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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> My meds have tamed the Beast!
        
(Message started by: Bond007 on Aug 7^th, 2006, 12:00pm)

Title: My meds have tamed the Beast!
Post by Bond007 on Aug 7^th, 2006, 12:00pm

Perhaps this is premature, but my neuro had me increase my nightly amitriptylin chaser that I take with my 100 mg of Topamax from 50mg to 75mg this past Friday. Saturday my HA's were much less severe, but still just as frequent. Sunday, however, the frequency dropped dramatically. Instead of having 8 attacks, I only had 2 very short and very mild ones. So far today, I've only had 1 and it, too, was short-lived and mild. I'm really hoping to able to get past a 4-day string of PFDAN's. That seems to be my max. Every time I increase a med, my body tends to react rather quickly to the increase, but also adjusts rather quickly as well and then resumes its "normal" function.

Here's hoping!!! ;;D

Title: Re: My meds have tamed the Beast!
Post by TxBasslady on Aug 7^th, 2006, 3:55pm

Wishing you lots of luck with the meds.

Good news when the CH takes a bit of a break.

Jean

Title: Re: My meds have tamed the Beast!
Post by maffumatt on Aug 7^th, 2006, 4:15pm

Keeping my fingers crossed for you. The beast seems to get confused when you chang things around, but then he finds his way back to the forefront.
Matt

Title: Re: My meds have tamed the Beast!
Post by Guiseppi on Aug 7^th, 2006, 4:16pm

I hope you've kicked its butt for the time being. Nothing we love more then hearing success stories. Here's to one of those loooong remissions!

Guiseppi

Title: Re: My meds have tamed the Beast!
Post by LeLimey on Aug 7^th, 2006, 4:25pm

fingers crossed from me too!
Helen

Title: Re: My meds have tamed the Beast!
Post by Bond007 on Aug 7^th, 2006, 5:31pm

Yesterday was just grand! Today has not been so great. I can feel the beast struggling against the meds. But, so far it hasn't been successful. Nothing has really broken through -- just a lot of shadows.

Thanks for all the well wishes, gang! I'm really hoping that this helps. I'll keep y'all informed.

Jamie

Title: Re: My meds have tamed the Beast!
Post by LeLimey on Aug 7^th, 2006, 5:51pm

Do you use any abortives as well as the topomax Bond? O2, Red bull, triptans? Just wonderedwhat you are using to shift the shadows or hits if anything.

Title: Re: My meds have tamed the Beast!
Post by Ladybug314 on Aug 7^th, 2006, 7:19pm

Congrads!!!

Hang in there!!! No CH since 6:am this am but the doggon winch is coming back to me I guess she didnt get enough yesterday (go figure)... I hope it works. Verapamil and Imitrex user :P

Ida

Title: Re: My meds have tamed the Beast!
Post by LeLimey on Aug 7^th, 2006, 7:30pm

Hi Ida, what dosage of verap are you on?
Helen

Title: Re: My meds have tamed the Beast!
Post by Bond007 on Aug 8^th, 2006, 10:56am

on 08/07/06 at 17:51:35, LeLimey wrote:

Do you use any abortives as well as the topomax Bond? O2, Red bull, triptans? Just wonderedwhat you are using to shift the shadows or hits if anything.

My neuro hasn't prescribed any abortives for me yet. I've only had one appointment with him so far and he gave me some homework to do which was to find out if my insurance would pay for O2, and if they did, how would we have to go out about getting that approved.

Since I was already on Topamax (my GP had me on it as he suspected either migraines or CH), my neuro wanted to try upping the Topamax first. His idea is to fiddle my current course of meds and see if we can control my CH's through that. If if doesn't work, then he said we'd try the old stalwarts, like verapamil, lithium, imitrex, O2.

In the meantime, he did give me a script for Stadol NS for the really bad hits, which I had last night within minutes of falling asleep. I normally only need one whiff of that crap to ease the pain enough to get right back to sleep, but not last night. I suppose I fought off the beast all day long and boy-o-boy was he P-I-S-S-E-D!!! I had to take 2 whiffs and I'm still feeling quite groggy this morning.

On the other hand, I haven't had another visit from yours truly for the last 12 hours, either. So, perhaps the dousing of painkillers scared him off for a little while. If only!!!! ::)

Title: Re: My meds have tamed the Beast!
Post by Bond007 on Aug 9^th, 2006, 2:11pm

Well, it's now 2 days later and the Beast is still relatively calm. He keeps reminding that he's back there, lying in wait, but so far I haven't had a full blown attack. A few shadows, but nothing really to slow me down at all. I still haven't had one continuous 24 painfree hours, though. On the other hand, I haven't had a HA over a Kip 1 or 2 in the last 2 days either. I did have a longer bout this morning that I thought was going to go somewhere, but it never got much over a Kpi 2. We'll see......