After suffering form ECH for a number of year, and been given various different medication, with suprise suprise none of them doing anything!!

My Doctor referred me to a Headache clinic, the medication i was then prescribed was as follows.

40mg Prednisolone for 5 days, reducing 10mg every 2 days there after!

Verapamil - 160mg 3 times a day, so 480mg a day. This is to be increased every 2 week by 80mg, but only after an ECG! As after all Verapamil is a L-type calcium channel blocker!

Providing your 2 weekly ECGs are clear, this increased every 2 weeks until you reach the maximum does of 960mg a day. Or hopefully before your clusters stop!

i did have an instance where i developed 3rd degree heart block, so had to stop increasing my dose. But 3rd degree heartblock, actually causes no pain, so i would take that over a headache anytime!

When i did get clusters i used Sumatriptan injections, which i have found very effective (wish i was given them years ago). Headache tends to go within 15 minutes after the injection!!

Hope this will help some of you, and any questions please ask!!

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the medication i was then prescribed was as follows. 40mg Prednisolone for 5 days, reducing 10mg every 2 days there after! Verapamil - 160mg 3 times a day, so 480mg a day.  This is to be increased every 2 week by 80mg

Was 480mg/day your start, to be increased by 80mg every two weeks?

That's a very fast start.  I'd take at least three weeks to get to 480mg, using a longer prednisone taper the first time.  Gradually introducing new meds is cautious, safer.





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When i did get clusters i used Sumatriptan injections, which i have found very effective

Yes, they are.  A prescription for oxygen is great also, with 10 minutes or less abortive time.  There is a yellow highlighted link on the left tabs if you'd like that information.    



Glad you've come around to manage them finally.  You being episodic, after the cycle's end, reduce the verap gradually, consulting your doctor, give your body adjustment time.

Yes start dose of
Morning 180mg
Afternoon 180mg
Evening 180mg

After 2 weeks, and if ECG clear increase morning dose by 80mg, then further ECG and increase Afternoon dose by 80mg and so on!

Have yet to try oxygen, but have heard good things, hopefully won't need to, but def worth considering if all else fails!

That was an extremely high jump start with the verap.  Starting out around 120mg/wk and adding that per week can be less of a shock to your system, adjustments are gradual.  The same if reducing, don't jump off it fast.  Hope you have no further problems, be safe.

mickp78 wrote on Oct 25^th, 2012 at 7:50pm:

Have yet to try oxygen, but have heard good things, hopefully won't need to, but def worth considering if all else fails!

This is not something to try when all else fails... It should be a first choice because it is highly effective (usually even more effective than the imitrex shots you like so much), and has low physical impact on your health.

I second ttnolan. 02 should have been the 1st treatment of choice and would probably still bit the out of what you're getting from the Trex.