Posted by Bob Kingsley (194.72.195.9) on June 26, 1999 at 10:46:32:
[I posted this to the Guestbook, when I thought I was posting it here. So apologies if you're reading this for the second time.]
Hello. I'm 44, and am in the middle of a cycle. Let me say straight away that I get almost immediate relief with injected sumatriptan, which here in the UK is marketed by GlaxoWellcome as "Imigran Subject" (I guess the "Subject" is short for "sub-cutaneous injection").
The injector is about the size of a fat ballpoint pen, with a button on top. This is kept in a box which also holds two little spring-loaded hypodermics with the correct dosage. You load the little hypodermic into the open end of the pen (you don't see the needle), hold the end of the pen against your thigh, press the button, and -POP!- the spring presses a little plunger which injects the dosage. You might feel a little sting as it goes in, but hey - what's that compared to what we're used to? The needle only penetrates by a few millimetres. It's all very Star Trek.
Imigran is usually prescribed for migraine, although it is also indicated for CH as well. There are also tablets and nasal sprays, but the injection is the only thing that works for me.
I've suffered since I hit my early twenties. At first I thought it was a brain tumour. Then a bad tooth. Then another brain tumour -- and then they went away. I couldn't believe it when they came back a few years later.
They've come and gone over the years without rhyme or reason; my various doctors have all tried different (and indifferent) approaches, but none of them have worked like Imigran, prescribed by my latest doc a few years ago.
The problem is: the Imigran provides almost immediate relief from the pain, which is great -- it goes completely in ten to fifteen minutes -- but still the headaches seem to be able to break through again as the protecting effect of the medication wears off, after about six hours.
I'm worried about over-medicating. Imigran, being mainly for migraine, should only be used twice in 24 hours, but this latest cycle of mine is proving particularly vicious -- I'm getting one at 1:30am, then (thank God) a gap right through till 3pm, with a follow-up at 8:15pm. I inject for the 1:30am, which means I can get at least some sleep, knowing that on this cycle there won't be one in the morning. But then the 3pm disrupts my working day, so I have to inject again rather than sit it out. Then when the 8:15pm hits, I'm thinking I shouldn't inject immediately because it's too close to the previous injection. But if I postpone that injection it'll be pushed closer to the anticipated 1:30am injection. The Imigran box is quite specific, with bold print telling me "do NOT use more than TWO injections in twenty-four hours".
But still -- frankly, I'm at the point where I'm prepared to take the risk (and I'm not even sure what I'm risking); however, I'm sure you'll understand why.
The reason I found this site today was because I decided to surf around looking for info on "migraine", so I could take it to the doc and we could try to find a different treatment regime (maybe ergotamine, which no-one's ever prescribed for me); then for the first time I realised what I'm actually suffering are more properly called Cluster Headaches; and here I am. I've only skimmed the surface of the site so far but will be delving into every nook and cranny.
I'll also be going back to my doctor this week, armed with all the literature I've uncovered on the web. What a fantastic resource. There are cheaper treatments -- the high cost of the Imigran injections to the hard-pressed UK National Health Service is a bone of contention between me and the doctor's receptionist, who always has an eye on the centre's budget and occasionally refuses to refresh a prescription until I see the doc again -- both my wife (who suffers from migraine and also uses Imigran) and I have experienced waits of a week *without our medication to hand* because of that woman and her wicked ways. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel about her: witholding the only medication that works for us on the grounds of cost to the taxpayer is unforgiveable -- particularly as we *are* those taxpayers!
But that's part of our problem, isn't it? People just don't understand how intense the pain can be -- even doctors (and their receptionists). This site is just what I needed, though it's moved me close to tears, having found such a precious port in a storm -- so thank you to all of you behind it. I'll be back often! Bob Kingsley.