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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2002 >> whose tried morphine for kip10 reduction?
        
(Message started by: gills on Aug 11^th, 2002, 4:20am)

Title: whose tried morphine for kip10 reduction?
Post by gills on Aug 11^th, 2002, 4:20am

Have any of you unfortunate ch kip10 sufferers tried morphine as pain relief. If so tell me your story.

After about 4 weeks of 1 to 2 a day ch, each ch worse than the one before, enough was enough. Another one had hit me. It was 8.30 at night and the shadows were appearing. 8.40 pm and the beast had firm grip of my left eye and wasnt going to let go. I couldnt open my left eye, my temple was going to cave in, left jaw and teeth were melting and I couldnt touch the left side of my face. I thought yesterdays was bad!!! I had been 8 to 9 for 4 weeks, now we're into the 10's. It is now 8.45 pm. The only answer, Ambulance - Hospital. They've got to give me something (a lead pellet perhaps).

8.55 pm - Ambulance arrived. (I live by myself) I could hardly breathe, water streaming out of my left eye and nose. All lights were off, heater off, noise off (tv) Pain like pain wouldn't believe.

They took one look at me, rolled my sleeve down and pumped morphine into my arm and gave me an anisthetic puffer until the morphine worked. 5 minutes later the pain was down to 5. For some reason they put me on a saline drip and took me to hospital. At hospital they gave me another shot of morphine in case it took a while for the doctors to see me.

After waiting for 6 1/2 hours (it was now 3.30 am) I still had not seen a doc, pulled the drip out of my arm and called a taxi and left.

Has anyone had any similar experiences with Morphine.

- Gills

Title: Re: whose tried morphine for kip10 reduction?
Post by Cry-or-die on Aug 12^th, 2002, 6:17am

I had the same experience the last time I was at the hospital. It took 2 hours to get any action from any doctor at 2 in the morning. Then....the only relief I got from the intramuscular (in my ass cheek) morphine was the muscle spasms I got from the shot (quite similar to banging head). I got 0.00% pain relief from 2 injections, I got up and left with a sore ass cheek and a limp. I'd stay away from that stuff and try other meds.
This is my 10th anniversary of having clusters...8th cycle in all, each cycle lasting 6 to 10 weeks. Beginning with 1's on the Kip and winding out with 10's once to 4 times daily at the end of my cycle.
Good news on my front tho, and I hope it works for someone else. This cycle I started with verapamil (I'm not sure if short or sustained action as queryed by nancyc :-* nancy) and at FIRST INDICATION of incoming mind-crusher I use migranol nasal spray. If you use it at FIRST INDICATION it will abort 90% of the time and usually works within 45 minutes and keeps it between a 5-8 kip until it works the other 10% of the time. My main indicator is a poke in the occipital area at the base of the skull and/or a plugged right sinus....if it starts hurting behind my eye, I know I'm probably too late to abort, but take it anyways because if I don't I turn into a rock-n-roll head banger without the music ;) for 1-3 hours.
This is the most effective combination I have ever used and am happy to report only five CH's 5-8 kips in the last two weeks (normally would have 2-4 / day at all hours).
Migranol nasal spray works great and if you haven't tried it, by all means get the perscription and give it a go. It's a bit expensive, but seems to work almost every time.

I am a total anti-perscription person, this is the only thing I take meds for...fill me up I say to CH's, I'll die anyways if I don't...I'm sure. THe reason I bring this up is so that I can say that the directions call for one 1mg bottle to be administered all at once (4 sprays per bottle). At the beginning I only use one spray at first indication and this usually aborts it...in 10 min. if no relief one more spray and it usually works. 4 sprays are supposed to take care of CH's for approximately 24hours ("recurrence wthin that period is rare")I reiterate once again as I find this very important...FIRST INDICATION! We all know our beast and we all know his personal knock. Spray it in the face via the nasal cavity right away and it might go away.
Also, a small tidbit about my verapamil, I was advised to take my meds at one time stating with 160mg. I spread it to two 80mg doses 12 hours apart, when it was time to up the dosage....instead of going to 320mg/day I went to 240mg. 80mg 8 hours apart, then 1 week later to 320mg....I think that this will keep me from hitting my upper cieling of 480 before my cycle ends and help to avoid rebound headaches...so far it is working good, but I had a lulu this morning, so it is not infallible...but then it was because I woke up and it was behind the eye, so like I said...too late to abort.
I Just got out of bed again, woke with the poke and ran for meds and came in here...guess what? That's right...no CH right now...it works for me and I sure as hell hope it works for you.

Things I tried but did not work:
amerge (tab)
zomig (tab)
morphine (drip, intramuscular and tab)
demerol (intramuscular)
Tylenol 3 (tabs)
Rhizatriptan wafers
prednisone

Occasionally work:
Hot shower
cold compress on the affected side neck
100% O2 (works often, but can't get it readily)
Migranol nasal spray (works best in combo with verapamil)

These are all my own experiment and strongly advise consultation with your physician before undertaking any protocols like mine ::) But I have a good doc and she lets me try whatever I want coz she knows I hate prescription drugs. Do the research, it will pay off I'm sure. As far as I'm concerned Migranol nasal spray is a gift from God himself. I hope it works for you. Please,please,please don't forget...it's worth repeating for a third time FIRST INDICATION! hehehe ;)

I hope you all enjoy my novel-like message and I hope I leave you time for reading other posts...I will repost the majority of content in a new topic in the general discussion under YAHOO, I'm WINNING! ;D

Take care, hugs and sympathy from your fellow sufferer,

Cry-or-die :'(

Title: Re: whose tried morphine for kip10 reduction?
Post by Karla on Aug 13^th, 2002, 4:02am

I have been given morphine several times for kip10 and had it works just fine to kill the pain. However, I need a higher dose of 4 mg to work.

