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I have had similar experiences with the same combo of meds. Doesn't stop the cycle for me but definitely helps some cycles.

Update number 2. The botox has changed the area that my migraines hurt, they have always been very intense in the eye much like my clusters are just not as intense. Now the migraines are more spread out over and around the eye. A little less painful but still there. I had a three day migraine which is not uncommon for me and it changed sides toward the end of the third day and went away some time in the night. They say that I need to give it 3 treatments before I can make a definitive its working or not so 90 days is the target. The fact that it has changed the pain from intense eye pain to around the eye is encouraging.

Hi all, Been awhile. Had almost 7 months PF after my last cycle, which was the longest I ever suffered through. Towards the end of my last cycle I finally gave Verapamil a try. Wasn't sure to what extent it was working, as my cycle was winding down. I was also using Gabapentin before bed, as most of my attacks are at night, which seemed to help but, again, cycle was winding down. Got my first, minor, attack a couple of weeks ago and immediately ceased alcohol intake and started the Verapamil (120mg IR 3x day) and Gabapentin (300mg nighttime). Since then I have had only minor pain and have been able to exercise (2nd biggest trigger behind alcohol). I've never seen this combination discussed, so I figured I'd share. Of course, your mileage may vary. Best wishes to all of you.

@Cast Iron Hi Alex, I hear you! Mine seems to be a very big beast indeed too, but I think I am finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. Between many busts (I'll have to look but I'm at between 10 and 20 busts including ketamine initially) and the Vitamin D protocol on steroids (I've been taking 100,000 IU daily with Batch's blessing and some additional supplements he recommended), just this week I was able to decrease my prescription medicine by 1/3. I never even dreamed I'd ever be able to do that. The reason I asked about your levels when you tried dialing down the verapamil is that Batch also told me earlier on that I was at a sufficiently high level to come off my Rx. I tried and it was *real* bad. I mean: REAL BAD. But three weeks later when my levels were much higher, I tried it again and that time I was able to cut the Rx by a third (as above) and still sustain my improvements without feeling any worse. It's been almost a week on the lower Rx dose and so far so good! So I wonder if like me, you were actually told to cut your Rx too soon. I'm willing to get my D levels up to 300 if I need to, because my condition is extraordinarily refractory. At my last lab test, which was about three weeks ago, I was already well past 150. Your mileage may vary (some things that work for other people on this forum and others don't work at all for me) but I wonder if you could get your Vitamin D levels up that high and then be able to dial back the verapamil without adverse results?

Hello everybody! Well, it's been a few years since I've been in here, but there is one guaranteed thing in my life: The BEAST! 37-plus years of this torturous dance and counting. Been learning more about my past and have a theory. I was severely and repeatedly abused and traumatized when I was very young, and highly suspect that the raised cortisol levels had either shrunk or deformed my hypothalamus. The silver lining is that I have a hunger for knowledge to finally join the fight in better figuring out the beast, so all other cluster headaches sufferers (survivors) live a 100% pain-free life. Joining this group 10 years ago was absolutely life changing for me, and I will always value that highly.