| 31 Mar, 2008 - 9:15 am |
I am not a doctor but a long term (33yrs) CH sufferer.
I have tried a lot of different medications etc.
About 4 years ago I visited a neurologist who suggested I use Verapamil (240 mg / day) and Prednisolone (100mg / day) along with high flow oxygen.
It has been a miracle for me.
The Verapamil I take once a day.
The prednisolone I take 3 times a day and continually reduce the amount.
The oxygen is used as needed.
Prednisolone (Panafcortelone)
Start 100mg for 1 week
Then 75mg for a week
Then 50mg for a week
Then 37.5mg for a week.
Then 50 mg for a week etc
You will know by the pain or frequency of the headache when you can no longer reduce the amount.
I am currently taking 50mg / day and am getting headaches about 3 times a day with a severity of about 2.
Without this medication I would normally be getting about 5 - 10 attacks a day with a high severity (suicidal)
I hopefully will have weened the Prednisolone down to nothing in the next 6 weeks as it is not a great medication for long term use.
For this bout of CH I have not been using Verapamil and found my control to be similar to when I used it.
I do take panadol forte at bed time as I have been waking wit an odd attack but only in the low pain range.
I have found high flow oxygen useful if you know an attack is coming on but useless once the headache has set in.
For me the Prednisolone has been a life saver and I am still able to work daily as before this everyting was a struggle.
Feel free to sak me any questions as I am a long term CH sufferer and am more than happy to share my experiences.
Good luck
David
| 0 people like this |
Thanks for sharing.