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I wouldn't know but I don't see why not, it's still codeine even if it's marketed as a cough syrup.
I fondly remember cheracol cough syrup. 20% Alcohol by weight. Or if you're desperate for a drink, Listerine..
Listerine, on the other hand, is 26.9% alcohol, making it the brand that contains the highest percent alcohol. This is higher than many brands of beer and wine, which is why many alcoholics will choose to drink Listerine over other brands.
Thank you for the kind words. Getting the diagnosis and finding those effective treatments was life changing, and I don't throw that expression around lightly. Still not much known about the root causes, physiology behind cluster headaches. My last cluster was this spring and lasted a few months (1-3 headaches each day). Before that I went over 2 years without having any. Nature of the beast. Never know when they might show up, and then they're gone again just like that. As I've aged the severity has become worse, but the frequency of clusters has reduced. Kind of a blessing and a curse thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RamenAddict
Yes, I think the issue with treatment for cluster and migraine is that they are both hard/frustrating to treat. I’ve probably tried more things than most Americans since I’ve also received treatment in Japan and the UK, which have some medications that are not available in the US. That said, the treatment options are still pretty mediocre. The best recommendation for me was to have a Mirena IUD, which was recommended in the UK and they think it is weird here but it seems to work.
I definitely empathize with you on the frustration. My wife and I compared notes on my clusters versus her migraines. While from a pure pain level perspective the severity of my clusters is worse I fully believe her migraines are the more insidious condition. Mainly because of how it can linger for hours into days at a time. Even before I found treatments for the clusters at least I knew "OK this next hour or so is going to be awful, but then it will be over". For her she can take something, go lay in bed, maybe it seems like things are letting up. Then bam it's right back to square one. I'm extremely fortunate to have found treatments that have been very effective. Her success has been the mediocre you describe.
I wouldn't know but I don't see why not, it's still codeine even if it's marketed as a cough syrup.
For extreme severity headaches like migraines and clusters opioids often aren't that effective. Especially the lower strength ones like codeine and hydrocodone (Vicodin). The pain still breaks through. You basically need to be on the very strong ones like fentanyl or Dilaudid. And dosed to the point where you're completely out of it (read: nodding off and risk of overdosing) to feel relief.
Most of the effective treatments for severe headaches work in the form of eliminating the root cause of the pain. Whereas opioids don't get rid of the pain per se, just somewhat block/dull your ability to feel it.
For extreme severity headaches like migraines and clusters opioids often aren't that effective. Especially the lower strength ones like codeine and hydrocodone (Vicodin). The pain still breaks through. You basically need to be on the very strong ones like fentanyl or Dilaudid. And dosed to the point where you're completely out of it (read: nodding off and risk of overdosing) to feel relief.
Most of the effective treatments for severe headaches work in the form of eliminating the root cause of the pain. Whereas opioids don't get rid of the pain per se, just somewhat block/dull your ability to feel it.
I'm not so much talking opioids for cluster headaches but opioids in general. Rather off topic tangent, not sure how we settled on it.
No pain meds really eliminate the root of the problem, which is why you still have cluster headaches. They just help you through a painful bout.
The class of drugs used to treat cluster head aches are calcium blockers or triptans, both work on narrowing the blood vessels which become inflamed for whatever reason during a CH.
Thank you for the kind words. Getting the diagnosis and finding those effective treatments was life changing, and I don't throw that expression around lightly. Still not much known about the root causes, physiology behind cluster headaches. My last cluster was this spring and lasted a few months (1-3 headaches each day). Before that I went over 2 years without having any. Nature of the beast. Never know when they might show up, and then they're gone again just like that. As I've aged the severity has become worse, but the frequency of clusters has reduced. Kind of a blessing and a curse thing.
Did you ever smoke?
In the scheme of things this doesn't mean much but my son was lucky enough to complete a clinical rotation his fourth year of medical school under a doc. who is very well thought of in the headache world. My son said as a way to underscore how brutal clusters can be the doc. above takes new patients after an 8 or 9 month typical wait for a first visit. New cluster patents cut line, she sees them almost immediately.
My son also says the first time he attended to someone having a cluster he couldn't believe the guy was punching and slapping himself in the head later explaining doing so somehow helped a little.
In the scheme of things this doesn't mean much but my son was lucky enough to complete a clinical rotation his fourth year of medical school under a doc. who is very well thought of in the headache world. My son said as a way to underscore how brutal clusters can be the doc. above takes new patients after an 8 or 9 month typical wait for a first visit. New cluster patents cut line, she sees them almost immediately.
My son also says the first time he attended to someone having a cluster he couldn't believe the guy was punching and slapping himself in the head later explaining doing so somehow helped a little.
Continued success managing your clusters.
Yes I did used to smoke from about 16 through late 20s. I do think there may be some interaction there, but I guess we'll never know for sure. Headaches started in 8th grade several years before I smoked and continued after I quit. I'm sure it didn't help matters though. Quiting could be partial explanation of the frequency reducing (which I attribute more to aging but who knows).
I've gone as far as keeping detailed diaries of nearly every aspect of my life to look for triggers. Something I'm eating? Sleep patterns? Allergies? Change in seasons and light/dark cycles. Haven't found much. The one thing I did find is if I'm in a cluster drinking alcohol will 100% trigger a headache. Other than that, it's all a mystery.
I bet you're very proud of your son. That's amazing!
Sorry to you other folks, I know I'm off topic with my personal stuff. Thanks for listening LOL. Will try to get back on track.
This woman does seem like she's looking for more than just effective treatment for her headaches. If that's what she really wants she needs to see another doc and get a second opinion. Otherwise she's after online attention and a lawsuit. If this is all about imitrex I really don't get it. Docs had no problem giving it to my wife, and just made it very clear that when we said we were trying for a child she couldn't take it anymore.
Thank you for the kind words. Getting the diagnosis and finding those effective treatments was life changing, and I don't throw that expression around lightly. Still not much known about the root causes, physiology behind cluster headaches. My last cluster was this spring and lasted a few months (1-3 headaches each day). Before that I went over 2 years without having any. Nature of the beast. Never know when they might show up, and then they're gone again just like that. As I've aged the severity has become worse, but the frequency of clusters has reduced. Kind of a blessing and a curse thing.
I definitely empathize with you on the frustration. My wife and I compared notes on my clusters versus her migraines. While from a pure pain level perspective the severity of my clusters is worse I fully believe her migraines are the more insidious condition. Mainly because of how it can linger for hours into days at a time. Even before I found treatments for the clusters at least I knew "OK this next hour or so is going to be awful, but then it will be over". For her she can take something, go lay in bed, maybe it seems like things are letting up. Then bam it's right back to square one. I'm extremely fortunate to have found treatments that have been very effective. Her success has been the mediocre you describe.
Yeah, with migraines the treatments are just—- not great. You have to sort of decide whether the side effects are ok. Even something that works well may have side effects after a while. Or you could just get side effects on occasion that are severe- like the CGRP that gave me projectile vomiting once and severe nausea another time. Those are not my typical migraine symptoms, although I get mild nausea a lot. I’ve also gotten delightful symptoms like nausea, fear I was having a stroke/retinal detachment, tonsil stones, increased heart rate by 20bpm, drenching night sweats, weight gain, some mood issues… and I am still using some of the meds that cause these.
I dont generally base much opinion on peoples TikTok videos. I still hold out hope that actual articles/reporting carries some credibility/vetting.
God bless you.
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