xxx

Hey Lizzy, I realize my next comments may appear to be coming from left field... or outer space... That said, here we go... You're very likely vitamin D3 deficient and that deficiency is contributing to the frequency, intensity and duration of both your cluster and migraine headaches. You don't need to take my word for this condition. All you need to do is call your primary care physician/general practitioner (PCP/GP) and ask for the lab test of your serum 25(OH)D concentration. This is the serum level vitamin D3 metabolite that's used to measure its status. The normal reference range for the 25(OH)D lab test is 30 to 100 ng/mL (75 to 250 nmol/L). Print out a copy of the anti-inflammatory regimen CH preventative treatment protocol from the following VitaminDWiki link and take it along to discuss when you ask for the 25(OH)D lab test. The anti-inflammatory regimen consists of 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3, 1000 mg/day Omega-3 fish oil, 400 mg/day magnesium and a good adult 50+ Mature Multi. Most of these CHers started this regimen with a vitamin D3 loading schedule of 50,000 IU/day vitamin D3 for 12 days. I've been running an online survey of CHers taking this regimen to prevent their CH since December of 2011. As of January of this year, 257 CHers have completed and submitted this survey. It's important to note that the mean baseline 25(OH)D serum concentration for these 257 CHers, before start of regimen is 23.6 ng/mL. The following chart illustrates the normal distribution of their baseline 25(OH)D lab test data before start of regimen. Again, it's important to note that all these CHers were having active bouts of CH when they had the blood draw for this lab test. The following normal distribution chart illustrates the resulting serum 25(OH)D concentrations after 30 days or more taking this regimen. 80% of these 257 CHers experienced a significant reduction in the frequency, severity and duration of their CH from an average of 3 CH/day down to 3 or 4 CH/week. 50% of the 257 CHers experienced a complete cessation of CH symptoms in the first 30 days after starting this regimen. This isn't a joke and I don't sell anything. I've been providing information outreach on the benefits of taking 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 plus the cofactors as a safe and effective method of preventing CH since December of 2010. I estimate over 800 CHers have started this regimen since then. If you've any doubts about starting this regimen, click on the following VitaminDwiki link. It will take you to a page at that site that's all about my work with CHers taking this regimen with vitamin D3 and the cofactors. http://is.gd/clustervitd The following link will download a pdf copy of the anti-inflammatory regimen treatment protocol. Readers of the above vitamin D3 web page have downloaded over 10,000 copies of this regimen since January 21, 2017. http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=7708 If you’re still in doubt about starting this regimen, click on the links below to read posts by other CHers who started this regimen. I have hundreds more just like them. http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1291969416/798/#798 http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1393027277/2/#2 http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1291969416/1425/#1425 http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1291969416/1465/#1465 http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1324046404/278/#278 Please feel free to ask questions... Most CHers have them when starting this regimen... I'm here to help. Take care and please keep us posted, V/R, Batch

