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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2002 >> Need Drug Advice today
        
(Message started by: Marcos618 on Aug 7^th, 2002, 9:34am)

Title: Need Drug Advice today
Post by Marcos618 on Aug 7^th, 2002, 9:34am

15 days ago While on vacation I entered a new period of CH's. The first one is always the biggest. Since that day, and now today 15 days later, I have had a non-stop 24 hours per day headache. I have had a few very minor CH's and last saturday I had a full blown out CH but that was my fault I went to a party and had a drink.

Doctor has not been able to stop this 24 hour a day headache. Yesterday he gave me 750 MG Vicodin. This seems to have made it worse. I see the doctor again early Thursday morning (tomorrow).

Anyone have any suggestions on what drugs I can suggest to him to give me to break up this headache. I think I have gone from just getting CH's to now having Migraine headaches with scatered CH's during it.

This 24 hour headache is across the front of the head, on top and in the back. It varies from very mild and I hardly notice it to let me lay down for a bit I can't take this anymore. Even my ears feel like they have pressure behind them from the headache.

Title: Re: Need Drug Advice today
Post by Svenn on Aug 7^th, 2002, 11:51am

I just wont to add my medications for breaking out of cycle.But remember that i`m not a doc,just another clusterhead from Norway

Verapamil Retard 120mgX5-7/daily during cycle
Oxygene alone at 10ltm for 15 minutes or combined with imitrex-shots does miracles.The shots should start working in 6-9minutes.a few secons after that you are almost painfree
Prednisolone in high doze for 10 days 80mg
then over a 3 weeks periode step down like 60-40-30-20-10-5mg /daily

This is the miraclecure for me,but i`m not a doc.just another clusterhead from Norway

Svenn

Title: Re: Need Drug Advice today
Post by Georgia on Aug 7^th, 2002, 1:42pm

Sorry to hear you are having such a hard time. I know exactly what you mean about the 24 hour a day headache with ch peaks. I am chronic, so I have that all the time. My head literally hurts all day, everyday. Just combing my hair on a daily basis can be very painful(which is why I generally walk around with giant knots in my hair). I know it is nothing compared to the pain of the actual cluster headache, but after a while it sure does drain your energy and get on your nerves. I usually take Excedrin or 1200 mgs of Ibuprophen...it doesn't stop it, but it lessens it at least. At the moment, I am having a major problem with one of my teeth, so the dentist gave me Darvocet for the pain. Since I started taking the Darvocet every four hours to keep my tooth pain in check, that constant, nagging headache has gone away. I am really enjoying this little reprieve. Darvocet is not something I can take everyday for the rest of my ch life...and I hate to recommend that you start taking narcs everyday during your cycle because of the possible rebound effect and addiction, but shit, if it gives you some relief and you don't overdo it, I say try it. It might help. I know that I have been in a much better state of mind to deal with the ch that have come my way since I have been given a break from fighting 24 hour pain. Let me know if you find anything that works for you. Best of luck.

Georgia

Title: Re: Need Drug Advice today
Post by Marcos618 on Aug 7^th, 2002, 2:54pm

Thanks for the advice here, I will check back again once more tonight. I am writing all these meds and ideas down and will take the list with me tomorrow to the doc to start playing "lets make a deal" for what he might be willing to give me to try and break this Headache cycle.

Title: Re: Need Drug Advice today
Post by pjbgravely on Aug 7^th, 2002, 8:17pm

I either have clusters that last an abnormal 6 hours or migraines with the same pain as clusters. I went from 3 10's a day to one 8 a week with shadows. I have almost no pain free time. I wake up with a 3 , 6 hours later I am PF for 1/2 then anoughter shadow for 6 hours. My nuero says its more like migraine but he is treating me with meds that work for both. I am on imitrex to stop the big ones and Elavil as a preventive. I actually have some pf time now. The shadows aren't too bad but they do wear you down after 6 hours.

Title: Re: Need Drug Advice today
Post by Ree on Aug 7^th, 2002, 11:00pm

Georgia, I had no idea that you suffered so badly... sorry about that...hang in there girl...

and say hi to Den... love Ree

Title: Re: Need Drug Advice today
Post by Marcos618 on Aug 8^th, 2002, 11:43am

Thanks for everyone's help. Saw Doctor he gave me Prednisone 20MG for 3X day. Need to now wait till next week to see if it helps otherwise we spin the wheel again to see what drug of choice it lands on.

