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My greatest fear over 23 yrs of episodic was that it would become chronic. I was obsessed with the thought. Used to dismiss comments on ch.com that chronics preferred it to episodic.... thought they were nuts. Then it happened.... and the reality was FAR less than the fear of the unknown had led me to believe. Hits were lighter, aborts worked better, triggers were reduced or went away, depression lessened. It still aint no damn fun...but if ya got the right attitude, a plan and the right tools..... it's controllable. Best Jon

I like this Jon, thanks very much !

Welcome Jimmy! Your guess of weather and stress and diet can affect some Cher's. Pollen is also found to be a culprit. Melatonin is good for many with nighttime hits. Start with 9mg and work your way up to about 25mg. One the main page you will find the board Clusterbuster Files. It contains a thread regarding the D3 Regimen. It is recommended that Benadryl be added to the regimen now, especially when pollen is high. It is all vitamins and easy to get started on. Relief usually occurs in a week or two. Some go pain free (PF) on it and others get a reduction in severity and slower ramp up time. There is also a thread there about using O2. That can give you some really good pointers on how to use it effectively. Other aids are: Caffeine at the very start of a hit. It can be Energy drinks, Energy shots, or just coffee. If taken early, they can sometimes stop a hit and they help you get through. Most will take the caffeine when going for the O2 to reduce abort time too. People use hot or cold to their benefit as well. It can be a shower, very hot water in a tub to put your feet or body in, sticking your nose up to the AC vent in your car with it on full blast. Some find the high water consumption an aid. Others use deep breathing or exercise. Ginger, in any form helps with shadows. The Maxalt pills are usually too slow acting to really help CH. They are prescribed mostly for migrainers or by inexperienced doctors for CH. You can have a nasal spray prescribed or injections. Injections are the fastest. However. many clusterheads have noticed that the use of Triptans causes more hits and/or longer cycles. Nine pills a month is pretty standard for insurance. Sucks. I am surprised that you were not given a preventative like Verapamil by your Neuro! It is the 'go to' main med for CH. Then there is busting. Which a lot of CHers use to prevent and end cycles. Also in the clusterbuster files. It is also discussed on the Theory and Implementation and Share You Busting Stories files, which are closed to the public. I see that Denny just replied with some of the same info. ATB spiny

Welcome to the community Jimmy! To be honest, you've arrived at the site (and forum) with the best information and solutions for clusters!! We have many members with in excess of 20 or 30 years doin battle with the Beast.....my first cycle occurred in South Vietnam in the Spring of 1968.....followed by a complete remission of 15 years.....2nd cycle was in 1983 and I've been episodic ever since. Great that you have Oxygen in place!! So first, push your doc for imitrex injections.....the pills are much too slow acting! Second, check out the Vitamin D3 anti inflammatory regimen in the CB files section of the board......works well for many folks to either squelch a cycle or at least reduce the frequency and intensity of the attacks. And read about "busting" a cycle using tryptamines and let us know about any questions you might have in the "Share your busting stories" section of the board... Dallas Denny