Everytime i take this pill it seems to trigger a bad k5 k6 headache about 3-4 hours after taking the pill,,gotta get into docotr this week and get off this damn pill

moneymaker wrote on Oct 28^th, 2012 at 9:07pm:

Everytime i take this pill it seems to trigger a bad k5 k6 headache about 3-4 hours after taking the pill

With that kind of lag in time, it's hard to be sure about a relationship.


From your "getting to know ya" post, you were getting hit every 4-5 hours, the doc gave you trex pills and verapamil.


Quote:

every 4-5 hours Dr put me on Imitrex(sumitriptan)pills...and verapimil

It could also be that, like the trex pills, a tablet of verapamil may be undergunned and simply not doing anything to curtail or prevent the frequency of hits in your cycle.  It also might be ineffective for you, whereas your doc might discontinue, or it needs adjusting, depends on the dosage you are taking. 

Check with your doc this week about changes and also ask for trex nasal sprays, injectables, or oxygen.  You can also look into getting oxygen on your own, there's info about that with mask and regulator on this site.

Got the O2 today but had to go to ER to get a prescription as Dr just wont do it,He thinks Migranes and Clusters are the same,,,Cant afford another doctor now as i have no health insurance and just cant switch at the moment,,Just wants to keep putting me on Topomax,But i am going in Thursday and insisting on blood test for Vit D deficiency,And to test my Testotsterone again as i was on shots 2 years ago as my level was only 147 for a 45 year old man at that time and when i gave myself the injections i did not have clusters for a little over 2 years.Also have a sinus infection as that can keep triggering them as well.Gonna go to chiropractor for 3-4 visits to get the muscle in my neck worked over as its tight and i can tough it in 1 spot and feel it send a nerve like tingle feel righ under my ear....Hope this week or next there gone again for awhile.Verapamil dosage is 80mg twice a day

moneymaker wrote on Oct 29^th, 2012 at 4:47pm:

Verapamil dosage is 80mg twice a day

Yeah, your cluster hits are blowing through that like its not even there, it's a starting dosage for verap prevention.  Probably not triggering your hits, just not stopping any from coming on this cycle.

Great move on the O2!      :)

Headache. 2004 Nov;44(10):1013-8.   


Individualizing treatment with verapamil for cluster headache patients.

Blau JN, Engel HO.


    Background.-Verapamil is currently the best available prophylactic drug for patients experiencing cluster headaches (CHs). Published papers usually state 240 to 480 mg taken in three divided doses give good results, ranging from 50% to 80%; others mention higher doses-720, even 1200 mg per day. In clinical practice we found we needed to adapt dosage to individual's time of attacks, in particular giving higher doses before going to bed to suppress severe nocturnal episodes. A few only required 120 mg daily. We therefore evolved a scheme for steady and progressive drug increase until satisfactory control had been achieved. Objective.-To find the minimum dose of verapamil required to prevent episodic and chronic cluster headaches by supervising each individual and adjusting the dosage accordingly. Methods.-Consecutive patients with episodic or chronic CH (satisfying International Headache Society (IHS) criteria) were started on verapamil 40 mg in the morning, 80 mg early afternoon, and 80 mg before going to bed. Patients kept a diary of all attacks, recording times of onset, duration, and severity. They were advised, verbally and in writing, to add 40 mg verapamil on alternate days, depending on their attack timing: with nocturnal episodes the first increase was the evening dose and next the afternoon one; when attacks occurred on or soon after waking, we advised setting an alarm clock 2 hours before the usual waking time and then taking the medication. Patients were followed-up at weekly intervals until attacks were controlled. They were also reviewed when a cluster period had ended, and advised to continue on the same dose for a further 2 weeks before starting systematic reduction. Chronic cluster patients were reviewed as often as necessary. Results.-Seventy consecutive patients, 52 with episodic CH during cluster periods and 18 with chronic CH, were all treated with verapamil as above. Complete relief from headaches was obtained in 49 (94%) of 52 with episodic, and 10 (55%) of 18 with chronic CH; the majority needed 200 to 480 mg, but 9 in the episodic, and 3 in the chronic group, needed 520 to 960 mg for control. Ten, 2 in the episodic and 8 in the chronic group, with incomplete relief, required additional therapy-lithium, sumatriptan, or sodium valproate. One patient withdrew because verapamil made her too tired, another developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and the drug was withdrawn. Conclusions.-Providing the dosage for each individual is adequate, preventing CH with verapamil is highly effective, taken three (occasionally with higher doses, four) times a day. In the majority (94%) with episodic CH steady dose increase under supervision, totally suppressed attacks. However in the chronic variety only 55% were completely relieved, 69% men, but only 20% women. In both groups, for those with partial attack suppression, additional prophylactic drugs or acute treatment was necessary. (Headache 2004;44:1013-1018).

=======================================
SLOW-RELEASE VERAPAMIL

Dr. Sheftell applauded the protocol for verapamil used by Dr. Goadsby and colleagues, which entailed use of short-acting verapamil in increments of 80 mg. “This method was suggested by Lee Kudrow, MD, 20 years ago as an alternative to slow-release verapamil,” Dr. Sheftell noted.

“I would agree with using short-acting verapamil, rather than the sustained-release formulation, in cluster headache,” he said. “I prefer the short-acting formulation with regard to ability to titrate more accurately and safely. My clinical experience anecdotally demonstrates improved responses when patients are switched from sustained-release verapamil to short-acting verapamil.”

Dr. Goadsby agreed that his clinical experience was similar. “There are no well-controlled, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging studies to direct treatment. This is one of those areas where clinicians who treat cluster headache have to combine what modicum of evidence is available with their own clinical experience,” Dr. Sheftell commented.

well i only took 1 50mg sumatriptan this morning at 6am and hit the o2 2 times todat at 8L FLOW at 5 minutes each,almost seems like it has been a sinus type pressure all day but still have some ear /jaw pain and in the neck all on right side as my cluster has been on the right side this time,,,hoping they are about over as lasnight i slept from 9pm until 1am got woke up and by the time i got to the kitchen was over n then slept til 6am had attack took meds and fell asleep until 9am...just hoping here