He said he might want to do a cat scan, but all I own is a dog. So depending how thinks go during this next week I might have to make a trip to the animal shelter for a cat. :)

Thanks.

Mark

Title: Re: Need Drug Advice today
Post by Drk^Angel on Aug 8^th, 2002, 12:22pm

Do they scan the cat on a flatbed scanner, or a single sheet feeder scanner? :P

PFDAN..................... Drk^Angel

Title: Re: Need Drug Advice today
Post by gtarman on Aug 8^th, 2002, 3:53pm

I took my cat with me but they just looked at me funny and stuck me in this big machine. Cost a buncha money and didn't do a THING for my head...doctors! Like Tony Soprano says, "wha' ya gonna do?"

Title: Re: Need Drug Advice today
Post by Marcos618 on Aug 9^th, 2002, 8:28am

WOW! After just 3 pills on the first day of taking Prednisone along with everything else I was taking my 24 hour a day headache that I have had for the past 17 days has reduced by 50 to 75%. Hoping that by the end of today I will have this thing stomped out. Now all I have to worry about are the CH's.

Because of one of my pills I had to eat a banana every day, but with the prednisone he wants me eating 2 to 3 of them each day.

Thanks for all the help in suggesting drugs to maybe take. This web site is a lot of help compared to 20 years ago when all you could do was go to the Library and read a book that only told you CH's were painful.

Title: Re: Need Drug Advice today
Post by Samiam on Aug 9^th, 2002, 9:58am

Hi, you may want to ask the doc about "Klonopin" it's really been keeping me pain free at night when my cluster's use to hit...I'm not say I don't get them anymore I do during the day but at night I can at least sleep. I also learned yesterday about a drug call Dapakot er (sp?)....that also seems to be helping alot of people but it has to be the er......for me I can't do the predisone it didn't work nor do any other's so far. But here's to keeping my fingers crossed that they fine something for you.....Good Luck...Sami

Title: Re: Need Drug Advice today
Post by debbie4278 on Aug 9^th, 2002, 10:43am

Hi.
I'm episodic. 3 weeks into a cycle. The last few cycles, I have had great success with Procardia as a preventative. Takes a few days to start working, but then all I feel is breakthroughs. Very light.

This time, my new doc wanted me to try Inderal and Zomig. Didn't work, and couldn't get doc to return my calls. Went to another doc, started Procardia, been on for a week, and Indomethicin I started yesterday. I have been pain free for 2 days so far. The Zomig that dissolves in your mouth worked great to take away the shadows, but the regular Zomig pills didn't work at all. And during a full blown, the imitrex inj. didn't work at all for me.

I have recently learned from this site about CPH, that's why I am trying the Indomethicin. CPH just sounds like a glorified cluster to me, that happens to respond to Indomethicin in some people.

Has anyone tried chiropractic or opthamologist?????

Also, Depakote and clonopin have alot of side effects. Be careful.
Deb

Title: Re: Need Drug Advice today
Post by lex on Aug 21^st, 2002, 6:45pm

I am new to this board but firs of all if your not you must see a neurologist. Secondly percodan or whatever he prescribed to you does not work with migraines or CH's they actually cause rebound headaches. once you have been cleared and are sure the cause of your headaches are migraine and CH my neurologist put me on prednisone 80 mg for one week to break the cycle and the decreased me off for the next week and a half in addition to that and this I believe, contrary to all the crap you may read under medications on this site he put me on 25MG of topomax at bedtime for three days and then went to 50 mg for three days and then went to 75 mg for about a month now and after about two weeks of this all headaches disappeared completely. when i was getting the headaches i was using 6mg of injectable immitrex which relieved the headache completely in minutes. there are so many doctors that don't have a clue and i was misdiagnosed for years. I am now seeing a neurologist with a subspecialty in headaches and it changed my life. there is no doubt in my mind that topomax is a great drug for CH but it is being prescribed incorrectly and in doses that would make an elephant go to sleep. Good luck, also the 100 mg immitrex tablets work well for migraines.