Posted by Debra on August 06, 1998 at 20:58:52:
In Reply to: Re: New to this Group posted by Jackie on August 06, 1998 at 00:28:16:
Jackie:
Thanks for the info on Imitrex. Let me know how the nasal spray works for you.
Yes, Prednisone was my miracle drug for about 10 years, however I had a hard time discontinuing it and not getting cluster headaches. I think it prolonged a cluster cycle. Please be very careful, it has may adverse side effects overtime. My doctor at the Cleveland Clinic kept assuring me that I was on such a small dose (15 mg. per day) that I shouldn't be concerned. However, the last time I took it was in 1992. I couldn't taper the dosage without the cluster headaches returning and I couldn't stay on it because I couldn't sleep. I decided to get off it completely and was under doctor's care as I tapered VERY slowly over about 2 weeks. The cluster headaches were petering out, but the lack of cortisone in my system sent me into clinicl depression for 3 months. It was the most awful experience of my life. Prednisone can cause chemical changes in the brain, so please be very careful. Some people can take it without having too many problems, but I did. Also, I have lost alot of calcium in by lower back as Prednisone leaches it out of the bones. So unless I am dying, I will never take that crap again. I too, though it was a miracle, but I never liked the way I felt while my adrenal glands were trying to pump natural corsisone into my body.
Well, sorry to go on so long, but if I can help to make others aware of the long term side effects and not to blindly believe what the doctors always say, then I will take the opportunity.
Lidocaine HCI and Xylocaine are the same thing. It is a 4% solution. I strongly recommend trying it. It really takes alot of the agony away if the headache is not a really whopper. I had to ask my doctor about it after reading about it in a magazine. And his response to me was "Oh didn't we already try that?" At that time I had been seeing him for 25 years! I could have screamed as that has been a fairly common treatment for many years and I never knew about it..
Only another cluster victim could understand your arsenal. It is like fighting a battle. I got up at 5:00 this a.m., no headache yet, so I tried the black coffee. I made it through the day without one!
Good luck tonight!
Debra