Posted by Brian W on July 30, 1998 at 21:07:45:
In Reply to: Why do these get DRAMATICALLY worse? posted by Don on July 29, 1998 at 10:15:57:
Codeine and Morphine would be two drugs i would stay away from.
Narcotics have no role in the treatment of cluster headache.
The distinction that we can make is whether you
are treating the headache or treating the pain..
It may seem like the same thing but the headache is
a blood vessel problem who's side effect is pain.
It seems to me that when we treat the pain with painkillers
it has a prolonging and intensifying effect on the
blood vessel problem.
Have you been drinking lots of water? Easing up on
stress? There are good reports about the family of
drugs know as the 'triptans'. Nara, suma, and riza
are 3 that i know of..Amerge, Imitrex and 'Novel?' (don't
remember the name of the newest one). These work to ease
the pain but are not painkillers as such.
Sorry if i sound like some kind of health nut drug free
freak, but oxygen is not a painkiller any more than cool
air is and they both take the pain away. We must look
at this monster in a different light from other common
sources of pain. Even Sansert wasn't designed to fight
the cluster monster..but happily, for some reason,it works
for some people.
My approach to beating the cluster is to live as
the tortoise and not like the hare. Slow and steady
pace, no pressure, little stress and schedule some
free time into the day. Again, what works for some
doesn't always work for others and i hope this viewpoint
is helpful for you.
All the best for painfree days a'head,
Brian