Hey Javan, I've sent you a message on the anti-inflammatory regimen CH preventative treatment protocol with at least 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 plus the cofactors... Please let me know if you received it. Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey Sunil, We know what you've been going through and the good news is it doesn't need to be that way... I've sent you a message with things to do to control your CH. Take care, hang in there, and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Melanie, Here's the contact data for FlotecO2 FLOTEC Respiratory Products 7625 West New York Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46214-4911 USA Phone: (317) 273-6960 Fax: (317) 273-6979 Order Desk Telephone: (800) 401-1723 To follow up on or to place orders: orderdesk@floteo2.com The InGage 0-60 lpm oxygen regulator is the only one I know of that can deliver oxygen flow rates above 25 liters/minute. An optimum oxygen flow rate for rapid aborts is 40 liters/minute. 60 liters/minute works even faster but even in my prime, I couldn't sustain breathing at that flow rate for more than 10 seconds, after that the back pressure blew out my shirt tail. The part/model # number you want to order follows: Model # DR5103 - 7003 T1 Email or call the order desk and give them this part/model # number and a credit card number as they build to order. Be sure to tell them you're a Cluster Headache sufferer and that I sent you. That won't get me anything or lower your cost... but it will generate a sense of urgency in building the regulator and getting it off to you. Once they have a credit card number and the part number, the whole process starts. I've evaluated nearly every oxygen regulator in the market for a study of the oxygen demand valve method of aborting CH done by Dr. Todd Rozen, MD and the FlotecO2 InGage is the hands-down winner when it comes to performance and reliability. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Melanie, Unless you've a big burly guy handy to move large oxygen cylinders, I would suggest you order the M-size oxygen cylinder as they weigh 70 lb. The home oxygen supplier will deliver and set it in the location of your choice. Better yet, if they have them, order a couple Luxfer M-60 Aluminum oxygen cylinders. They're small enough for you to lug around and carry in your car as they weigh 24 lbs and hold 1700 liters of oxygen. It's about the size of a SCUBA Diving cylinder. The following link provides an image of the Luxfer line of Aluminum cylinders. https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=DPK09POO&id=2016882FBFC28D97794FBC87F9D4EC02E0E033D5&thid=OIP.DPK09POOXI0YmPvvYhHAAgHaFS&mediaurl=http%3a%2f%2fcdn.dotmed.com%2fimages%2flistingpics%2f1214262.jpg&exph=334&expw=468&q=Luxfer+Aluminum+M60&simid=608036976385393860&selectedIndex=2&ajaxhist=0 The M-size oxygen cylinders have a CGA-540 fill fitting that is also used to attach a regulator so your regulator must be CGA-540. As you are looking for performance, I would suggest ordering a 0 to 60 lpm InGage regulator from FlotecO2. I've sent FlotecO2 an email for all the details as they build these regulators to order. I'll send you their reply. They run around $175 - $185. I've had one since 2005 and they're the best oxygen regulator available. They're equipped with a barb fitting for standard oxygen masks and a single DISS fitting should you decide to get an oxygen demand valve in the future. The following photo illustrates my M60 with Flotec InGage 0-60 lpm oxygen regulator equipped with a barb fitting and DISS fitting. This regulator will also work well with the larger M-Size 3995 liter oxygen cylinder. The regulator is called InGage as the pressure gauge is internal and viewed through a mall window next to the CGA-540 attach fitting. The other window opposite the green barb fitting indicates the flow rate selected. . As a side note, I buy welder's O2 in an M-size cylinder and have a fill fitting to refill my M60. I also do welding/brazing... An M60 costs $160. If you're interested, I have part numbers for everything you'll need if you decide to go the Welder's O2 route. Take care, V/R, Batch

Take care my friend. My prayers are with you and your wife. Please let us know if you need any assistance. V/R, Batch

Hey Vanessa, I've sent you a PM with information about the anti-inflammatory regimen CH preventative treatment protocol. For a read-ahead, download a copy of this vitamin D3 treatment protocol at the following VitaminDWiki web site. http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=7708 This treatment protocol works very effectively to prevent CH with no side effects or adverse events. Over 700 CHers have started this treatment protocol since December of 2010. Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey Lily, I've sent you some information on the anti-inflammatory regimen with vitamin D3 and the cofactors as a method of preventing your migraine headaches. Several migraineurs have also reported that they've successfully aborted their migraine headaches with oxygen therapy at oxygen flow rates that support hyperventilation (15 to 25 liters/minute) or another method I've developed that calls for hyperventilating with room air at forced vital capacity tidal volumes for 30 seconds followed by inhaling a lungful of 100% oxygen and holding it for 30 seconds. You keep repeating this sequence until the headache pain is gone. That usually takes an average of 7 minutes... That's clearly a lot better than 3 to 5 days of migraine headaches. Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey Ms Adequate, Starting the anti-inflammatory regimen with the 12-Day accelerated vitamin D3 loading schedule is the fastest way to a migraine and cluster free headache status. I've recently started taking Bio-Tech's 50,000 IU water soluble vitamin D3. It's great! I'm still battling allergic reactions so I can go roughly 72 hours between 50,000 IU Bio-Tech doses for an average of 16,700 IU/day. I order the above offer from Amazon at the following link. This is the least expensive form of vitamin D3 you can buy. You can do the accelerated vitamin D3 loading schedule with these at 1 capsule a day (50,000 IU/day) then once completed, take one capsule every three days for a week then one capsule every 5 days for an average daily dose of 10,000 IU/day for less than 5 cents a day for the vitamin D3. https://www.amazon.com/Bio-Tech-D3-50-50-000-200/dp/B00IAQUJH0/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1532201440&sr=8-4&keywords=vitamin+d3+50+biotech Why do doctors want to treat improperly diagnosed CHers with medications for a sinus infection? Simple. They don't know any better. They've been taught in Med School that a pharmacological solution is the best way to treat most medical problems. As Big Pharma gives large financial grants to nearly every medical school along with the results of RCTs of the pharmaceuticals they fund... what else would you expect? Follow the cluster headache treatment protocol at the following link and substitute the Bio-Tech vitamin D3 50,000 IU capsules and you'll be amazed how fast the CH beast runs away leaving you CH pain free. http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=7708 Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

