Posted by Bob Johnson (209.211.41.157) on May 07, 2000 at 08:34:15:
In Reply to: Stadol vs. Imitrex posted by Dave C on May 06, 2000 at 18:14:33:
Dave, take a look at a message, "CH Resources--#2", at 4/16 (reach it via the archive button on the left). In particular, look at Robbins book and his web site, www.headachedrugs.com (then look for "what's new" then go to "headache drugs-2000" scrolling down to cluster). I believe he has the best material on drug treatments--the book worth every penny.
Patience re. your lidocaine trial. So far you have 66% success--not bad for a treatment which is benign (in terms of side effects) and medium range effects (blocking development of CH).
Stadol, as with all pain meds, is a last ditch response. The triptans are proving to have a high success rate at aborting an attack. As other messages suggest, the response to any one of these meds is not consistent for all people, i.e., you may have to try more than one to find the best one for you.
If your new doc does not have much experience in treating headache (pain management does not necessarily qualify him for CH), I'd suggest you sharing Robbins book with him and the medical journal articles listed in the "resources" messsage.