+ years since diagnosis. I guess when your Mom, Sister, and even pharmacist all tell you it's obvious you are suffering it's time to make some changes. I just had so much hope for this one I wanted it to work so bad I didn't care how miserable it made me.

As an aside, I accidentally discovered that old-fashioned natural black licorice candy is a natural stomach settler. It has to be real black licorice, not anise. It works better than anti-nausea medicine.