I have suffered with cluster headaches for over 30 years.  My cycles come about every 5 years.  I thought my current cycle was over-I had the last beast and last Imitrex shot two weeks ago.  I stoped taking the verap. about a week ago.  Yesterday- I got the shadow and the headache that oxygen knocked out in two minutes.  This cycle lasted about 6-7 weeks which is about what I normally get-except for my last cycle in 2009 was very weak-so weak that I thought that I was done with my clusters.  I want to travel to England in 5 weeks-are the clusters over? is it safe to fly? Thanks-this is my first post.

It sounds very much like the beast is still lurking, best to
get back on the Verapamil, better to be safe than sorry.

Hoppy.

I'd get back on the verapamil and 5 weeks is plenty of time for verapamil to build up to an effective dose.

Whilst you can't take oxygen with you to abort CHs whilst flying, you should be able to fly with imitrex (imgran / sumatriptan) injections. I've flown with them on over 200 flights, mainly domestic but quite a few international ones and have only had to use one once and that was for a migraine.

Check with the airline on restrictions, but mainly all you'll need is to have a copy of your prescription with you. I've never been asked for it or even been asked about the injections during security screening.

I would continue to use the preventive medicine for 4-6 weeks before considering stopping. There is no real disadvantage in doing so.

Gratest vulnerability is having an attack while traveling. Use of Imitrex injection is th answer as long as you carry a prescription from your doctor to show customs/airline staff.

If you travel very much, print the following and discuss with your doctor a trail of this med. If it works, it's a far easier med to carry and the pill form gets around the custsoms issues (even though you should carry an Rx, too.)
----
Headache 2001 Sep;41(8):813-6 

Olanzapine as an Abortive Agent for Cluster Headache.


Rozen TD.
Department of Neurology, Jefferson Headache Center/Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate olanzapine as a cluster headache abortive agent in an open-label trial. BACKGROUND: Cluster headache is the most painful headache syndrome known. There are very few recognized abortive therapies for cluster headache and fewer for patients who have contraindications to vasoconstrictive drugs. METHODS: Olanzapine was given as an abortive agent to five patients with cluster headache in an open-label trial. THE INITIAL OLANZAPINE DOSE WAS 5 MG, AND THE DOSE WAS INCREASED TO 10 MG IF THERE WAS NO PAIN RELIEF. THE DOSAGE WAS DECREASED TO 2.5 MG IF THE 5-MG DOSE WAS EFFECTIVE BUT CAUSED ADVERSE EFFECTS. To be included in the study, each patient had to treat at least two attacks with either an effective dose or the highest tolerated dose. RESULTS: Five patients completed the investigation (four men, one woman; four with chronic cluster, one with episodic cluster). Olanzapine reduced cluster pain by at least 80% in four of five patients, and TWO PATIENTS BECAME HEADACHE-FREE AFTER TAKING THE DRUG. Olanzapine typically alleviated pain within 20 minutes after oral dosing and treatment response was consistent across multiple treated attacks. The only adverse event was sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: Olanzapine appears to be a good abortive agent for cluster headache. IT ALLEVIATES PAIN QUICKLY AND HAS A CONSISTENT RESPONSE ACROSS MULTIPLE TREATED ATTACKS. IT APPEARS TO WORK IN BOTH EPISODIC AND CHRONIC CLUSTER HEADACHE.

PMID 11576207 PubMed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Olanzapine has a brand name of "Zyprexa" and is a antipsychotic. Don't be put off by this primary usage. Several of the drugs used to treat CH are cross over applications, that is, drugs approved by the FDA for one purpose which are found to be effective with unrelated conditions--BJ.
=====

Thanks all !  My neuro. was on vacation and I saw a different "specialist" yesterday- he wants me  to take Nortriptyline(Aventyl/Palemor) and one have any experience with that?

Rather than get into a struggle with a doctor print the PDF file below and use it to discuss options.

The meds you mention are not for Cluster. Perhaps he sees someting else needing attention????

---

robertr wrote on Apr 1^st, 2015 at 2:46pm:

he wants me  to take Nortriptyline(Aventyl/Palemor) and one have any experience with that?

That was the first preventive I was put on. It worked reasonably well as a preventive, but nothing like as good as verapamil did for me.