Posted by DeanB on October 26, 2001 at 00:48:23:
Just wanted to touch base after almost 2 years with only one mild cluster to let people know what has worked for me. I had endless clusters for 14 years before I found that a combination of prozac (for the seratonin piece), varapamil (for the calcium channel blocking effect), and zirtec (for the histamine piece) has almost completely eliminated clusters. The only cluster I've experienced in two years was a very brief and very mild one when I stopped the meds for a short time. Recently stopped them again for about a month and didn't have a cluster at all. I resumed them anyway, and feel like the short break has allowed the meds to resume potency so that they will continue to work for me. I highly recommend trying this course, as I've been advised that for most people this is a safe combination. I know it beats the hell out of steroids, which was the only thing that worked before. Believe it or not, during the last cluster I was able to relax, use ice on the web between my right thumb and forefinger, and get rid of the headaches within five to ten minutes, without resorting to imitrex.