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For the hits that ramp up quickly and don’t respond quickly I have noticed as others have pointed out that technique plays a huge role. If you’re just getting hit and ramping up rapid shallow breathing is fine. But when the beast is raging it’s important to take big deep breaths and hold them for 5-10sec. Forceful exhale all the way, big deep breath, hold....repeat. That works for me most of the time for the stubborn hits.

Hi @Kprice, FWIW it looks like maybe some similar sumatriptan side effects are listed at mayoclinic: Less common changes in patterns and rhythms of speech confusion dizziness fast, slow, irregular, pounding, or racing heartbeat or pulse trouble breathing Rare lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting severe numbness, especially on one side of the face or body trouble speaking or swallowing twitching weakness of the arms and legs And as @Dallas Denny mentioned, you may wanna revisit preventatives for consideration of something more consistently effective. For many of us that includes busting, as seen at the "New Users - Read Here First" blue bar above^^^^^^

.....^^^^^^^^^this is very good advice....i wish it wasn't so but i've lost count of how many times i've seen that hyperventilation is THE way to use O2. it MAY be the best (probably but not universally)... but it sure as hell aint the ONLY. i personally can't hyperventilate, but thru hard earned experience found that very slow deep in/out was extremely effective. may not get the max O2 in circulation in the minimal time, but it worked...it DID calm me the f down, and eliminated the adrenaline, overheating, agitation, anger, spastic movement, stress hormone reaction that are the hallmarks of a killer hit. mixed in, or after, i progressed to a very similar technique as described by Freud. my fear is the seemingly never ending reports from newer clusterheads that "oxygen doesn't work for me". well....maybe....and maybe it's just a particular technique that doesn't..... and you.need.to.keep.trying the various methods. ....there...rant over (afterall, aint that part of what CB is for?)...this ones a pet peeve...oxygen made all the difference in giving me a life....

First of all, the "pain in my head constantly" may be what we refer to as a "shadow." Clusters are referred to as the Beast. Makes sense, huh? As to your other point, I have to remind myself at bedtime that if I wake up and wonder am I having a cluster attack, I am, and I should get right on the oxygen. The abort is easier. There are some documents on this website under patient resources about how to make the most of your oxygen experience (doesn't that sound romantic!). Also, Four cycles in nine years is, as you point out, lucky. I used to be episodic, one episode a year for 6-12 weeks with headaches only every other night (sleep and alcohol are my triggers). Slowly over 41 years my cluster disease has progressed, and now I'm chronic with 3+ attacks every night year round. Lots of resources here, glad you found us. We are, I think for the most part, people for whom the medical world has not really made a place (although thanks to Clusterbusters and others that's getting better), and we are each our own guinea pig, experimenting to find remedies and prevention that work. All the best!

If you can get off the triptans get some o2 if you haven't already and really look in to th D3 regime its help so many people with CH . I know it's easier said than done with the samitriptan . I was the same it was the only thing I had prescribe by my neurologist. It took the pain away within 5 to 10 mins so I thought it was a God send but when I look back all it did was made my cycles more intense and prolonged the cycle

Hi Tamari, I am also episodic and truley understand the feeling of constant lurking shadows. I have had them since my first attack. At the advise of some pretty awsome people on here I started using ginger, first tried ginger tea but didn't like the taste so I started taking 1,000 mg organic ginger capsules and I have had several clear/no shadow days. Maybe give it a go. Hope you feel better soon.

First of all, it doesn't seem that you have oxygen. That is essential! First priority. Get started on the D3 regimen also, but oxygen is essential. It will stop your attacks and it will reduce your intake of triptans. Too many triptans create big headache problems of their own (medication overuse). Do the bad symptoms you describe always happen with the spray? Ever with the tablet?? It sounds like you're saying that you typically have enough warning (even "several hours") before an attack that you can go through your progression of tablet/spray/injection. Am I reading that right? And are you also saying that you can sometimes/often lay down as you deal with an attack? And I think you are saying that an injection will stop an attack, but not always since sometimes they go on for three hours or more. There are a lot of seemingly unusual situations here. I wonder how much triptan you are taking in (the nasal spray is usually zolmitriptan, not sumatriptan). One thing you can/should do is get less than 6mg with your injections. One way to do that is here: https://clusterbusters.org/forums/topic/2446-extending-imitrex/. Another way is to get a prescription for vials and syringes so you can measure your own doses. For most people, 2mg is enough; practically no one needs more than 3. Many of us here have had physicians brush off symptoms that they don't understand. What you are describing seems serious enough to me that a second opinion seems important. Do you have access to a headache center? They will have seen practically any kind of triptan reaction, I would think, since triptans are prescribed for many "headache" conditions.

Hi Tamari...welcome... ...your best bet is to hit the oxygen at the first sign of a hit. i understand a desire to conserve O2...but in the end it aint worth it! ...some have found an energy drink/caffeine immediately before the O2 makes it more effective...for me sometimes it was all i needed.. ....staying on the oxygen for 5+ mins after a hit abort may help with the shadows. others find that ginger, caffeine, or regular pain relievers like aleve help with shadows (i'm sure you know these meds no help with an regular hit)....for me, nothing ever worked on shadows, i had to learn to just deal with it ....you should experiment with various types of O2 breathing, hyperventilation/slow breathe/breathe and hold...or a combo... all work for different folks. there is no right way.... best jonathan