Posted by Deb (205.200.65.75) on October 31, 2000 at 17:07:16:
In Reply to: Verapamil and Elavil posted by William on October 28, 2000 at 23:27:58:
Hi William: This cycle I had great success with Elavil. I was initially prescribed 30mg at bedtime but had to up the dosage a few times (by 10mg) when headaches started to break through in the morning. I am a strictly 2am headache person, unless I trigger one with alcohol. My cycle lasted 9 weeks and I only had about 4 headaches break through. They were easily managed with o2. By the end of my cycle I was taking 75mg of Elavil. By the middle of my cycle I had my doc prescribe in 10, 25, & 50 mg tabs so that I wouldn't have to take a handful but could up it gradually by 10 when needed. Although I usually don't go to sleep until around 12 - I took my dosage at around 10 and it helped to prevent morning sleepiness. Also, I took Flonase (a corticosteriod nasal spray) in the morning when I woke up. I don't know for sure how much the Flonase contributed to the success of this cycle but it has virtually no side effects unlike Prednisone (a corticosteriod), which has major side effects but is very effective for treating CH. Hope this helps. Feel free to email me if you have questions etc.