I am ashamed to admit it, but I used to be a registered user of this site who posted fairly regularly, but once I found preventative meds that I thought would work for a while, I kind of drifted away from clusterheadaches.com.  Since then, I have moved, changed e-mail addresses a time or two... I couldn't even remember my old login information because it had been so long. 

Anyway... for my last couple of cycles Depakote at 2000 MG per night with 180 MG of Verapamil was great.  Any hint of a CH cycle coming through and I would begin my preventative meds.  In the last couple of cycles I had a random headache break through here and there but they would be very mild.  My last cycle was three years ago, and I was beginning to think I might have them whipped.  I should have known better, though.

On Thanksgiving they came back with a vengeance.  (I had been having a few before then, mostly shadows.)  The night before Thanksgiving I had stayed up kind of late, disrupting my normal sleep pattern, and I think that really set them off. 

I had a fairly large stockpile of Imitrex saved up, but these headaches have really beaten me down.  At one time in my life I would have 1-2 headaches in a day, then nothing the next, then maybe 1-2 more the next... you could set your watch by them.  This cycle has been very, very unpredictable even though my sleep patterns are fairly normal.  Plus I am getting 3-5 headaches a day.  Most of them are when I sleep... when I first lie down, and then I will get 1-2 more throughout the night.  I am getting a few throughout the day and then sometimes even some in the evenings, which used to never happen. 

The worst part to the story is that I am very close to being out of Imitrex injections.  My insurance won't pay for more than one prescription a month of the injections.  I'm going to have my doctor call my insurance company tomorrow and beg for more if I can get in to see him.

I have tried oxygen in the past.  It's something I'm considering asking my doctor about again.  It didn't work before, but this was many years ago (at the time I was diagnosed, which was somewhere around 15 years ago.)  I don't think the flow rate was very high. 

What I am looking for is some advice.  I don't know what to try next.  I don't know anything about oxygen, really.  I also need to look into some new preventative meds.  Has anyone ever been on a higher dosage of Depakote than 2000 MG?  Any advice I can get would be greatly appreciated. 

I do plan on becoming an active member of these boards again. 

Brandon

Houdy B
glad your back
the bb

B. Simpson wrote on Dec 14^th, 2008 at 10:06pm:

Brandon, Welcome back! You have heard from 2 of the best........and 02 is definitely the way to go. Get to your dr, get a scrip for 02 and begin to abort yuor hits!
Plenty here who can help you....and it's nice to have you back!
Wishing you PF!

aS FAR AS cHUCK....wellllllllllll...yeah, he's a card- carrying member of the Looney Tunes society but SOME around here respect him....bleaugh!! LOL!

CATHI

Brandon, your story is almost IDENTICAL to mine.  I went to a great Neurologist 2 days ago and he started me on Verapamil 240 BID (480 total per day), Dapakote 100 mg per day, and a Prednisone taper for 10 days.  Since begininng this cocktail of meds I have flet better than than at any point over the past 30 days.

Also, get yourself some OXYGEN prescribed!  This si the first time I have tried it in 14 years and it worst outstanding as an abortative.  I only need 8 lpm for 10 minutes (I guess I'm lucky).

Thirdly, try taking a Relpax or Amerge (Relpax works best!) just before bed.  I will help if not entirely eliminate the headaches at night.  Relpax statys in the system for 6-8 hours.  I find that taking the Relpax before bed gives me a few solid hours of sleep.

Good luck!  Hang in there.  "This too shall pass!"

I don't know if I mentioned it before, but I have been in your situation before, twice, and nothing was working so I had the doc prescribe a prednisone taper for 10 days.  I am trying this for the second time in 15 years right now and I am on day 2 (along with Depakote 1000 mg and Verapamil 240 BID).  Today and yesterday are the best 2 days I have had in the last 30 days!  I think it's the prednisone working more than anything. 

My advice, stay with your Depakote and Verapamil and if they don't work get the prednisone - it's worth a try!  Prednisone does a great job of helping to jump start the system for MANY different disorders but you don't want to take it for very long.

Hi Brandon. I'm right there with you!
I haven't been around since my CH's 'went away' 2.5 years ago. I have been using Depakote ER 500mg, 400mg magnesium, 6mg melatonin the entire time without any CH's until a few weeks ago.
This board has been my salvation in the past, and continues to be. I learned here 5 years ago how to properly use O2 as an abortive. This works on almost all of my CH's. Imitrex injections for the rest. I get to see my Neuro next week and plan out what to do next and to get a new script for the imitrex.
My personal favorite theory on what triggered this attack is it came right after a trip to Anchorage, Ak. I think going from normal winter daylight hours to almost no daylight (I was working indoors for the 4 hours the sun was up) really messed with my circadian rhythm. Between that and the 2 days in a row we worked 18 hours, plus 4 hour flights there and back. IDK, pick your trigger.

Brandon, welcome back to the boards!

You've gotten some really good advice here. One thing I'd like to mention, is that Relpax and Amerge are both triptans, like imitrex. You can't mix triptans, you have to wait 24 hours between taking one kind, to taking another kind. Melatonin works well for most people at night, most people take between 3 mg and 12 mg to sleep. It can take a few days to start working, so don't be discouraged. This will allow you to use trex in the daytime if needed.

Also, you can ask your doc to prescribe vials of imitrex, and syringes. One vial is one dose, and it's much easier to split the shots this way. Insulin syringes have tiny needles, and don't cause as much discomfort when taking a shot. 1/3 of a shot works well for some, and you are less likely to feel the side effects, and have fewer rebound headaches.

Get the O2 at 15 to 25 LPM, with a non-rebreather mask. Chances are it'll work, with the correct flow rate, and getting on it as soon as you start to get hit.

Give the energy drinks a shot. They do help. And ask any questions you may have!