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Hey everyone. Been awhile since i’ve been on here. I hope everyone is well and in good health. The last time i was on here, I made some pretty anxious and depression-ridden topics about how i thought my life was over.. boy was i wrong. I’m posting this to further support the tools and methods that have been written about on these forums.. and to possibly give hope to those that feel lost, as I once did. The last 4 years have been some of the most eye-opening years of my life. I’ve made drastic health conscious decisions that aided in my relatively pain-free years. I’ve tried “busting” and diet changes. Both with great success. I listened to my body and found that a combination of Vitamin D3, magnesium glycinate and omega 3 supplements help keep my headaches at low pain levels or at bay. An (almost) gluten free, no msg or additive, low histamine, anti-inflammatory diet helps maintain that low inflammation in my body. Sleeping with my head slightly elevated and neck supported also helps me keep the blood pressure from building. I also found that getting sick with a cold/flu will immediately bring a cycle on. I assume because of the sudden onset of inflammation in the body. Especially in the face/sinuses. Taking valuable information given by Pete Batcheller, (don’t know his @ at the moment, sorry!) the cycles have been very minimal in times where they should have been grave and unforgiving. I’ve learned to accept the fact that I may have clusters for the rest of my life. I’m 24 years old, and for the first time in the 16 years i’ve had clusters, I’m finally OK with it. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. But it’s important to keep in mind that pain free responses will not happen over night. Not every piece of information helped me. Some worked, some didn’t. Having a strong support system of people helped immensely. I can partially attribute my positive attitude to one of the “busting” methods that we know about. These headaches made me appreciate the little things in life, which in turn, makes life much more beautiful. Music sounds heavenly, sights are awe inspiring, love for those around me increase. I can live my life knowing I have the tools and resources to stop a cycle, should it come back. I also learned that hardships and trying times await each and every one of us, but will never make life not worth living to the absolute best of our abilities. The human spirit is truly indomitable. I extend my love and thoughts to everyone here! I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated as I grow older

Hi everyone, I’m new here and just wanted to say how grateful I am to have found this forum. Like so many of you, I’ve been navigating the challenges of cluster headaches and all the confusion, frustration, and pain that comes with them. I’ve tried a few things, some that helped a little, some that didn’t—but I know I have a lot to learn. More than anything, I’m here to connect with others who get it. Sometimes it’s just good to know you’re not alone in this fight. Looking forward to reading through your stories, learning from your experiences, and hopefully finding some new ideas or inspiration along the way. Wishing relief and strength to everyone out there.

Hi, This is great news. I am so happy for you. I also went through the phase of hopelessness quite to the extreme. However, I found the answers within this wonderful group of souls and I so far have had 6 wonderful pain free years away from this curse. The only adjustment I made to my lifestyle aside from starting the D3 Regimen 6 years ago, was just stopping alcohol completely. I mean I was a social drinker but just stopped it. Now I can't even stand the thought of it. I still smoke since 1995. I haven't made any changes to my diet much, beside eating alot of apples and drinking alot of water. O2 has my back always just incase. So that is a must have readily available always. So goodluck going forward and keep to what works for you. Pain free wishes

Hi The injections have been discontinued in South Africa for some time now. I'm in Durban. However, what I found personally is that those injections, whilst it does abort the attack, it brings on a series of follow up attacks. I would suggest that you read through the vitamin D3 Regimen. Since I had been introduced to this magical treatment by fellow sufferers, it has really working so well for me. It does take some time to start working, however, once you are a month or so in it, it works wonders at giving you years of remission. Well that's what I found. You just have to be patient with beginning and once you in the game, you will be rewarded greatly. It is easy to lose hope whilst beginning. I did. But I gave it my all and I am pain free going on 6 years now. Whilst doing this regimen you will still get attacks at first, however, kill those attacks with O2 and maybe some OTC pain meds for the after pain on that side. Look for the D3 Regimen on this site. You won't go wrong. During these past 6 years, yes "he" did appear once, however I was guided to increase the D3 dosage for a few weeks and it phased off. Always keep O2 on hand. Always. Make sure to check your D3 levels regularly. When I started, mine was sitting at 18. Explained my brutal attacks and frequent cycles. I managed to bring it up over 80 with loading doses of D3 along with the rest of the vitamins within a matter of 6 weeks. I am so glad this is working so well for me. Maybe consider or read up on it. Well wishes. Snowflake

Welcome Eric! So glad you found your way here! There are so many people here that are willing to help, give support and advice on how to deal. Welcome!!!!!

Welcome Eric. You are in the right place. Wishing you a well informed read/research and I hope you find a path of management that suits you well to keep the Beast in its cage. Goodluck

This is unrelated, except that taurine is involved. I post it here only because I just read it tonight, and thought it was fascinating, and taurine gives me the excuse. From What It's Like to be a Bird (great book!): "Chickadees mostly bring caterpillars to their newly hatched nestlings (they can collect over a thousand in a day), but for the first week or so after hatching the adults make special efforts to seek out spiders to feed their young. Spiders provide the nutrient taurine, which is essential for brain development and other functions."

...personal experience for me was 1500 mg taurine minimum to be effective (as energy drink ingredient...never tried as a supplement) best jon

Here's someone talking about a dose of 2000mg taurine to abort attacks. Taurine to stop onset of Cluster Headache - General Board - ClusterBusters It's hard to tell how much taurine is in a 5-Hour Energy shot, but one place lists it as roughly 480mg. An 8-ounce Red Bull is said to have 1000mg of taurine. This is another discussion of taurine: Taurine Supplements - General Board - ClusterBusters If you put taurine into the search bar at the top right of any page, you'll see quite a few entries, of which some might be helpful, although most don't mention specific dosages.