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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> estrogen???
        
(Message started by: mezza on Mar 19^th, 2008, 4:36pm)

Title: estrogen???
Post by mezza on Mar 19^th, 2008, 4:36pm

thanks to all the support thus far

on friday ran out of imitrex nasal insurance wouldn;t refill til 3/26, prednisone taper not working, pred shot did nothing, found 2 old nasals tucked away and had been suffering- bawled out insurance company, got override that took about 15 phone calls etc etc etc. Pharmacy staff have been working on this too for me ( they are great)

Finally today go to my first neurology appt- come hme with all kinds of imitrex, shots, nasals , pills etc, a prescription for oxygen, and verapamil and i could try a medral pack of steroid too ( that is what immediately stopped cycle the last 2 times in the past 13 years that i had a cycle)

I go to fill the prescriptions today and pharmacy has worked out getting me 12 more imitrex- Pharmacy actually told me to start stockpiling- Its like the happiest day of my life!! lol

Also neuro said something interesting today- he ordered bloodwork for me- he said i possibly have an issue with estrogen- he said that he has prescribed some men estrogen when they have clusters? He thinks it is so weird that i have ch, because i am a female- He said he knows women get them but so rare that but he obviously knew exactly what to prescribe to deal - good preventative and abortives- but not sure if i just couldn;t read his affect well b/c i got the sense that he thinks there is no way i could have clusters as a female without there being some underlying estrogen or something else going on?

anyone else have that experience

Title: Re: estrogen???
Post by Guiseppi on Mar 19^th, 2008, 6:39pm

Boy you have mixed signlas there. In the old days women didn't get CH, they were just exagerating their migrains, only men got CH. If you spend anytime on the board you'll see that's just not the case. ;)

On the other hand he clearly knows his business based on what he's prescribing. Let him know your experience on this board, it is not at all rare or uncommon for women to get CH. I had not heard an estrogen defficiency link before.

But a neuro who prescribes 02 for CH, well that just rocks! [smiley=thumb.gif]You definitely have a winner there, just a little bit of outdated infor regarding women and CH.

Guiseppi

Title: Re: estrogen???
Post by Linda_Howell on Mar 19^th, 2008, 7:52pm

I know at least a hundred women who would like to strangle anyone who ever started the rumor that women never get CH. Methinks that it may have started with BobP ;)

Men get Migraines too but I'll bet my aunts diamond ring that they don't get the same dis-respect.

Title: Re: estrogen???
Post by mezza on Mar 19^th, 2008, 9:21pm

yes the conversation just had a sort of weird flavor- on one hand they did everything right gave me all the right stuff- very supportive - I actually saw a female pa and a male md together. On the other hand- he said women just don't get CH- asked me about birth control etc asked whether i ever had trouble getting pregnant etc ( no to all that )

I asked him if he had ever gotten on this site and saw the women who posted? he wasn't aware of this site- he was nice and lighthearted it seemed but i kept getting this sense that he thinks that i can't possibly have c/h ( but why in the world would he give me a good medication protocol?) the only thing i can think of is that his sense of humor was more sarcasm and ribbing like " this shouldn't be happenning only men get it- and here you are - wow" He was also French so I may have misunderstood his affect -

I don't know- i guess it doesn't much matter in the end- i got exactly what i needed, they were very responsive and thorough, spent about an hour with me- did a workup etc, lots of imitrex samples, script for oxygen, a new pred taper,

What does anyone think about his comment about prescribing estrogen to men for C/H? Maybe something they do in Europe?

Title: Re: estrogen???
Post by mezza on Mar 21^st, 2008, 1:36am

I found a link to new research on estrogen link and cluster- maybe dr is onto something afterall-

Clomiphene Citrate for Treatment Refractory Chronic Cluster Headache
Todd Rozen, MDFrom the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Dr. Todd Rozen, Neurology, Michigan Head Pain & Neurological Institute, 3120 Professional Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA.
Conflict of Interest: None

Abstract
A treatment refractory chronic cluster headache patient is presented who became cluster-free on clomiphene citrate. The author has previously reported a SUNCT patient responding to clomiphene citrate. Hypothalamic hormonal modulation therapy with clomiphene citrate may become a new preventive choice for trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias. The possible mechanism of action of clomiphene citrate for cluster headache prevention will be discussed.

Title: Re: estrogen???
Post by monty on Mar 21^st, 2008, 11:34am

The hormones can have an effect. But clomiphene blocks estrogen - body-builders combine it with steroids to block the effects of the testosterone that is converted to estrogen.

I have heard of men being treated with testosterone for cluster headaches, and also about men being treated with testosterone blocking drugs for CH. I have never heard of men getting estrogen for CH.