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Up the creek without a .... (Read 1253 times)
Imitrex4Breakfast
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Up the creek without a ....
Jul 15th, 2012 at 9:17am
 
So I leave a hotel and head down the interstate. Almost 50 miles later a cluster attack is imminent. I quickly pull over at a rest stop and pull to the very end. I reached into the back of my truck for my med bag with Imitrex injections ... BUT the bag was not there. I had left it back at the hotel.

Now, the pain is so bad, I'm NOT going anywhere! I had to sit and be TORTURED for 2 hours (KIP 10).

That hasn't happened to me in years and looking back on it now, I'm so glad that a cop didn't stop in and mess with me (wanting my license, insurance, etc, and wanting to know what I was doing and what is wrong with me). Things could've went very badly for everyone !!

Nobody messed with me and the cluster attack played out it's entire attack. After I regained my senses, I went back and got my bag of Imitrex and made it back home. Home Sweet Home !!

It was one of those days that a person NEVER forgets !!  Cry
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Bob Johnson
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Re: Up the creek without a ....
Reply #1 - Jul 15th, 2012 at 12:16pm
 
I have a love affair with this med because: it's almost as fast as the injection; costs far less; and, in your situation, how nice if a pill or two was in a container hanging around your neck.
===
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.
=====
Since this abstract was first posted Zyprexa has appeared in some lists of recommended meds for CH. [BJ]
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Bob Johnson
 
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Guiseppi
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Re: Up the creek without a ....
Reply #2 - Jul 15th, 2012 at 2:48pm
 
Fortunately I can count on one hand the times I got caught empty handed....major major suckage... Cry

Joe
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"Somebody had to say it" is usually a piss poor excuse to be mean.
 
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metoo
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Re: Up the creek without a ....
Reply #3 - Jul 16th, 2012 at 10:17pm
 
Imitrex4Breakfast:

Yikes.  I recently forced myself to endure a CH without tx just to see where the thing took me.  Was it going to be shorter?  Kinder?  Gentler?  No, I was greeted by the same 90 minutes that I used to endure without any relief.  Reading your account saddens and touches me.  I'm finally putting together a more reliable emergency kit.  I had NO idea about the oral med.  Gotta talk to my MD about that. Take care,
TJ
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#4 - Avoid annoying people who don't deserve it.
 
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Imitrex4Breakfast
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Re: Up the creek without a ....
Reply #4 - Jul 16th, 2012 at 11:54pm
 
Thanks Bob, but I have tried that med. It was Todd Rozen that put me on it years ago while at MHNI with Dr. Saper. Unfortunatley, it didn't help me.

I4B
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Bob Johnson
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Re: Up the creek without a ....
Reply #5 - Jul 17th, 2012 at 9:42am
 
Sorry that Olzan didn't work for you. I still remember my first use: worked so rapidly and totally that I was almost left in tears over the experience.
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Bob Johnson
 
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