Posted by M on October 19, 1998 at 21:14:36:
I want to share a portion of an article I just read in "The Fibromyalgia Connection", published by the Fibromyalgia Association of Houston. The article was written by Lisa Miller, M.D.
Although it concentrates on the discussion of migraines, Dr. Miller's comments are instructive for CH sufferers also.
After discussing the use of abortive agents such as Fiorinol, Imitrex, Zomig and Maxalt, Dr. Miller states two cautions (about abortive drugs, generally, not just those listed):
1. that they can cause coronary artery constriction and
2. that for people who have daily headaches, when abortive drugs are used every day or even every other day, "tolerance/rebound syndrome" can occur. Dr. Miller states that "the drugs do nothing more than further entrench the headaches, and make them more frequent, severe, and impossible to get rid of".
She goes on to say: "We strongly urge our patients that they use abortive agents pnly three days out of each week at most. Many headache experts might even restrict usage to two days out of the week".
She recommends that consideration be given to preventative mediactions such as riboflavin (vitamin B2) @ 400 mgs/day, tricyclic antidepressants (Flavil or Pamelor), blood pressure medications (Inderal or Verapamil), antihistamines (Periactin), and anticonvulsant meds (Depakote, Neuroutin). She also mentions Prozac due to its serotonin modulation characteristics.
So, for what it is worth...there are some words of wisdom from a headache Doc (not me).