Title: Re: whose tried morphine for kip10 reduction?
Post by Svenn on Aug 13^th, 2002, 6:26pm

I do not think that morphine is the right meds for us

It reduce my kip 10s to a kip7.8 and that it,so whats the reason to take the chanse to be addicted ?

Svenn

Title: Re: whose tried morphine for kip10 reduction?
Post by nancyc on Aug 14^th, 2002, 9:37am

Hey cry or die, sounds like you are on the short acting verap...that is good..that is what Goadsby recommends...good luck and keep us posted on how it works... ;D ;D ;D smiles,nancyc

Title: Re: whose tried morphine for kip10 reduction?
Post by smartie on Aug 14^th, 2002, 1:18pm

Hubby has 10mg diamorphine for days when sumitriptan injection has been used twice, argued with doctor after doctor as began to think he was a druggie!!! Eventually got our GP to put a note at Casualty to say that if we rang the direct number and went down he gave his permission for Ali to have then diamorph without question - and asap!!! Typically, with the combination of drugs he is on now - verapamil, amitryptiline, sumitriptan, accupuncture, we have not had to use Casualty - hopefully for the next cycle we will get a quicker result and be fast tracked like this sooner, it will save me having lots of arguments with doctors anyway!!!
Good Luck
Helen

Title: Re: whose tried morphine for kip10 reduction?
Post by Cry-or-die on Aug 14^th, 2002, 3:42pm

Yes nancyc,

I believe it is short acting variety.

I think the reason I didn't get any relief from the morphine was coz I had a smaller dose than what Karla had and I also agree with svenn that the risk of opiate addiction is too high when there are more effective drugs that can be used with no addictive effects.

esp. the New Therapy...that sounds like it works great...that is going to be my new first line of defense next cycle...starting as soon as I can catch up with one of those damn elves...hehehe ;)

cya laterz!
Cry

Title: Re: whose tried morphine for kip10 reduction?
Post by kari on Aug 15^th, 2002, 7:02pm

I just learned today from my neuro that of all the things I was given during my ER visit last week to kill a 10 in the 4th hour, 2 doses of Morphine were given in IV

I can assure you it didnt even touch the pain, it didnt even blur the edges. I wasnt even aware I had been given anything besides a steroid, until I got up to use the bathroom. I couldnt walk. I have never been so dizzy in all my life.

Anyway, point is I find it remarkable that morphine does not address this ungodly pain

Title: Re: whose tried morphine for kip10 reduction?
Post by Cry-or-die on Aug 16^th, 2002, 9:28am

I was talking to a paramedic friend of mine, he gave me an example that may explain why morphine didn't work for me. He explained that there is what is called chemical affinity(nerural preference). His example was NARCAN a drug they use to expel opiates from the brain cells in overdose patients (usually morphene, heroin or cocaine). He says that brain cells prefer the NARCAN to any of the opiates, the narcan pushes the opiate off the receptors and blocks the opiate from having the desired result (the desired result of the addict). He also explained that NARCAN has less of a half-life of opiates meaning the NARCAN wears off before the opiates do and the patient gets 'high' again.
So maybe the neurons prefer the chemical that is causing us the pain rather than the morphene. Not sure if this is the case, but he said that maybe that was it and should ask the GP about it. All I know is I'll never take that stuff again.

Bye all going to work for a week out of town...good luck with your battle with the beast.

Title: Re: whose tried morphine for kip10 reduction?
Post by gills on Aug 17^th, 2002, 11:03pm

Thanks clusterheads

Perhaps I was coming out of the attack anyway and Morphine wasn't the aid.

I think I will ask my neuro about Imitrex injections with my Verapamil.

I'm often not convinced Verapamil helps but most of the time I come off of them because I think the cluster has gone into remission the ch come back. I am now sure it helps after talking to you guys/gals.

Gills

Title: Re: whose tried morphine for kip10 reduction?
Post by kim on Aug 17^th, 2002, 11:36pm

25 + years with ch. Can only bring to mind twice that morphine (or any derivitave) was called upon. I can recall that this treatment did about the same as any other opiate. In that it sedates you. As for the headache? It did not kill the headache. I consider this type of treatment a HUGE failure in the treatment of ch and vigorously argue with any person considering similar treatment. It don't work. Go far away.

Title: Re: whose tried morphine for kip10 reduction?
Post by Drk^Angel on Aug 18^th, 2002, 2:08am

Opiods have never helped with the clusters for me, but oxycodone at least buzzed me to the point that I didn't care. The way I see it... For some, opiods help, and if they do, then great. If none of the regular treatments work, then whatever does work should be used. I'm one of the ppl that the common abortives don't seem to work too well, but the O₂ has been working, and verapamil is proving to be an effective preventative, so I'll continue with that. But if these didn't work for me, I'd sure as Hell would use anything I found that did.

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