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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2002 >> Indocin
        
(Message started by: Carolyn on Feb 20^th, 2002, 11:43am)

Title: Indocin
Post by Carolyn on Feb 20^th, 2002, 11:43am

My doctor put me on indocin 25mg 3 times a day 2 days ago...and the good news is I have not had a headache since I started on it. But, I am really confused. The doctor asked me if I would be willing to give it a try, because he was leaning towards me having cph. My understanding is that the difference between cluster and cph is the frequency with which they occur. When not being helped by medication, I can have in excess of 8 a day, but I thought cph occurred much ??? ??? ???more frequently than that. He said he was really leaning towards it because of the way my headaches will intensify in such a short period of time.

Since I am responding to the indocin, does this mean it is definitely cph or can indocin work for cluster as well. Additionally, I have read that cph is not responsive to imitrex and I live on the stuff with great success.

I am just wondering what I really have. ???

Title: Re: Indocin
Post by Bob_P on Feb 20^th, 2002, 11:58am

Indocine is usually the test for CPH. If it stops the headaches you can be 99% sure you suffer from CPH.

Never read that triptans don't work on CPH though.

CH occurs 1-8 times a day. CPH can occur many more times than that.

I'd say that since you can get more than 8 headaches a day, you are a female (and females are more prone to CPH) and since the indocine worked, you can be pretty sure you have CPH.

Title: Re: Indocin
Post by Karla on Feb 20^th, 2002, 5:30pm

Boy Carolyn, I could have written that post 4 months ago. I get 6-8 ha a day. I am female, and have been wondering the same thing. Do I have clusters or cph. A dr told me after 4 years of ch diagnosis and no response to any meds he thought I had cph and to try indocin. I did and have been pain free for 4 months. I take 50mg 3x a day now. I was taking it 2x a day but at 4 months I started to have ha again. So I sounds like we have cph if we respond to the indocin despite how many ha we have a day. Because the specialist told me if I didn't respond to the indocin then I knew I had ch. Hope this helps.

Title: Re: Indocin
Post by Carolyn on Feb 20^th, 2002, 5:43pm

;)I suppose if it works, I should just be thankful. But I have pooh poohed the very idea that I had cph because I thought I truly had too few headaches in a 24 hour period for it to possibly be classified as that. And I am episodic as well.

The one thing that I didn't take into consideration is the continuing pain I experience between attacks and when I am at my peak, the stupid things just keep coming in waves. Barely get thru one and another one starts up. Clarity is just not my high point when I am in cycle.

Oh well, just irritates me that my ignorance may have kept me in pain a lot longer than I needed to be. Thankful that I found a new doc that is really working with me though.

Title: Re: Indocin
Post by Bob_P on Feb 20^th, 2002, 6:16pm

Here's the diagostic criteria. Look at page 19 of the PDF document.
http://www.clusterheadaches.org/ihs/diagnost.pdf

Title: Re: Indocin
Post by Marijke on Feb 21^st, 2002, 3:03pm

Hi Carolyn,

although i believe I am a cluster patient (maximum 6 attacks a day, duration approx. 45 minutes), indocin seems to help for me as well. It stops attacks pretty fast. I have 100mg suppo's which I take before I go to sleep, because I get pretty sleepy from the indocin.

Hope this helps you a bit,

Marijke