Chlorpromazine/Thorazine for CH?

[missing]

I'm writing chlorpromazine also know as CPZ, Thorazine and Largactil for CH.

 

There are a few older references to thorazine on the boards but most posts are about thorazine as a rescue from a bad trip.

 

Thorazine is sometimes used for intractable headache and there is one reference (from 1980) in the journal Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain where it was used as a treatment for CH and appears to have been very effective.

 

• Cluster Headache: Response to Chlorpromazine
• Verne S. Caviness Jr. M.D., D. Phil.  Patrick O'Brien M.D.
• First published: May 1980 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-4610.1980.hed2003128.x
•  

• Abstract
• SYNOPSIS
•  
• Chlorpromazine (CPZ), in doses ranging from 75–700 mg per day, gave full headache relief in twelve of thirteen (93%) of patients with the cluster headache syndrome. For nine, withdrawal of CPZ within two to three weeks was tolerated without recurrence of symptoms. After a period of extended remission, four of these found CPZ equally effective treatment for subsequent attacks. Three others received sustained relief from headache over six to eight months on maintenance CPZ at 75 mg per day although the cluster was not terminated. The apparent effectiveness of CPZ in this limited series is greater than that of other medications currently employed in the treatment of cluster headaches.

 

Does anyone have experience to share or thoughts on this?

 

Thanks

 

Stuart

[jon019]

Hi Stuart…..with a reference that old and minimal, if any, reported efficacy (saw discussed years ago) this sounds like "let's throw a really powerful drug at a problem we don't know what else to do with".....I'd do oxygen, energy drinks, D3, busting and/or perhaps a prednisolone taper and verapamil before I even thought about this stuff....

….side note...I know a old pharmacist who worked in a mental hospital...he and his colleagues used to joke that the only folks who could handle thorazine were the ones crazy enough to need it...…………...