Has anyone tried any of the following IV therapies for aborting a headache?
IV MgSO4 (Magnesium Sulfate)
IV Dihydroergotamine (DHE)
IV Valproate Sodiums
IV propofol
IV lidocaine
IV tramadol (Ultram)
IV levetiracetam (Keppra�)
IV Ketamine
IV methocarbamol (Robaxin)
I am considering taking my daughter to a headache clinic that uses these treatments, as well as steroids which would obviously be out of the question. They claim a 97% success rate in helping headaches with these methods. I figure some of those people have to have undx'ed Lyme.
I am especially interested in the propofol since they have found that to be the most effective. It is typically used for conscious sedation.
My daughter just tried the Magnesium and the DHE in the hospital without success. That was all the hospital had to offer.
Posted by daniel (Member # 22201) on :
my headaches gone away with factive
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
I was going to say that I didn't think the IV magnesium would work. If Lyme rather than a coinfection is the cause, then it is probably the calcium channels or sodium channels that are being impacted.
Keppra and sodium valporate (depakote) are both seizure meds. Maybe you could try these orally first -- would probably be a lot cheaper -- but might not work as well. Both required multiple times daily dosing when hubby tried them for seizure-like episodes -- neither worked for him.
I am sure you probably are aware that the propofol was the anesthetic that Michael Jackson was using for insomnia. Sounds like this med needs very careful supervision.
Ultram is a fairly common painkiller used mostly orally -- non-addictive.
Has your daughter had a SPECT scan? I would suggest that first. Just not sure how effective any of the treatments would be if she has either hypoperfusion or vasculitis as is fairly common with Lyme and other tickborne infections.
Has she officially been diagnosed with migraines? Which tickborne infections does she have? Has she had a spinal tap and is her spinal fluid pressure normal?
Also, what is her age? Hormonal issues could be a factor as well.
Bea Seibert
Posted by jkmom (Member # 14004) on :
She is 11. I don't think hormones are a factor yet, and she has had her headache for 2 years any way.
She's been officially dx'ed with migraines by a non LL neurologist. Her LL psychiatrist thinks they are migraines caused by Lyme. Imitrex did not work for her, though.
She just had a spinal tap and her pressure was supposedly normal. I am not as certain as I should be after reading Pab's post about normal pressure.
All of these treatements would be given under close supervision at the headache center. The propofol would be at a low dose.
She is taking Depakote now to try to prevent/eliminate her headache as well as regulate her mood. It seems to work for the mood.
She has tried Ultram with no success.
She is being treated for bart and Lyme.
Posted by springshowers (Member # 19863) on :
I Have used IV Propofol on as needed occasions and it worked well.
Not sure what would be appropriate for children though?
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
jkmom,
Just read your other post. One thing I think could be relevant. If the headaches got worse on Rifampin they could be due to liver toxicity. Rifampin is probably one of the most liver toxic of the Lyme meds.
And, yes she could have a toxicity issue even with normal liver enzymes. Detox is a complex subject, but is worth investigating.
Bea Seibert
Posted by Tif (Member # 12701) on :
Has she been put on beta blockers? Also, what about vistoril, nubane, or toradol? Some people do better with the non oral forms of imitrex. Personally, the inhaler worked better for me.
I was diagnosed with migraines at 7........have been run through the ringer over the years, and taken about everything under the sun......
I went through a period about ten years where the only thing that helped was acupuncture......
Posted by jkmom (Member # 14004) on :
Her doctor called in a prescription for Welchol. She hasn't started it yet, because she was in the hospital. Is that a good start for detox?
We are consulting with a LL integrative physician next week to get some help with the alternative treatment. He'll probably give us a plan for detox. If not, I will do the research.
Her headaches got worse on Rifampin and then got even worse when we stopped it.
Posted by jkmom (Member # 14004) on :
She was prescribed a beta blocker last week by her LL psychiatrist. Before she could start it, she ended up in the hospital and they had a different plan for her.
They prescribed 50 mg of Elavil to replace her Lexapro and Trazodone. Her headaches were controlled by 10 mg of Elavil a few years ago, so it might work.
Her anxiety got very high and she felt like she was in a dream by the time we left the hospital. I don't know if it is from the change in meds or increasing bart symptoms. We changed her back to her old meds to see.
She has never tried vistoril, nubane, or toradol. I'll research those.
Posted by Sparrow (Member # 11734) on :
My daughter has tried most of the anti seizure meds and they did not help her headache.
We have not tried propofol, so don't know anything about that drug.
She sees a pain doctor and gets ketamine shots about 2 times a month. They do help. He usually gives her some of the injection at the begining of the appointment and then finishes the injection at the end of the appointment. It an cause some kind of out of body experience if too much is given at one time. My daughter expereienced it with her second injection, but he controls it pretty tightly and it has never happened since. It did not last long, but she was freaked by the experience. She has never gotten it in IV form.
Before he started giving her ketamine, he used to give her a shot of a muscle relaxer that worked fairly well. I can not remember the name of it right now, but it is a really old drug. Baclofen(an oral muscle relaxer) is part of her pain management protocol.
She gets acupuncture also for her neck and she has in the past had some massage that helped, but the headache usually spikes up soon after the massage.
We got her headache down to a 2, two different times. Both times she was on babs protocol. The last time it was that low, she was taking wobenzyme, vitamin C, and cocnut oil also. She was seeing a different pain doctor who was also giving her botox and other pain injections. He started randomly mixing in steroids with some of her injections with out our knowledge or consent. I can not describe how sick she got. It has been several years since the steroids and she is better, but still not back to where she was before the steroids.
I also agree with Bea about liver issues. If my daughter has high liver enzymes, her headache is through the roof. Anti seizure meds are hard on the liver.