Yesterday my hubby had Sphenopalatine ganglion block via intranasal lidocaine for the first time.  The procedure wan't all that uncomfortable.  Unfortunatly, he had a severe central nervous system reaction to the lidocaine, and ended up going from the pain clinic to the ER via ambulance.  He thought he was going to die.  About 9 hours later, he was well enough to go home.  We kind of joked around and said "what if the ch's go away - would any doc do this again knowing what happens to me?"  Well, guess what - no ch last night (first time since the start of August).  Anybody else tried this treatment?

Really?  Nobody?

I haven't had this treatment, but I am surprised no one has responded. It seems to me it's been mentioned before. The upside is...no attacks for the night you mention. Has that remained true? What caused the reaction to the lidocaine and how did they treat your husband for it? I know lidocaine isn't unheard of but I think the results have been quite mixed. God bless. lance

I tried intranasal Lidocaine a few years ago, but it never really seemed to help.

The procedure was done with long q-tips and lidocaine, and took about 20 minutes.  I'm not sure what the dosage was.  He was fine for the first half hour afterward, then got bad.  At first he was treated with anti-nausea meds and IV fluids.  At the hospital he was given more anti-nausea meds and lorazapam to help him relax.  They kept him on all the fun monitors and did random EKG's.  I think time is what healed the reaction.

He had what he called a "normal person's" minor headache last night.  We'll see what tonight brings.

Three nights with only one minor ch per night.  Hmmm, end of cycle or procedure was successful (this time)?

Squirrel wrote on Sep 13^th, 2012 at 8:44am:

Three nights with only one minor ch per night.  Hmmm, end of cycle or procedure was successful (this time)?

Good question! Lidocaine would only take the edge off very low KIP HA for me, useless for a full blown attack... but that is just me.
Curious to see what your final assessment is.

I'm using this method to cope. Self administered sphenopalatine ganglion block using 5% lidocaine. I insert four long swabs all at once and leave them in place for  10 - 15 minutes.  I breathe 100% oxygen with a mouth adapter on a mask setup I get from Denmark, take 20/650 Percocet and an ice pack. I'm on background Nucynta 24/7 so the Percocet boosts that. This usually helps enough to avoid using a shot of DHE, which costs me $60 each at this time. New insurance with Aetna, and they refuse (so far) to cover DHE at all. BTW, I'm chronic for 23+ years now.

I've had the same SPG block twice and it made me worse. Not only do you get lidocaine or cocaine in the blocks, but you also get steroid medication which could also temporarily stop clusters. I do hope it continues to help you.

Good Luck

I4B