Posted by LarryB (216.196.148.166) on February 03, 2001 at 09:47:07:
In Reply to: I need presciption help posted by Marshall Van Stone on February 03, 2001 at 03:24:47:
Hi,
My insurance company sets small limits on Imotrex and other meds for headaches too. The meds are usually prescribed for migraines and I don't think anyone gets 4 or 5 migraines a day. The manufacturers also set a limit for safety reasons. Zomig's manufacturer sets a safe limit of 9 5mg tablets in a 30 day period. A CH sufferer could go through that in a few days. I believe Imotrex and Zomig are basically the same medicine so you can ask your doctor for the maximum prescriptions for both each month.
Have you tried using Oxygen? This works at least as well as the meds for me and I don’t have to worry about the side effects. Those meds can be pretty nasty. A lot of people here find relief with O2 when used properly. I breathe 8-10 liters of O2 per minute with a non-rebreathing mask (the one with the bag attached) for 10-15 minutes and this works to kill the pain just about all of the time. The sooner you get to the O2, the better it works. I keep a big tank at home and a small one in the trunk of my car so I always have it available.
You’ll need a prescription from your doctor for the O2 and you can get it filled at a medical supply company. My insurance doesn’t cover O2 for headaches, but it is affordable. Because 8-10 liters per minute is a pretty high dose, you could go through an E tank (60 minutes at 10 lpm) in a few headaches. But it’s portable and worth the cost, about $25 per month tank rental and $12 for a refill. I keep a big tank at home which costs $40 per month for the tank rental and $36 for a refill and is good for about 16 hours at 10 liters. I spend about $100-$125 per month for O2 but for the number of CH’s it aborts, it would be a fortune in meds and I would probably be dead from a heart attack from taking that much Imotrex.
It’s important to use the O2 properly to abort the Ch’s. Try doing a search on this site to get more info.
Good luck,
LarryB