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Hi Andrew As Ch father states busting or d3 may help but first a correct diagnosis is essential ,as you are in the Uk like myself can i ask a few questions that may help us help you 1.has a headache specialist /neurologist diagnosed you? 2.have you tried oxygen ? (its quite possible you now live in an area where the demand valve system is available on prescription ) 3.if no to the two above has your GP referred you to a headache specialist neurologist ? pm or answer here if you wish zany

Hi Kyle, Sorry to see you are here. But better here than on any other (medical) website in my point of view. My pains stop pretty fast normally. A sign for me always is that I don't wake up with an attack. I have made an app to register your attacks and all you do to feel better. A simple tool that helps you keep track of what you do with the push of a button. It could help you get a clear view on what you have done. Maybe not now but after a first year of cycle you will know your rhythm and you will see better the results of all the things you will try to get rid of the attacks. You can download it for free on android or iPhone just by looking for "Register your Journey" If you have questions you can do it here or with a PM

I would venture that for most people their earliest cycles were often shorter and the pain was more manageable. Maybe I'm wrong about that; it's just my sense from what I've seen and read. So it is very possible that your cycle was ramping down on its own. Since it's also very possible that the D3 helped, you should definitely continue it. It's rare, but not unheard of, for the D3 to kick in within a week. (It's very much unheard of for Tylenol to help, so I'm going to guess that it isn't actually helping.) Your doctor prescribed no meds? Do you know what to insist on from the neurologist? First of all, OXYGEN. Absolutely first -- 99% of people with CH will tell you that. Yet half of neurologists fail to prescribe it, even after diagnosing CH. Then you might want an additional abortive, which would be injectable sumatriptan. Not pills, and probably not nasal spray: injectable. And maybe a preventive, which is typically verapamil. Since you don't know what form your cycles are going to take -- could be every six months, might not return for years -- that will presumably be taken into account. So even if you don't get anything right now if your cycle seems to have ended, you need to know that this specific neurologist is someone you can confidently turn to when/if your next cycle arrives. There's a lot more for you to know, so you should continue reading as much as you can here. Please also read about busting, in the numbered files in the ClusterBuster Files section. At the very least, it's an option you should have in mind when your next cycle rolls around. Many people will tell you it's the best way to manage CH, and it's why this specific website/message board were created.

Wow so many responses I'm blown away thank you all , wasn't expecting any reply , on further investigation I have my mind set on mm therapy, when I was clueless to ch I took many unprescribed drugs and find it hard to get prescriptions from my doctor. I'm just trying to figure out what mm are best to use it keep hearing golden teacher is a good one , thanks again people can't believe their is so many of us , massive respect to all the survivors ✌

Hi Andrew, I just want to wish you all the strength you need to go on. Try to find a positive spirit to go on. Rogier

Try all these wonderful suggestions. Some things work for others and some things don't work for others-Its seems to be that every body/brain finds different solutions. My Husband was able to break his 20 year cycle of very bad clusters with Seroquel- an antidepressant. If you try everything and they don't work please try a RX of seroquel (if Doctor approved for you) ..for a few weeks to see if you get a result. All the very best! Hugs!

Welcome Andrew! With respect to oxygen, some folks in the UK experience problems sourcing O2 thru ya'lls NHS....however, unless there are underlying conditions that contraindicate its use, it is recognized as a viable treatment in the UK....if you have any problems of that nature, contact OUCH UK and they will provide assistance with the HOOF form. Where are you located in the UK? I know several clusterheads in England and Scotland....a friend in Scotland hosts a couple meet n greet events every year.....nothing like meeting someone who "gets it" and understands exactly what you deal with! Dallas Denny

Andrew, you are right to seriously consider busting, and THMH has given you what you need to know: read the numbered files in the Files section and follow the process he has described. If you have not done the "Vitamin D3" regimen you should start it. It has made a very big difference for many, many people. You can also read about that in the Files section. (I realize that people in your situation are inclined to eventually give up on treatments, and surely you might wonder how some vitamins will help you when powerful medicines have not helped. But many people in that very situation have achieved very good results with the D3 regimen. You have to follow it to the letter. We find often that when people say they have "tried everything," they have missed some core elements, most particularly oxygen. Have you used oxygen? If so, how was it delivered? Because often people who did not get relief from oxygen were using ineffective delivery systems -- the regulator did not provide a high-enough flow rate; the mask was shoddy or used wrong; the O2 came from a concentrator, not from a tank/cylinder/cannister. No matter what success you have with busting and D3, effective oxygen can be a life-changer. If you have actually used everything pharmaceutical that typically helps with CH (I would include sumatriptan/Imigran, corticosteroids, and verapamil at the top of that list) and none of it helps you, and not even ketamine helps you, I have to say that I would also test a different diagnosis, such as paroxysmal hemicrania or hemicrania continua. Those things look a lot like cluster headaches -- but they are effectively treated with a single medication, indomethacin. So if indomethacin is not on the list of things you have tried, it would be worth a shot.

Andrew, mm (and truffles), LSD and LSA definitely help. They've been the only thing that's given many of us our lives back. I was chronic and have been taking regular doses for over 7 years now. I've been pain free a significant amount of that time. I believe truffles are available where you live. Please read the files section on this message board. There's a specific process you need to follow. 1) detox from all triptamine type drugs (Imitrex, maxalt etc. etc). 2) Wait 5 days from he start of detox for your first dose. Take enough for a "threshold" dose. Meaning you get some trip out of it. Most of us find that the stronger the trip the better the medicine works on our CH. 3) You'll likely get what's called "slap backs" after your first dose. Don't worry, the attacks will go down after the 2nd and 3rd doses. Take each dose 5 days apart (not 4, not 6). For some reason 5 days is the sweet spot for something in our brain to reset. After the 2nd dose you should notice the attacks being milder and slightly further apart. After the 3rd dose most people are pain free, but a lot of people also need another dose. It all just depends on your body chemistry, and the strength of the mm. post questions. (but please read the busting files section). :) J