FlWater, Saddly, there are too many CHers who were looking for relief from the terrible pain that submitted to surgical options and/or removal of teeth only to find the pain was not caused by a bad tooth or sinus infection. It was just cluster headache. The bottom line is try the first line cluster headache interventions before resorting to more invasive treatments. The best advice is see a neurologist or headache specialist with experience treating patients with cluster headache. The standards of care recommended treatments for CH prescribed by the top neurologists and headache specialists familiar and experienced in treating patients with CH include a short prednisone taper, and verapamil as preventatives and oxygen therapy followed by triptans (subcutaneous injections or nasal spray) as cluster headache abortives. If you're prescribed anything else, be sure to ask for the medical evidence on efficacy and safety of the Rx... I'll also add that since December of 2010, the vitamin D3 regimen has been found to be even more effective than verapamil in preventing CH and the terrible pain. Busting with psilocybin mushrooms is also effective for many CHers. There are many experts here who will help you if you go this route. Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey Sharon, Sorry I missed this yesterday. I generally buy most of my supplements at Costco per the photo below. I've recently switched from Nature's Bounty 5,000 IU vitamin D3 to Bio-Tech 50,000 IU water soluble vitamin D3 capsules as this is the least expensive form of vitamin D3 at 23 cents/capsule and it gets into the bloodstream faster than the oil based softgels. As one 50,000 IU Bio-Tech capsule of vitamin D3 is good for 5 days (An average of 10,000 IU/day) the cost per day is less than 5 cents where the Nature's bounty runs around 12 cents/day. The 50,000 IU vitamin D3 capsules come in handy during the 12-Day loading schedule as it beats swallowing 10 of the 5000 iU softgels each day. https://www.amazon.com/Bio-Tech-D3-50-50-000-200/dp/B00IAQUJH0/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1531495610&sr=8-4&keywords=bio+tech+vitamin+d3+50000 I order the Bio-Tech 50 K vitamin D3 and the LEF Super K with advanced K2 Complex from amazon or iherb depending on specials. Hope this helps. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Suzz, Data from the online survey of 257 CHers taking this regimen indicate this regimen is effective for 80% of the CHers who start it with >75% reduction in the frequency of their CH in the first 30 days. 50% of the CHers who start this regimen experience a complete cessation of CH symptom in the first 30 days. I've worked extensively with the 20% who don't respond in the first 30 days. Better than half of them started responding once they started taking Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCL) at 25 mg every four hours throughout the day and increased their vitamin D3 dose up to 15,000 to 25,000 IU/day. I'd also like to point out that this online survey has been running since December of 2011. The results are consistent year over year. I also have informal data on over 700 CHers who reported their response to this regimen on clusterheadaches.com. that I've collected since December of 2010. As a member of the American Academy of Neurology, I receive reports on studies designed to prevent cluster and migraine headaches. That includes the latest RCTs using monoclonal antibodies to prevent cluster and migraine headaches. I also have access to earlier studies on the use of verapamil in preventing CH. None of these studies have a success rate in preventing CH as good as the vitamin D3 regimen. It also works while busting with MM. There's a lot of data from the online survey available in the anti-inflammatory regimen treatment protocol at the following link: http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=7708 Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey CoryAnn, Has your guy started back up on the anti-inflammatory regimen to control his CH? Vitamin D3 and the rest of this regimen and in particular the Omega-3 fish oil, magnesium and vitamin K2 help normalize blood clotting factors. You can download the latest version of the anti-inflammatory regimen at the following VitaminDWiki link: http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=7708 Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey MG, My all time favorite for cluster headaches comes from a group called Edgewater, Album, South of Sideways, and the 2003 cut called "Eyes Wide Shut." Listen to it and recall the last Kip-10... Take care and hugs, V/R, Batch

