Posted by Flash (194.73.188.213) on June 26, 2000 at 11:41:35:
In Reply to: pain-killing or vaso-constriction? posted by Sandeha on June 26, 2000 at 05:08:28:
Cafergot is a mixture of caffiene and ergotamine. Both are vascular constrictors. Adding caffiene to ergotamine is something I've never understood - it's a bit like stapping a hand grenade to a nuclear bomb!!!
Ergotamine is the more interesting of the two. It is extracted from the fugis ergot. Ergot was responsible for ST Anthony's fire and subsequent acqusations of witchcraft in olden times. Don't know exactly when :) Ergot is the source for a whole host of nasty drugs, among them are the ergot alkaloids and they include ergotamine. Two other ergot alkaloids and methysergide and lysergic acid diethylamide 25. Both of these have also been used in the treatment of CH and migraines.
Ergotamine is headache abortive. It's something you take during an attack to bring it to an end. Methysergide is a headache prophylactic (hope I spelt dat wite) or preventative. You take methysergide on a regular basis to prevent attacks during your cycle. Lysergic acid diethylamide 25 is a cycle preventative AND abortive. It can be taken either to prevent the entire cycle, or to abort it at any time. It also acts as a mild vascular constrictor (milder than ergotamine) and will abort an existing headache as well as the cycle if taken during an actual attack. I'm not sure whether it's vascular constriction properties are entirely resposible for this. It's cycle prevention an abortion properties probably stem from the fact that it acts as a serotonin agonist/antagonist. This is where it gets complicated, so just accept that part - I don't fully understand it either.
Both ergotamine and methysergide have nasty side effects. Not everyone will experience them, but I personally wouldn't take the risk. Lysergic acid diethylamide 25 is only slightly more toxic than vitamin A, and is effective against CH in doses 1000 x smaller than most other medicines (measured in micrograms as opposed to milligrams). A single dose is usually effective for between 3 and 12 months! Larger doses >4x what is required to treat CH produce hallucinations.
Lysergic acid diethylamide 25 and it's sister drugs psilocybin/psilocilin are perhaps the most effective treatments for CH that I have used. I have been headache free since 1995 (apart from 1998 when I didn't use this treatment). I know that my condition hasn't gone away because I wait for the cycle to begin prior to aborting it with one of these drugs. Other people who frequent or more often, used to frequent this board have had similar success.
So I guess anyone that isn't clued in, who is reading this must be thinking - WOW why haven't I heard of lysergic acid diethylamide 25 before?
The answer is you have, but for all the wrong reasons. Lysergic acid diethylamide 25 is more commonly known as LSD.