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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> ANYONE HAVE SUCCESS WITH NEURONTIN?
        
(Message started by: Trooper on Mar 15th, 2008, 9:21pm)
Title: ANYONE HAVE SUCCESS WITH NEURONTIN?
Post by Trooper on Mar 15th, 2008, 9:21pm
In the past I have tried Verepamil, fist time with no luck and then last year. It put so much pressure on my chest and felt like my heart was one beat away from stopping. I have also tried Dopeamax (the name says it all!) and Depakote which worked great until last year. Went to the doc yesterday and asked about Olanazapine because it is one of the preventatives mentioned in Todd Rozen's review. He said Neurontin was the same thing, I said great lets give it a try.

I have been looking on the net today and I am not seeing any info that the two are related. Am I missing something here? Also, has anyone had any luck with Neurontin? I started it last night and got my ass kicked with a K-10. I have only had a few of the big ones and this one was damn near the worst! Usually the big ones come on pretty quickly, peak for about 45 min. and then subside just as quickly. This one just kept going up and down, even after I used the Imitrex nasal spray. It then came back two hours later for an additional 20 min. ass beating. If the second hit would have been any longer I would have headed to the ER.
Title: Re: ANYONE HAVE SUCCESS WITH NEURONTIN?
Post by brewcrew on Mar 15th, 2008, 9:26pm
Took it for about 4 months almost 10 years ago. Made me stupid. Stupid with cluster headaches.
Title: Re: ANYONE HAVE SUCCESS WITH NEURONTIN?
Post by Trooper on Mar 15th, 2008, 9:43pm
Yes, I have noticed the stupid part already. That is the main reason I quit Topamax, it made me DANGEROUSLY STUPID and seemed to make my headaches worse! I read that this drug is in the same family as Topamax and I am wondering now if it is going to effect me the same. I wonder if that is why my HA was so bad last night.
Title: Re: ANYONE HAVE SUCCESS WITH NEURONTIN?
Post by brewcrew on Mar 15th, 2008, 9:46pm
Neurontin is an anti-seizure med given primarily to epileptics.
Title: Re: ANYONE HAVE SUCCESS WITH NEURONTIN?
Post by pierrejill on Mar 15th, 2008, 9:50pm
Neurontin is gabapentin...not olanzapine.  

Not that this helps with your initial question, but I was just doing the same research to arm myself at the next doctor's appt.
Title: Re: ANYONE HAVE SUCCESS WITH NEURONTIN?
Post by Charlotte on Mar 15th, 2008, 9:51pm
it eased the general pain a little for me but didn't stop the hits, and really affected my emotions.

Pete/Batch has had some good luck with it, several times.

Charlotte
Title: Re: ANYONE HAVE SUCCESS WITH NEURONTIN?
Post by lennycohen on Mar 19th, 2008, 6:24am
I titrated up to 3200 of Neurontin with no success, made me far dumber than Topamax, which actually worked for me (for about two years, just quit, actually)
Title: Re: ANYONE HAVE SUCCESS WITH NEURONTIN?
Post by mikeslieber on Apr 13th, 2008, 1:18am
Neurontin cut my attacks form about 5 a day to maybe 2 or 3. It worked for 3 years.  After titrating to the max dose my Neuro thought appropriate, it worked for about a year. Then it slowly became less helpful. I have been on methadone for 5 years. I still get 4-6 attacks each week, however they are about 1/2 as painful.  The attacks peak much slower and after 10 years I am able to work 35-45 hours a week. I realize that a lot of CH sufferers don't respond well to opiate type meds. They have worked very well for me and have virtually no side effects (My Dr very very slowly increase dosage and after 6 months My CH attacks started to decrease very quickly and have stayed almost bearable even after decreasing dosage a couple times.  Mike
Title: Re: ANYONE HAVE SUCCESS WITH NEURONTIN?
Post by Annette on Apr 13th, 2008, 9:53pm

My husband had good success with it. He tolerated Neurontin at 1800 mg per day and it really reduced the intensity of the hits as well as the overall number of hits.

Title: Re: ANYONE HAVE SUCCESS WITH NEURONTIN?
Post by purpleydog on Apr 15th, 2008, 10:54pm

on 03/15/08 at 21:21:53, Trooper wrote:
In the past I have tried Verepamil, fist time with no luck and then last year. It put so much pressure on my chest and felt like my heart was one beat away from stopping. I have also tried Dopeamax (the name says it all!) and Depakote which worked great until last year. Went to the doc yesterday and asked about Olanazapine because it is one of the preventatives mentioned in Todd Rozen's review. He said Neurontin was the same thing, I said great lets give it a try.

