Hello,

I hope all of you are doing as well as possible with this beast.

I'm an episodic so I tend to hang around here every two years; I've been on the board a fair amount but I'm sure you don't remember me.  Anyhow, I've had this for years and they have been very predictable in that I get them every other year starting about June for approx two months with my last bout occurring last year.

So, of course, I'm not expecting these for another year.  However, last Saturday I woke up with a very sore/stiff neck and a dull pain on my cluster side that has been constant since then and ever so slightly feels like a shadow. 

I can't tell if I'm just being paranoid or if this is coming for me a year too early.  My question is, would it be within reason to feel a shadow constantly for almost a week or is this more than likely just the result of a sore neck?  I just have this feeling that it's about to attack at any minute and it's driving me nuts!!!  Do anybody else's episodes manifest itself with a sore neck?  I should also note that my TMJ has been worse than usual the last month or so as well.  Sorry for the long and probably confusing post.

Any help appreciated!

Jerod

Sure, I remember you Jerod.  Good to see you again.   :)

Sorry to hear that you're getting some foreshadowing of things to come.  Could be you're only getting a little reminder.  It may not develop into a full-blown cycle. 

Just in case--are you set and ready to go?  Have all your armaments in place?  Abortives, preventives, O2, whatever works for you?

Better safe than sorry. 

(Sheesh.  I sound like someone's mother, asking whether they remembered to bring their raincoat and galoshes.)   :P

Again--welcome back. 

Best,

George

Thanks for the welcome George!

I do have six imitrex doses stored but as luck would have it I had to change ins coverage and my new policy won't cover anything to do with headaches.  Any headaches.  Great!  Long story short, I'm holding off on going to my neuro to load up until I know how this plays out. 

On a different note, during my last episode I was prescribed Sansert but my cycle ended before I filled the script which I still have.  Since I can't go to the dr right now I am thinking about filling it just in case.

Anybody give it the thumbs up?  Is this a last resort drug?  I have only really used trex, O2, and prednisone thus far with moderate success but if Sansert can kill a cycle I'd be up for trying it.  My neuro seemed to be all for it but he doesn't have to take the stuff!

Thanks!

Sansert is no longer produced commercially. You will have to find a compounding pharmacy to make it for you. Its generic name is methysergide maleate.

We have a compounding Rx here.  I'm a little freaked out to try it though.

I took it successfully for years - and never more than 6 months straight without at least a one-month holiday from it. Otherwise you risk fibrosis of the kidneys, lungs, and heart valves. It worked well for me, but I'm no longer into a synthetic "hallucinogen."

I go for the natural stuff, and have never looked back.

Understood, I've read about that.  Seems promising.

Is there a guide to that treatment like the O2 guide?

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