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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2004 >> Longterm ergotamine side effects
        
(Message started by: Henry8 on Jun 20^th, 2004, 2:44pm)

Title: Longterm ergotamine side effects
Post by Henry8 on Jun 20^th, 2004, 2:44pm

Hello all,

I am new to forum. I am a past sufferer of CH but haven't had one in years (knock on wood). I took ergotamine for years, Cafergot pills and nasal spray. My question concerns other health issues I have suffered with for last 5 years. I have chronic muscle pain in legs and arms, fatigue, sometimes skin itching, tingling in feet. Feels like I am walking in water sometimes. I've been to Johns Hopkins Neurology and Endocrinology depts and they found some vasculitis in one leg but nothing else. I was at a Medieval Feast last night and someone was talking about ergot of rye and symptoms and I was amazed that my current symptoms are similar to ergot poisoning. Does anyone have info or is familar of longterm side effects of ergot based drugs? Thanks for your help.

Title: Re: Longterm ergotamine side effects
Post by miapet on Jun 20^th, 2004, 3:09pm

There's a thread here somewhere, where someone explained that the rye issue and cafergot (and it's family) are not the same thing. I'll try to find it, although I'm not the best at finding things in previous posts.
*positive light and energy*
miapet

Title: Re: Longterm ergotamine side effects
Post by Tom on Jun 20^th, 2004, 6:10pm

Cafergot contains two active ingredients, ergotamine tartrate and caffeine. Ergotamine certainly i s "the rye issue", it's the main chemical product of Claviceps purpurea, a fungus growing on rye and other grains.

A long-term medication with ergotamine can lead to ergotism, also called St. Anthony's Fire. Ergotism is manifested by intense arterial vasoconstriction, producing signs and symptoms of peripheral vascular ischemia. Ergotamine induces vasoconstriction by a direct action on vascular smooth muscle. In chronic intoxication with ergot derivatives, headache, intermittent claudication, muscle pains, numbness, coldness and pallor of the fingers/toes may occur. If the condition is allowed to progress untreated, gangrene can result.

http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/oct99.html
http://www.pearson-college.uwc.ca/pearson/fungi/ergot.htm
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/showpreparation.asp?id=407
http://www.fda.gov/cder/foi/label/2002/9000s22s23lbl.pdf.

Thomas

Title: Re: Longterm ergotamine side effects
Post by pubgirl on Jun 20^th, 2004, 6:48pm

Henry

Imitrex is a synthesised version of the active part of ergotamine without it's "dirtiness" and without the same gangrene risks.
You aren't taking both are you?

Wendy

Title: Re: Longterm ergotamine side effects
Post by Henry8 on Jun 20^th, 2004, 8:27pm

I have not taken ergotamine for many years but with hindsight perhaps I started these other symptoms not too long after stopping the ergot drugs or right around the same time. The last CH I had must have been around 1997 and first signs of weakness were in the summer of 1997. Numbness, tingling, weakness in extremities, burning in feet, sharp pains in hands/wrists/thumb joint followed and have continued. No major progression, just continued and has become exhausting. I never thought to associate the drugs with the ongoing symptoms...interesting that I no longer have CH. I will look into ergotism but I thought symptoms disappeared once ergot was stopped.

Title: Re: Longterm ergotamine side effects
Post by Bob_Johnson on Jun 21^st, 2004, 9:40am

Usually, you would expect negative effects of ergotamine to clear up if you stopped at the earliest signs. Continuing to use it in the presence of symptoms is asking for problems, however.

I can imagine that, if you have developed some other vascular disease ove the years, that current use of ergotamine could more readily develop some pathology. Given the vasculitis I'd want to run this question by your doc before continuing to use ergot.

Over the years, ergot. has fallen from favor as an aborative because other meds are more effective--if more expensive. I used Ergomar for decades but have dropped it after finding how effective Zyprexa is.
----

1: Headache 2001 Sep;41(8):813-6

Olanzapine as an Abortive Agent for Cluster Headache.

Rozen TD.

Department of Neurology, Jefferson Headache Center/Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate olanzapine as a cluster headache abortive agent in an open-label trial. BACKGROUND: Cluster headache is the most painful headache syndrome known. There are very few recognized abortive therapies for cluster headache and fewer for patients who have contraindications to vasoconstrictive drugs. METHODS: Olanzapine was given as an abortive agent to five patients with cluster headache in an open-label trial. The initial olanzapine dose was 5 mg, and the dose was increased to 10 mg if there was no pain relief. The dosage was decreased to 2.5 mg if the 5-mg dose was effective but caused adverse effects. To be included in the study, each patient had to treat at least two attacks with either an effective dose or the highest tolerated dose. RESULTS: Five patients completed the investigation (four men, one woman; four with chronic cluster, one with episodic cluster). Olanzapine reduced cluster pain by at least 80% in four of five patients, and two patients became headache-free after taking the drug. Olanzapine typically alleviated pain within 20 minutes after oral dosing and treatment response was consistent across multiple treated attacks. The only adverse event was sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: Olanzapine appears to be a good abortive agent for cluster headache. It alleviates pain quickly and has a consistent response across multiple treated attacks. It appears to work in both episodic and chronic cluster headache.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Olanzapine has a brand name of "Zyprexa" and is a antipsychotic. Don't be put off by this primary usage. Several of the drugs used to treat CH are cross over applications, that is, drugs approved by the FDA for one purpose which are found to be effective with unrelated conditions--BJ.