I have been looking on the net today and I am not seeing any info that the two are related. Am I missing something here? Also, has anyone had any luck with Neurontin? I started it last night and got my ass kicked with a K-10. I have only had a few of the big ones and this one was damn near the worst! Usually the big ones come on pretty quickly, peak for about 45 min. and then subside just as quickly. This one just kept going up and down, even after I used the Imitrex nasal spray. It then came back two hours later for an additional 20 min. ass beating. If the second hit would have been any longer I would have headed to the ER.


Neurontin and Zyprexa (olanzapine) are not the same thing. Neurontin is an anti-seizure med, and Zyprexa is an anti-psychotic. Neurontin and Topomax are also 2 different classes of drugs, according to my latest visit to my doc a few weeks ago, although this article says different. They both threat  epilepsy, and off label use for CH and migraines.

http://headaches.about.com/cs/druginfo/a/neurontin_deb.htm

Here is some info about olanzapiine, this website is maintained by a member here.

http://www.med-owl.com/clusterheadaches/tiki-index.php?page=Olanzapine

Also, see the links in kcopelin's thread about finding info on olanzapine. Here's one, and it pretty much sums up the other links.

http://www.ouch-us.org/medications/zyprexa.htm

Neurontin for me was like taking Topomax for many others. I lost about half my IQ points, and short term memory loss was so bad, I had to stop taking it. I almost lost my job. Topomax didn't have those effects on me, although it didn't help my headaches either.

These meds have to build up in your system to be effective, so although it may be possible it had something to do with that hit, it is unlikely. Everyone is different.

Zyprexa (olanzapine) works as an abortive. The usual starting dose is 5 mg. I have 10 mg tablets that I break in half, and they stop a hit for me in about 10 minutes. They do make me tired, but will kill a hit pretty damn quick, so it's worth it to me. I use them when the trex has stopped working, when I'm in a high killer cycle, and I've been through a round or two of pred. These hits come on about every 90 minutes, and the shadows are kip 7's and 8's, so I don't use the trex until I actually get hit with a 9 or 10. When this happens, O2 doesn't help me. A pred taper will give me relief for a few days, but when the hits start up again like that, I use the olanzapine. It kills the hits, let's me sleep, and to me, it seems to slow them down somewhat.


edited to add: You may want to print out the info on the 2 drugs and give them to your doc. It is irresponsible of him to tell you that Neurontin and Zyprexa are the same thing. They are not even close.
Title: Re: ANYONE HAVE SUCCESS WITH NEURONTIN?
Post by Trooper on Apr 16th, 2008, 8:36pm

Quote:
Am I missing something here?

I was being some what of a smart ass when I asked the question. I was pretty pissed at the doc. for this bit of mis-information.  >:(

I have to give the guy a pass on this though. In the conversation we discussed Topamax, Depakote, Nuerontin and Olanzapine. I think he may have gotten confused with what I was asking. Topamax and Nuerontin are both anticonvulsant drugs with Nuerontin being an analgesic as well. I think the Olanzpine just got lost somewhere in the conversation. He is the only doc. I have ever seen pull out a PDR during a visit and discuss different treatment options. When I went to see him last week and asked him about the Rhodiola, he pulled out the Herbal PDR. I never even knew there was such a thing! I have actually become quite impressed with him  ::) He is not a drug pusher and I love the fact he is willing to think outside the box.

When I tried Topamax, I stayed with it for a month. It seemed to make my ha's worse and I became really stupid. Three days of the same with Neurotin and one killer K10 was all I needed to know this was not the option for me.

Thanks for the info on the Olanzapine/Zyprexa. I thought you could use this as a preventative though? Either way it is good stuff to know. I always worry about what I am gonna do if the Trex stopps working.
Title: Re: ANYONE HAVE SUCCESS WITH NEURONTIN?
Post by Jonny on Apr 16th, 2008, 8:44pm
WHAT?....CANT HEAR YA!.....LOL  ;)
Title: Re: ANYONE HAVE SUCCESS WITH NEURONTIN?
Post by kimh on Apr 17th, 2008, 4:53pm
Nope. I think it's a nuther one of them drugs the drug companies get out through docs  and we are the piggly wigglies.

Yep.  It makes ya stupid.  I kept forgetting if i "took my medicine" LOL.  Once i backed the car into a pole....etc.  I hate that crap.  Matter of fact, there ain't any medicine to date i can back for effective preventative for clusters.  It all sucks in my opinion and will make ya sicker.  But, folks keep getting richer, and on it goes.

I firmly believe that if ya go the way these docs want ya to go, yu'll definitly be chronic.

Frozen peas, o2 and whatever jig gets ya by.  Then....it's DONE.


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