-600 mg Verap
-Started Lithium 300mg x 2
-Tapering off a prednisone course that had little effect (down to cut from 80 to 60 to 40mg and now going down from there slowly.)
.
This is the morning of the second day.  A little foggy.  FREQUENT urination, dry mouth, a little lethargic.  All normal from what I hear.  SUPER THIRSTY. 
.
I feel like something is happening though- if that's possible. :)  Now just need to get my energy up. 
.
1 week until a new job -- hoping to stabilize.
.
Thanks to everyone on the site who talked/messaged me through such a large part of this decision to start lithium.

Keep in mind that lithium is one of those preventatives that takes 10-14 days to build up to therapeutic levels in the blood.

Thanks Brew, I know.  Still feeling hopeful.  I definitely feel it working its way around my body/brain-- feels weird.
.
More to come, as always...

So..headaches down from 4 a day to 2 a day on the 300mg x 2 lith + 600 verap dose.  Should I expect (hope for) further progress as the lith levels stabilize?

Probably.

Who knows with this shit?

hahah..best answer ever. :)  I'm hanging in.  Baby steps.    When I was episodic I would never have imagined that 2 headaches a day was progress.

Wow, I know my doc is scared of lithium and has to start me cautiously but... I just got started on 150 mg x 1 per day. The pharmacy even had to call around to find such a small dose. (Yes, yes, I've got a call in to our local teaching hospital to find a real neuro ASAP.)

I'll be crossing my fingers for ya!

Good luck to you too.  I'm also tapering off prednisone, so that's always a wildcard.   Just had an unusual mid afternoon HA, the past few days have just been a.m. and late p.m. 
.
I'm hoping it's a shift and not an additional one :)
.
Oxygen delivery guy just got here.  This is good.

I use 1200 Mg lithium a day while on cycle. If I am strict with avoiding known triggers, I go several days at a time pain free. In the 80's, before lithium., I would typically get hit two times a day morning and evening 90 minutes or so each attack. With lithium, oxygen, and the rare trex shot, I honestly cannot recall a hit even at the eight level. And those are just when I wake from a dead sleep and I am already getting creamed. Hoping it works as well for yoy.

Joe

Thanks man.  I'm hoping to be able to find some relief at 600 or 900mg.  I seem to always be part of the the 1% or 2% of people who have the weird side effects of any given drug, so I'm hoping the lower doses of lithium will help me.  Neuro said to try 600 for 4 weeks and if that' doesn't work, go to 900mg.  I might also try increasing verap to 720mg before I do that though.

Sometimes called the "chronic cocktail" the combo of lithium and verapamil has Proven effective even when either by itself didn't help. Hope it gives you a break soon.

Joe