Posted by sailpappy (67.162.166.155) on December 02, 2001 at 12:56:03:
In Reply to: Cluster variants posted by Mike L on December 02, 2001 at 04:31:03:
Being one of those who has been through every chemical treatment there is for clusters and a lot of experimental stuff that had nothing to do with headaches at all I have an opinion like everyone else.
When my clusters started in 1969/70 in Viet Nam I quickly started to notice certain patterns in what would trigger them, the low pitched purr of a mini gun firing 4000-6000 rounds per minute wound not trigger then but the rotor blades of my huey cutting the moist air with it's consistant patern Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-Flooop-
would trigger them, the close range firing of my 45 calibure handgun would not trigger but the low pitched blast of the 18 gauge shotgun with a 13 inch barrel would trigger at about the 3rd round firing, the concution from a White Phospherous Grenade would not trigger but the sound of a Fraggmentation Granade at about 40 ft would trigger them. 500lb bomb strikes were the worst,no real pattern to the sound but counting them out so we knew how long until we had to head back in to do the BDA(Bomb Damage Assesment) at a distance of several miles would get me every time.
I started self medication with Heroin and with in a few days had forgotten all about the headaches,but while all the GI's that were doing the Junk to escape reality were nodded out from the affects of the drug, I would be feeling quite normal and not sleepy or anything like euphoric, just no headache. then I upped the amount to where I was part of the sleeping crowd(Well not sleeping but nodding, you were aware of everything that was going on around you but you just didn't give a shit until some one yelled INCOMING, then you straightened right out quick.
I waited 10 years for sumatriptin to come out, the miracle drug, it was going to end clusters for me, well I guess my neurotransmitters had other Ideas, all I got from Sumatriptan(Imetrex) was severe Angina.
The way I understand it Imetrex was supposed to work like Histimine Destintion was supposed to work, or the way Prednisone therapy workes,
Flood the brain with Seritonen to counter the seritonenace and make the mechanism that makes it stop making it ,then slowly build it back up to a level where your brain can tolerate it.
You all know how I touted being "Drug Free" for so long, well I have almost 5 months into the Oxy-Contin therapy and 4 solid months of Pain Free, I'm up to 80mg every 12 hrs but half of that is to help combat the pain of my ruptured Sternum and shattered right rib cage, I was at only 40 prior to the accident, I walked out of the hospital after a week of injectable dilaudid every 2 hours and came home with a bottle of percodan for the break through pain, I'm down to 2 tablets a day and will be off them soon, on my on valition!
I think when I started using Opiates in Viet Nam I screwed up my neurotransmitters and the amount of narcotic drugs I take would level a small city, how ever it just does the trick for me and my pain and no more, no euphoria, no buzz just no Headaches. JMHO Pappy