Hello! I've decided to share my experience/discovery with you, as I find it interesting and maybe someone else might benefit from it. Also, it may provide further support to some theories that see involved the cerebral blood flow and other structural issues.
I listed all my symptoms in my introduction thread here. The very first symptoms I had on the onset of my illness were headache and a very bad nausea, but a kind of motion sickness nausea. During those days, I was travelling back to London from SE Asia, and when I was at Singapore Airport I decided to get an anti-nausea medicine as I was afraid that my ongoing nausea would get worse on the plane. The pharmacist gave me this drug, Stugeron (cinnarizine) and it worked instantly on the plane and I had a great flight.
Now, I've had this medicine next to my bed for the past six months, but had completely forgotten about it. I don't know why, the other day I woke up and I had a light bulb moment: I thought, if it worked so well that time, what would happen now? So I decided to try it and I took it after lunch. Within a couple of hours I started feeling something: do you know that tingling feeling in your hands, feet, fingers that you have when you pass from cold to warm? When you're outside in the cold and loose sensitivity in your extremities and then once you're back inside you feel the sensitivity coming back. Well, I felt that very same tingling in my extremities and felt as if life was coming back into my body. For a couple of hours, that pressure in my head and behind my eyes went away about 80%. My back still hurt (should really get an MRI for that), but I felt like my body was alive. Still weak and fatigued, but with life in it. That horrible feeling that I had/have of pounding heart and heavy chest, also lifted. Until Thursday I couldn't even sit down and eat without having difficulty breathing because of this chest heaviness. Now I can handle sitting for hours!
From Wikipedia: "Cinnarizine is an antihistamine and calcium channel blocker of the diphenylmethylpiperazine group. It is also known to promote cerebral blood flow, and so is used to treat cerebral apoplexy, post-trauma cerebral symptoms, and cerebral arteriosclerosis. However, it is more commonly prescribed for nausea and vomiting due to motion sickness or other sources such as chemotherapy, vertigo, or Ménière's disease."
What I found revealing I think, it's the fact that Cinnazirine is a calcium channel blocker and vasodilator. It makes sense. I've always suffered from migraines in my life, which sometimes caused really bad nausea and general sick feeling. Also I've always suffered a lot the pressure change on planes. After a flight, the migrane, which in itself was debilitating, would last until I went to sleep in the evening. My illness was triggered by the Dengue virus, which is a strong virus reported to have caused strokes, CNS vasculitis in addition to sometimes hemorrhagic fever in worst cases. My blood pressure since I'm sick is always between 130-150/70-90, edging between normal and slightly high, but sometimes a lot higher though. My HR doesn't go below 80. Vasodilators are used to lower BP.
Also, the fact that my lymphatic system is also congested (specially on my right side, considering lymph nodes swelling) makes me think of a circulatory problem on some level. Obviously whatever this is, it's creating some pressure in my head and this blocks the whole circulation in my body.
I have an echocardiogram with doppler of my heart on Tuesday and I will mention this discovery. Hopefully they will take it as a sign that something should be investigated. A dream would be an MRV prescription... But then I'd need a doctor who understands these issues...
My plan is to keep on taking Cinnazirine and also get it prescribed. As long as I take it, it makes me feel much better and keeps lots of symptoms at bay. I would have never discovered this if it wasn't for Asian prescription free pharmacies and a doctor would have never prescribed this drug to me at this stage, delaying the investigation by who knows how long.
I wonder if people have ever tried vasodilators, especially those with diagnosed transverse sinuses or jugular vein stenosis. It might help people addressing investigations and testing. If anyone has suggestions or thoughts on this, I'd be interested to hear!
I listed all my symptoms in my introduction thread here. The very first symptoms I had on the onset of my illness were headache and a very bad nausea, but a kind of motion sickness nausea. During those days, I was travelling back to London from SE Asia, and when I was at Singapore Airport I decided to get an anti-nausea medicine as I was afraid that my ongoing nausea would get worse on the plane. The pharmacist gave me this drug, Stugeron (cinnarizine) and it worked instantly on the plane and I had a great flight.
Now, I've had this medicine next to my bed for the past six months, but had completely forgotten about it. I don't know why, the other day I woke up and I had a light bulb moment: I thought, if it worked so well that time, what would happen now? So I decided to try it and I took it after lunch. Within a couple of hours I started feeling something: do you know that tingling feeling in your hands, feet, fingers that you have when you pass from cold to warm? When you're outside in the cold and loose sensitivity in your extremities and then once you're back inside you feel the sensitivity coming back. Well, I felt that very same tingling in my extremities and felt as if life was coming back into my body. For a couple of hours, that pressure in my head and behind my eyes went away about 80%. My back still hurt (should really get an MRI for that), but I felt like my body was alive. Still weak and fatigued, but with life in it. That horrible feeling that I had/have of pounding heart and heavy chest, also lifted. Until Thursday I couldn't even sit down and eat without having difficulty breathing because of this chest heaviness. Now I can handle sitting for hours!
From Wikipedia: "Cinnarizine is an antihistamine and calcium channel blocker of the diphenylmethylpiperazine group. It is also known to promote cerebral blood flow, and so is used to treat cerebral apoplexy, post-trauma cerebral symptoms, and cerebral arteriosclerosis. However, it is more commonly prescribed for nausea and vomiting due to motion sickness or other sources such as chemotherapy, vertigo, or Ménière's disease."
What I found revealing I think, it's the fact that Cinnazirine is a calcium channel blocker and vasodilator. It makes sense. I've always suffered from migraines in my life, which sometimes caused really bad nausea and general sick feeling. Also I've always suffered a lot the pressure change on planes. After a flight, the migrane, which in itself was debilitating, would last until I went to sleep in the evening. My illness was triggered by the Dengue virus, which is a strong virus reported to have caused strokes, CNS vasculitis in addition to sometimes hemorrhagic fever in worst cases. My blood pressure since I'm sick is always between 130-150/70-90, edging between normal and slightly high, but sometimes a lot higher though. My HR doesn't go below 80. Vasodilators are used to lower BP.
Also, the fact that my lymphatic system is also congested (specially on my right side, considering lymph nodes swelling) makes me think of a circulatory problem on some level. Obviously whatever this is, it's creating some pressure in my head and this blocks the whole circulation in my body.
I have an echocardiogram with doppler of my heart on Tuesday and I will mention this discovery. Hopefully they will take it as a sign that something should be investigated. A dream would be an MRV prescription... But then I'd need a doctor who understands these issues...
My plan is to keep on taking Cinnazirine and also get it prescribed. As long as I take it, it makes me feel much better and keeps lots of symptoms at bay. I would have never discovered this if it wasn't for Asian prescription free pharmacies and a doctor would have never prescribed this drug to me at this stage, delaying the investigation by who knows how long.
I wonder if people have ever tried vasodilators, especially those with diagnosed transverse sinuses or jugular vein stenosis. It might help people addressing investigations and testing. If anyone has suggestions or thoughts on this, I'd be interested to hear!
