Greetings fellow clusterheads. Very grateful for websites and forums like these.
Around the age of 12 I started getting the most brutal headaches I had ever endured. At the time we had no idea what they were. As most of you went through as well, I had all the tests, scans, sinus meds, the works.
Eventually, on my own after the age of 18, I figured out what they were, and discovered that there was no cure lol. What a kick in the balls that was.
Anyway, I'm now 35, in the middle of a cycle, after going 4 years since my last one. The older I get and the more I progress career-wise, the more pissed off I get at these headaches. I'm trying more things than I ever have before, and more consistently, in an effort to find something that works.
In past cycles I would be so damn depressed that I would just wait until the next headache, at which time I would alternate between holding a scalding hot heating pad to my head, and taking hot showers for 3-4 hours until the pain began to subside.
This time around, as soon as I got the first one, I went to see my doc, and informed all of my different clients (self-employed) that if I was to get a headache, I will be unable to function and work.
For the first time ever I found something that worked as an abortive (so far, knock on wood). Imitrex injections. In the past I had taken tablets, but never the injections.
A week and a half ago my doc put me on Prednisone hoping to knock the cycle out. 80mg the first day, then 60 for two days, then 40, 20, and 10. No go. As soon as I got to the last day of 10mg, I got a beast of a headache.
As of yesterday, I'm now on Verapamil, started with 80mg yesterday, and 160mg today and for the next few days. Plus taking Magnesium supplements, still small though, only 250mg today.
The new meds have fucked with my usual cycle, so I'm curious what everyone's thoughts are...
In past cycles, I would get one incredibly bad headache in the morning every couple days. It would last 3-4 hours, then I would be sore the rest of the day, and then nothing the next day.
The last few days have been as follows... Saturday early morning was the brutal headache following the Prednisone. I was headache free then until Monday early morning when I got one and used the imitrex injection for the first time. About 8 hours later when I woke up I had a milder version of one that I knocked out with a heating pad in a couple hours. That day (yesterday) I began the Verapamil.
Today early morning I got another one, thought it seemed slightly weaker, and used the imitrex again to knock it out.
Now this evening, earlier than usual, around 8, I got one that seemed even weaker than the one I got early this morning. It was still bad, like someone burrowing out my brain with a spoon, but not nearly as bad as the really bad ones. I used a heating pad, hot showers, and aspirin with codeine, and knocked it out in a couple hours. Today was the day I took 160mg of Varap.
My question is... could the cycle be coming to an end already due to the Varap.? Sorry to sound anxious, these things are just a fucking living hell. I'm a musician, so I've basically had to hire subs to be 'on call' in case I get a headache.
I anticipate another one a couple hours after falling asleep tonight, and then I will see how tomorrow plays out. I will be on 160mg of Varap. for the next few days. Would you advise me to jump up the dosage? Or see if this one works?
And again to my question, can the weakening of headaches be a signal of the end of a cycle? In past cycles I do recall that was how it occurred, but it has varied every time, and I think honestly I try to block out the memories of these fucking things.
Thanx for listening to my story! And my heart goes out to all of you sufferers.
