Hi there, It is nice to know this message board is around. I have been luckily PF for 3 years. I started some shadows last month but now suffered from two attacks in the last few days which is a sign that things will get progressively worse. Oiy, not again :( 

I have a doctors appt on July 14 to get myself some meds. I am thinking Verapamil is the way to go.  I have some from 2007 in my med. cab. Should I just start taking it?  I need to be able to work and parent my little ones and I understand it takes a bit to start working so that is why I wanted to start it ASAP.  I am also treating each attack with nasal imitrex.  Suggestions anyone?

Hey there, and welcome back. :-/ Sorry you need to be back but glad you are here. You mentioned verapamil and imitrex nasal spray. As to the first, given the age of the pills you have left over, I'm not sure I'd start them, espcecially since you ought to have your BP and heart checked first. The best results seem to come from the 400-960 mg range and that's too much to take on without doctor's guidance. The nasal spray works for some, but the injections work the best. Check out the imitrex tip on the left and really check out the best abortive ever(!) O2. Done properly and with the right equipment, O2 is the best d***n abortive around. Good luck and keep us informed! Blessings! lance

Also try drinking a Red Bull or similar (make sure it's got taurine and caffeine) when you feel a CH starting. You can do this whilst you wait for the 14th for your doctors appointment.

With a week to go yet for your appointment, might be worth giving the doc a call. Ask about starting the verapamil now, perhaps with a steroid taper, to tide you over until the appoinment. Often times doc's are willing to help you out over the phone, even if they can't get you in for a regular appoinment. You probably have a good idea of how fast your cycle ramps up and know whether or not you've got enough in the cabinet to tide you over until the 14th.

Do try the energy drinks. They'll kill smaller hits and take the edge off of the bigger ones. I use one with my oxygen as it seems to prevent the bounce back attacks I sometimes suffer when I shut off the 02. I prefer Red Bull sugar free as it has the least obnoxious taste I've found!

Joe

Hi Putter Welcome back and sorry to hear the beast is buggin you again.

Imitrex injections are better than the nasal, but O2 is better than both.

Not sure how fast Verapamil goes "bad" but I'd talk to your doctor before trying to use verapamil from 2007.

Good Luck and keep us up to date.

If you do start taking the verapamil (it's most likely fine), be careful with the amount of energy drinks, if you go that route. Verapamil and taurine together can play havoc with the ol' ticker.

Brew wrote on Jul 8^th, 2010 at 8:04pm:

If you do start taking the verapamil (it's most likely fine), be careful with the amount of energy drinks, if you go that route. Verapamil and taurine together can play havoc with the ol' ticker.

Interesting, but it makes sense. What do you think of being on verapamil regularly as a preventative and using an energy drink for an abortive? Same contraindications? lance

wimsey1 wrote on Jul 9^th, 2010 at 8:51am:

Interesting, but it makes sense. What do you think of being on verapamil regularly as a preventative and using an energy drink for an abortive? Same contraindications? lance

Yes. The rule of thumb I used was that if I was taking verapamil, I would limit myself to using an energy drink once a day. It was Carl D. that pointed me to a study showing that combining taurine and verapamil can cause some electrical problems with heartbeat regulation.

Anecdotally, I noticed a few times where my heart would seem to flutter a little or skip a beat if I had taken a 2nd or 3rd energy drink while on verapamil therapy.

JustNotRight wrote on Jul 8^th, 2010 at 7:10pm:

Imitrex injections are better than the nasal, but O2 is better than both.

I agree with this on many levels, such as O2 being safer, cheaper than imitrex, plus non toxic, etc.

But I don't believe better means more powerful in this case. Personally I find imitrex to be a more powerful abortive. I need to have some imitrex injections on hand when I'm at peak cycle and being hit hard, because I can count on them to dispatch a major wake up hit when my first line abortive - O2 - doesn't.

bejeeber wrote on Jul 10^th, 2010 at 2:05am:

JustNotRight wrote on Jul 8th, 2010 at 7:10pm: Imitrex injections are better than the nasal, but O2 is better than both. I agree with this on many levels, such as O2 being safer, cheaper than imitrex, plus non toxic, etc. But I don't believe better means more pwerful in this case. Personally I find imitrex to be a more powerful abortive. I need to have some imitrex injections on hand when I'm at peak cycle and being hit hard, because I can count on them to dispatch a major wake up hit when my first line abortive - O2 - doesn't.

You are correct Bejeeber; I meant better, as in better for you than putting the chemicals in imitrex in your body.  I probably should have clarified that, Thanks!

Imitrex is more powerful and does work faster than O2 for me as well.

Thanks, Brew. I'm going to start a post on this since so many of us find the energy drinks useful. Take a look over on medications and treatments. God bless! lance

Thanks for posts to my message. I appreciate it. I learnt alot too.   :)  I am going to post what my doctor told me too on a separate post.