Viking Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Hello All, I'm a 60 year old, 34 year sufferer (eposodic). Cycles are usually 1 month in length however my current round is going on month #4. Also an MRI showed some cartoid stenosis (narrowing arteries) so my Doc says no more Imitrex (stroke risk). Looking for some input on two questions; 1.Fearing chronic status, has anyone gone a few months beyond their normal cycle length prior to the cycle ending? 2. If not Imitrex, what else to abort an attack? Oxygen is on order however it didn't work for me 34 years ago. Also was prescribed Sprix. Thanks for any input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bejeeber Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Hi Vike, 1.Fearing chronic status, has anyone gone a few months beyond their normal cycle length prior to the cycle ending? Yes, this sort of phenomenon has been reported before by others who thankfully did not go full on chronic! 2. If not Imitrex, what else to abort an attack? Oxygen is on order however it didn't work for me 34 years ago. I know whatcha mean. O2, the way it was prescribed 34 years ago failed lots of us. But that's because it was (and unfortuntately too often still is) prescribed in a weak and ineffective manner. Fast forward to the new millenium and CH'ers start finding out that high liter flow, 100% O2 has a WAY WAY better chance of working - super high success rate! Here's some O2 info: https://clusterbusters.org/oxygen-information/ So the O2 could become a nice safe substitute for your imitrex after all. I think most everyone (definitely including me) will agree that your doc is right for banishing imitrex, but if you get desperate and decide to risk it, this imitrex tip details how to reduce your injection dose by 66% or so while retaining the same effectiveness, and I would hope (but I'm not a doctor) it would reduce side effect risk correspondingly: https://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1361807077 1.Fearing chronic status, has anyone gone a few months beyond their normal cycle length prior to the cycle ending? OK I know I already gave one answer to this, but I think you should also know how legions of CH'ers, including some chronics, have knocked out their CH cycles by embracing cluster "busting". A National Geographic segment on the subject featuring our forum member Dan/Hipshot makes for a good introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFuL7pcShDk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHfather Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Hi Viking. Welcome. (I see Jeebs once again got in here ahead of me. A lot of overlap in this post of mine.) I'l just answer your two questions. First, oxygen will work. Whatever you were using 34 years ago is -- I hope -- not what you'll be getting today. Presumably you'll get tanks (not a concentrator), a regulator that goes up to at least 15 liters per minute, and a non-rebreather mask. Those are the basics. (I would call your O2 supplier and make sure that's what they're sending you. At least one big "M" tank and one smaller "E" tank, with appropriate regulators for each of them (fittings are different for M and E tanks).) I'm willing to bet that basic setup will work for you, but there are many options for even greater effectiveness (top-quality mask, higher-flow regulator, etc.) Strongly recommend you read the CB Oxygen Page that's under the black and white MENU tab on the left side of the page to be ready now and aware of future options. Lots of people have had the same experience (unusually long cycle) and the same related fear (becoming chronic). Of course, that happens, but it's very rare. Love to know if the Sprix works. Gotta admit that it sure doesn't seem likely. We could give you a whole bunch more things to try, and busting might be at the top of the list. To learn more about busting, go to the ClusterBuster Files section of this board (here: https://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?board=files) and look over the numbered files, or at least #s 1, 3, and 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ajax Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Hi Viking, Always hard to hear that kind of timeline of pain. You have hit the lottery with this site. I am Pain Free after 10+ years of punishing CH's. I saw every neurologist in the greater Boston area and nothing worked until this forum saved me with busting. Welcome, you are already talking with 2 of the best above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Napoli Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Welcome Viking! You have come to the right place! You will be happy to find an abundance of information to help ease and hopefully stop the pain as well as some of the most supportive people around. Definitely try to get your hands on some O2 as soon as possible but be sure to follow the specific advice mentioned by the guys above. In the meantime, applying ice the the affected side of your head and chugging an energy drink or two can help mitigate some of the pain during an attack. In terms of trying to end your cycle and become pain free, the video posted above is testament that there is indeed hope. If you fear the psychedelic affects seen in the video don't worry because browsing through the site you will find ways in which people have found to get the healing benefits without those side effects and even other medicines that seem to be equally effective in busting. Best of luck! Bejeeber.... thanks for posting that video. I hadn't seen it. So happy for Dan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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