Posted by Georgia (208.51.228.226) on March 06, 2001 at 14:23:23:
In Reply to: help new to this group first time here posted by jan on March 06, 2001 at 13:58:11:
sorry to have to welcome you to this board for it means that someone in your life is suffering tremendously. There are lots of treatments here, and information regarding them, that many have found to help.
Off the top of my head, I can tell you that many have found oxygen to be a great relief in that it aborts an attack rather quickly. Your brother can get a script from his doc for an oxygen tank and hopefully even one to carry with him, he will need to use a non-rebreather mask and set the flow rate at 8-10. You can go to the achives (button on left) and do a search for oxygen for more info.
Many have also found relief with Prednisone (tapered dosage, which is a steroid that can sometimes interupt a cycle.) Verapimil also seems to work for many as does Lithium. Go to the medications link, also at the left, to find more possible options.
The Imitrex shot works faster than the pills, and in the case of ch - the faster acting, the better. I have not had success with either Zomig or Imitrex, but many have. The thing about these headaches is that different things work for different people. The beast (cluster headaches) is very tricky that way. You will find a world of information here and eventually, hopefully, something that will work for your brother. Stick around and keep asking questions, keep sharing, keep searching. You will also find people here who KNOW exactly what it is you are going through as a supporter and what your brother is going through as a sufferer.
It's obvious that your brother is lucky to have a sister who loves him so much and who is so willing to find help.
If you need to talk or have further questions, you can click on my name highlighted in blue above and email me, or any of the other people that will surely respond to your post. I wish you the best and will keep you and your brother in my thoughts.
Peace and love,
Georgia