I was on a trip when my cycle started up and could only use imitrex to abort.  I got into the "imitrex spiral" where you have to dose every 4-6 hours.  When I got home, I got my M-tank set up and tried to get off the imitrex cycle.  Last night I tried to only use O2.  I woke up at 1-2 hour intervals and managed to use a good chunk of my O2, but didn't take a shot.  Now that I'm up, I can feel it in there, but it's not breaking out.

I tried going about 5 min past when I knew the HA was gone, but it seems like I only postponed the HA, not kill it.  Usually, I will give the O2 two chances, then take a shot, but I really wanted to dry out from the imitrex.  So I have to conclude from this that it may be possible to use only O2 to stop a persistent HA, but you have to keep it up all night.  This might be because I'm in the peak time since I know I've killed them off with O2 only in previous cycles, but not during the peak.

Anybody with similar experiences?

Quote:

...but you have to keep it up all night.

That's what she said when I let her up.

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Yes, O2 will work like that, but you'll start suffering from sleep deprivation very soon. No fun.

Since you've only experienced one night without imitrex, your body just might be trying to adjust without it. :-/

Give it a couple more nights if you can, but O2 without a preventative is really like running in circles.  Do you have a preventative??

Duck_Soup,

With the exception of an occasional snort of imitrex nasal spray during airline travel, all I've used over the last 5 years is oxygen therapy at flow rates that support hyperventilation...  It's been 100% effective with very short abort times.    I use no other prescribed preventatives or abortives.

Sure, I still have CH attacks, but since I started using this method of oxygen therapy, the hits are very manageable, slow to build, and the abort times very short...  two to three minutes on average using oxygen flow rates that support hyperventilation...  some as little as a minute.

A typical low cycle frequency for me is 3 to 4 hits a week and most of them are at night while sleeping and some are so mild they're gone by the time I get to the oxygen.

I do go into high cycles from time to time during the year and these high cycles always coincide with a low arterial pH (I measure my saliva pH as an analog of arterial pH). 

I keep a log of my saliva pH with the average of three measurements taken the same time each day and have found a clear relationship between low saliva pH with an increase in the frequency and intensity of my hits.

I turns out a low arterial pH at the low end of, or below the 7.35-7.45 normal range (too much acid) acts as a vasodilator for me and that appears to make the CH triggering mechanism more effective with an increase in the frequency and intensity of my hits.  A low pH also makes the aborts with oxygen therapy take longer than normal. 

A slightly higher arterial pH (more alkaline) at or above 7.45 tends to act as a vasoconstrictor and that impedes the CH triggering mechanism with a decrease in the frequency and intensity of my hits.  An elevated pH also shortens the abort times with oxygen therapy for me.

When I realize I'm going into a high cycle of 3 to 4 hits a day, I start taking 4 to 6 calcium citrate tablets with vitamin D, magnesium and zinc washed down with a big glass of homemade lemonade each day.

This regimen acts as a buffer on gastric juices and that will start to elevate my arterial pH in 3 to 4 hours as measured with saliva pH.  I also shift my diet when I go into a high cycle away from acid forming foods to eating more alkaline forming and anti-inflammatory food types...  This regimen works well for me and others who have tried it.  The following links may help:

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Hope this helps explain some of your CH problems,

Take care,

V/R, Batch

That sounds very familiar Duck Soup.

At the peak of my last episode the imitrex was lasting me 4 hours at night, O2 would last 1 hour.

At one point I resorted to just using a partial dose imitrex injection (as outlined in the"imitrex tip" link) for the wake up calls and forgoing the O2, reserving the O2 for day time hits.

It wasn't the worst strategy, seeing as how I was able to make it through the entire cycle without a single full blown, full length attack.


Besides Batch's PH thing to try out, there are those that feel that an energy drink along with the O2 helps the O2 stay effective longer, but of course that may be a pretty strong dose of caffeine for 2 AM (although some report still being able to go back to sleep even after chugging down the proverbial Red Bull).

I've tried verapimil 3-4 times in past cycles with not much success.  It always seemed like it just spread out the time until I reached the crisis point.  So my neuro and me agreed to try to go it with abortives only counting on the cycle time to remain the same as it's been in the past.  This is what I've done the past 4-5 cycles and it's been effective.  The problem I get into is when I'm away from O2 and can either use imitrex or tough it out.  I'm not as crazy as I once was and will never willingly let a HA go full blown.  So when I get back to home base, I have to "get off" the imitrex cycle, which I try to do with O2 alone.

Interesting about the pH.  I always learn new stuff whenever I come back here.

Thanks.