BlueDevil
Contributor
I am hoping one of the doctors on here may be able to give me some general advice on this issue.
I have been having cluster headaches for around 2 years. I get a lot of mild to moderate headaches and fortunately so far relatively few severe ones (pain score of 8/10 to 10/10) compared to some people who suffer from this disorder. At their worst though the pain us unbelievably excruciating and quite debilitating while it lasts (generally around 1.5 hours or so without abortive treatment). Fortunately I respond well to 100% O2 (resolution in about 15 mins) or triptan medication (around 20 - 30 mins for resolution). I find aspirin (1000mg) is often reasonably effective for mild cluster headaches up to around a 4/10, but useless for anything more intense.
Obviously I am very careful about diving while in a cluster period. When it is at it's worst I generally wouldn't dive but when the headaches are 'tapering off' I have done some easy shallow dives (eg approx 5m depth with easy exits available and a competent buddy) and have never had a headache while diving.
My neurologist recently started me on gabapentin as a preventitive measure and so far I have not had a headache since then and have experienced no side effects. I was concerned when I first started on it because the list of possible side efects sound pretty horrendous. In particular I haven't experienced any drowsiness, cognitive impairment, suicidal ideation etc. I feel completely normal and completely functional. I am currently taking 1800mg daily.
I have not dived since starting on the gabapentin a couple of months ago. While this is probably a reasonable precaution when starting a new medication it was largely due to the fact that my drysuit was being repaired, along with family circumstances that have kept me out of the water. I now want to start diving again and plan on some easy shore dives to start with and gradually build up. I have a trip to Bali in 5 weeks time which would probably involve dives up to 30m.
I realise that there is probably not a lot known about diving on gabapentin but I am wondering if any of the doctors on here may have any words of wisdom they can share.
(P.S. - CT scans, MRI and blood tests are all completely normal)
For any non-medical people reading this here is some info on cluster headaches:
Cluster headache - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Cluster headache is a condition that involves, as its most prominent feature, an immense degree of pain that occurs always on only one side of the head. (Unilateral) [1][2] Some doctors and scientists have described the pain resulting from cluster headaches as the most intense pain a human can endure worse than giving birth, burns or broken bones. Cluster headaches often occur periodically; spontaneous remissions interrupt active periods of pain, though about 10-15% of chronic cluster headache sufferers never remit.[3] Some people affected with cluster headache have committed suicide, leading to the nickname "suicide headaches."[4] The cause of the condition is unknown. It affects approximately 0.1% of the population and men are more commonly affected than women, by a ratio of 2.1:1"
I have been having cluster headaches for around 2 years. I get a lot of mild to moderate headaches and fortunately so far relatively few severe ones (pain score of 8/10 to 10/10) compared to some people who suffer from this disorder. At their worst though the pain us unbelievably excruciating and quite debilitating while it lasts (generally around 1.5 hours or so without abortive treatment). Fortunately I respond well to 100% O2 (resolution in about 15 mins) or triptan medication (around 20 - 30 mins for resolution). I find aspirin (1000mg) is often reasonably effective for mild cluster headaches up to around a 4/10, but useless for anything more intense.
Obviously I am very careful about diving while in a cluster period. When it is at it's worst I generally wouldn't dive but when the headaches are 'tapering off' I have done some easy shallow dives (eg approx 5m depth with easy exits available and a competent buddy) and have never had a headache while diving.
My neurologist recently started me on gabapentin as a preventitive measure and so far I have not had a headache since then and have experienced no side effects. I was concerned when I first started on it because the list of possible side efects sound pretty horrendous. In particular I haven't experienced any drowsiness, cognitive impairment, suicidal ideation etc. I feel completely normal and completely functional. I am currently taking 1800mg daily.
I have not dived since starting on the gabapentin a couple of months ago. While this is probably a reasonable precaution when starting a new medication it was largely due to the fact that my drysuit was being repaired, along with family circumstances that have kept me out of the water. I now want to start diving again and plan on some easy shore dives to start with and gradually build up. I have a trip to Bali in 5 weeks time which would probably involve dives up to 30m.
I realise that there is probably not a lot known about diving on gabapentin but I am wondering if any of the doctors on here may have any words of wisdom they can share.
(P.S. - CT scans, MRI and blood tests are all completely normal)
For any non-medical people reading this here is some info on cluster headaches:
Cluster headache - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Cluster headache is a condition that involves, as its most prominent feature, an immense degree of pain that occurs always on only one side of the head. (Unilateral) [1][2] Some doctors and scientists have described the pain resulting from cluster headaches as the most intense pain a human can endure worse than giving birth, burns or broken bones. Cluster headaches often occur periodically; spontaneous remissions interrupt active periods of pain, though about 10-15% of chronic cluster headache sufferers never remit.[3] Some people affected with cluster headache have committed suicide, leading to the nickname "suicide headaches."[4] The cause of the condition is unknown. It affects approximately 0.1% of the population and men are more commonly affected than women, by a ratio of 2.1:1"
