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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2004 >> MRI and MRA done, Dr upped the Verapamil..
        
(Message started by: JDJ2 on Jun 11^th, 2004, 10:18am)

Title: MRI and MRA done, Dr upped the Verapamil..
Post by JDJ2 on Jun 11^th, 2004, 10:18am

Well I had my MRI and MRA done yesterday. The technician whom did the MRI/MRA (I had both) showed me the pictures afterwards. Hey I have a brain in there!lol Everything looked good.. I saw my Arteries in my head and they looked perfectly normal.. So I am not worried about Anuerysms.
He then called my Neuro and told him he did not see anything abnormal.. I was on a STAT due to my polysistic Kidney Disease. So my neuro upped my Verapamil to 120 mg 3 times a day. Even after I started the 80 mg 3 times a days last week I am seeing a difference in the HA, so maybe the 120 3x aday will make them non existant., They are more like Kip 5-7 and not as frequent as 1 month ago when I was getting 15-20 a day Kip 8-10.. Now it is like 8-10 HA's at Kip 5-7.
So the Verap is working somewhat. Now I just need an abortive. The DR made the Prednisone a 7 day taper as it was not doing a darn thing.
I see him (Neuro) again on Tuesday and we will discuss other Abortives. Right now I take 2 Ibuprofins and it does stop the HA's for 6-8 hours. And I only take it 1 time a day. So that is good.
Any suggestions for abortives that others have had success with? I can't take MAXALT..
Thank You and hope you all have a painfree day!
Judy

Title: Re: MRI and MRA done, Dr upped the Verapamil..
Post by ave on Jun 11^th, 2004, 5:46pm

JD, try oxygen. Check out everything on O2 under the button on the left of this board. It has been a great abortive for many of us, but you have to have it just right, so check the particulars.

BTW, pred is always given as a taper, and is not meant as an abortive as such. If you insist on pharmaceutical abortives there 's imitrex, life saver of many.

Title: Re: MRI and MRA done, Dr upped the Verapamil..
Post by Rock_Lobster on Jun 11^th, 2004, 6:47pm

Verapamil is brutally effective at stopping two things:
1 - Clusters
2 - Bowel Movements
Take appropriate measures. Enough said on that topic.

My abortive of choice is Imitrex Injections... vials & syringes... not the autoinjectors. I take about .150ml per dose. 1 vial is good for about 4 doses. Complete relief in 3-5 minutes.

o2 does not abort for me. If o2 works, that is your ticket, obviously.

You are still have too many to abort every one though, in my amateur opinion. Work on your preventatives.

Best of luck,
Lobstah

Title: Re: MRI and MRA done, Dr upped the Verapamil..
Post by don on Jun 11^th, 2004, 7:42pm

Quote:

Right now I take 2 Ibuprofins and it does stop the HA's for 6-8 hours. And I only take it 1 time a day.

Are you sure you have CH?

Title: Re: MRI and MRA done, Dr upped the Verapamil..
Post by Gator on Jun 12^th, 2004, 12:13am

Ibuprofen stopping a Cluster Headache? [smiley=huh.gif]

Title: Re: MRI and MRA done, Dr upped the Verapamil..
Post by Rock_Lobster on Jun 12^th, 2004, 12:19am

on 06/12/04 at 00:13:04, Gator wrote:

Ibuprofen stopping a Cluster Headache? [smiley=huh.gif]

Hmm. Never tried that. ;)

Title: Re: MRI and MRA done, Dr upped the Verapamil..
Post by don on Jun 12^th, 2004, 10:20pm

Quote:

Hmm. Never tried that.

Yeah well. dont bother.

Ibuprofin is not going to stop a CH. If 2 ibuprofin stops your headache for 6-8 hours then you aint getting clusters in the first place.

Title: Re: MRI and MRA done, Dr upped the Verapamil..
Post by kimmiedawn81 on Jun 13^th, 2004, 1:50am

Yeah, I'm 22 yrs old and so far I've had 3 MRI's and 1 MRA, and apparently nothing is wrong. I do have a brain and it functions normally, although I beg to differ when I'm crying and throwing up while experiencing the worst pain ever. I take Verapamil, Inderal LA, and Lithium. The Lithium is only during my episodes of about 2 months. O2 did not seem to help, I tried it about 3 yrs. ago, however, I had the non mask one, which I am now learning is not the one that people with CH should have. So, I go to the neurologist June 14th, and I will mention that to him. But the O2, which was wrong, did not help. And so far, I have not found anything that aborts them. So far, it seems that they just need to fun their course. I can't take any pills anyway, I get sick to my stomach everytime I have one.
~Kim