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OXYGEN!!!! It's not even a question. You must have it. The vitamin D3 regimen described in the ClusterBuster Files section has helped hundreds of people.

GoldEnBars thanks for sharing your story, sorry you share the experiences of many of us. First off on the supplements you didn't say how much you were taking? Look into this: http://www.vitamindwiki.com/Cluster+headaches+substantially+reduced+by+10%2C000+IU+of+Vitamin+D+in+80+percent+of+people+ By a member here(Batch) that really knows what he's talking about. I stay on it at lower doses even when not in cycle and has helped with other inflammation issues. I also add turmeric curcumin(500 mg daily) to mine. Get your regular doctor to prescribe high flow oxygen to you why you wait for neurologist appointment. If he says no, ask why? It is safe and effective, so unless you have some type of respiratory condition call b.s. on him and get your own. Yes your neurologist might just try to prescribe more medication to you, but it is still a good idea to see them just to rule out other possible health concerns. You also might luck out and get one that knows what he is talking about and/or is open minded. If you haven't started already, start a log so you have information to share with them and if something is not working for you.

Hi, sorry for you hearing such a bad story... where the hell is your OXYGEN? Probably the main abortive and very efective tool for many of us. You may also go into imitrex instead of sumatriptan. As cold water is giving some relife to you, Ergotamin may be the better choise. Check it out. also I guess you do not take enough verapamil, people are used to take up to 1gr. per day which may be considered insane by your doc... I'm pretty shure you'll get a lot of feedback and support from this portal and a great volume of relief, as most of us do so. Give it a Try

In my point of view triptanes made my attack heavier. Aborting them fast but general intensity level of all attacks a lot stronger. I went through hell leaving the triptans and changing to oxygen only. Goodluck Ouelmath, hope you feel better soon.

Sorry you are taking all that stuff. The side effects must be unpleasant. (It's my very vague understanding that sometimes lamotrigine increases the side effects of divalproex.) It's good to ask your neurologist about the full D3 regimen. If there is a specific interaction with your current meds that he is concerned about, that is important to know; if he freaks out about the large amounts of d3 just in general, as some doctors do, I think you'll have to make the decision on your own. As far as I know, no one has had bad effects from that much D3, as long as (1) they are taking the full regimen, and (2) they have blood tests to make sure that their D levels don't eventually get too high. You'd want to take the calcium part of the D3 regimen 6-8 hours apart from verapamil (because verap is a calcium channel blocker). You will probably have to order the mask separately. If your doctor is highly sympathetic and if it's possible in Canada, you might try asking for a demand valve system for your O2. If you want to order a mask now, it's at http://www.clusterheadaches.com/ccp8/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=clustero2kit We just had a report from a person having very good results with another approach to using oxygen. If you type the phrase "red neck" (in quotes) into the search bar at the top of the page you will see posts about that method, which doesn't require any fancy equipment. We have found that it's not necessary to be completely off of verapamil in order for busting to be effective, but I don't think anyone knows what applies at 960 mg/day. Sounds like your doctor is really trying to help you and more or less knows what he's doing (as much as anyone does when treating CH). If you think busting might be something you want to try, I guess you'd have to look at all the meds you're taking, and I'm lost there. I can say that for some people, having a good O2 system, having the D3 regimen kick in, and using energy shots makes it easier to get off the necessary meds enough to try busting. (And it's also not completely unusual that when people stop the triptans, their headaches become less bad, probably because of the rebound effects you have mentioned.)

Many people who come here really desperate find that "busting" (taking psychedelic substances, sometimes in doses small enough that they do not cause a "trip") is the answer to their prayers. You can read about busting in the numbered files in the "ClusterBuster Files" section. What might be the hard part for you is that you should stop taking triptans for five days before busting. We can discuss this more if you decide that you want to try busting. "Truffles" from the Netherlands have proven to be quite effective for busting. Busting has helped many people with migraines, too. Meanwhile . . . Do you have a preventive medication? Usually that's a calcium channel blocker called verapamil in the US -- and usually it has to be taken at higher levels than many doctors prescribe in order for it to be effective. Have you tried quickly drinking an energy shot such as 5-Hour Energy at the first sign of an attack? If you are able to get melatonin (it's available openly here, but I think only by prescription in Europe), 9 mg at night, or more, can be very helpful. Magnesium can help (that is mentioned in Bob's paper; I'm not sure of the dosage). Some people find that if they stay on the oxygen after an attack has been stopped, for about 10 minutes, it can hold off future attacks. Oxygen when used in conventional ways is most effective if the flow rate is at least 15 liters per minutes, and if you have a mask that is made for people with CH. You probably didn't have either of those things the last time you tried it. There is also another method for using oxygen that we can tell you about if you get that prescription. Finally, I would suggest that you look at the list of "triggers" in the ClusterBuster Files section. It is possible that you might notice something there that is making your situation worse.