Hey MG, Gabapentin (Neuronitn) comes with side effects ranging from a 3 martini high to downright nasty psychotic moods depending on the dose. I tried it for two weeks then burned the bottle... It wasn't worth it. Migraineurs respond favorably to the anti-inflammatory regimen, but at higher vitamin D3 doses and higher 25(OH)D serum concentrations (15,000 to 35,000 IU/day vitamin D3 and a 25(OH)D serum concentration between 100 ng/mL and 140 ng/mL). You'll need to double the magnesium dose so split it 400 mg AM and 400 mg PM to avoid osmotic diarrhea. Taking a good vitamin B complex a day is also essential. Be sure to work with your PCP on vitamin D3 doses this high as you'll need labs for serum 25(OH)D, calcium and PTH monthly until you reach a stable vitamin D3 maintenance dose. As long as your serum calcium remains within its normal reference range and your PTH is at or near the low end of its normal reference range, there's no vitamin D3 intoxication/toxicity so your 25(OH)D serum concentration doesen't really matter. For reference, I've run my 25(OH)D serum concentration up between 188 and 200 ng/mL. My serum calcium remained within its normal reference range and my PTH was at the low end of its normal reference range so my PCP went along with doses this high. There are additional supplements required to help prevent migraine. They include 1000 mg/day Co-enzyme Q-10 (CoQ10), 1000 - 2000 mg/day Turmeric (Curcumin), Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCL) at 25 mg every four hours throughout the day and at bedtime, or if you need to drive during the day, take 50 mg when home for the day and 50 mg at bedtime. Taking 1000 mg vitamin C every 4 hours during the day along with the Diphenhydramine is also helpful. It shouldn't come as a surprise, but oxygen therapy with hyperventilation can be effective in aborting a migraine headaches. Find my post on the "Redneck Oxygen Breathing System" as it explains hyperventilating at forced vital capacity tidal volumes for 30 seconds with room air followed by inhaling a lungful of 100% oxygen and holding it for 30 seconds. Keep repeating this sequence until the headache pain is gone. Where CH aborts with this method of oxygen therapy require an average of 7 minutes... migraine aborts average 10 to 15 minutes. Be sure to start this method of oxygen therapy by drinking a big glass of ice water with lots of ice cubes. (I've found doing this works as well as slamming a can of Red Bull and it's a lot less expensive.) Drinking a minimum of 2.5 liters of water a day is also a must. Diet is also an essential consideration for migraineurs. No sugars of any kind including soft drinks and fruit juices. No wheat products, bread, pasta, pizza or grain oils. Good fats/oils include organic butter, olive oil, avocado oil and my favorite, extra virgin coconut oil. You can eat lots of NON GMO organic green and yellow veggies, onions, mushrooms, fresh ginger and one serving of fresh fruit a day (Blueberries, blackberries and dark red grapes are an excellent choice). Eat organic free range meats, poultry and eggs. Try to eat a serving a week of wild caught fish, clams or oysters. Avoid shrimp and prawns as most are farmed so contain large quantities of antibiotics. My wife was a 20 year episodic migraineur until she started the anti-inflammatory regimen at 15,000 IU/day vitamin D3 in December of 2010. She hasn't had a single migraine since. I don't put out much info on taking the anti-inflammatory regimen with vitamin D3 to prevent migraines. I made a few posts about the results of my study doing this on Facebook... My access to Facebook was denied within 24 hours... I haven't been back since... Big Pharma sponsors at Facebook don't like info like this on vitamin D3 preventing migraines getting out after they've spent $400 to $600 million to develop and test monoclonal antibodies as migraine preventatives... but that's another story and much longer post. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

The anti-inflammatory regimen CH preventative treatment protocol costs roughly 50 cents a day... Over 800 CHers have started this regimen since December of 2010. 80% of them are loving life again with a significant reduction in CH frequency (>75%) and 50% experience a complete cessation of CH symptoms all in the first 30 days. You can download a copy of this treatment protocol with a complete list of supplements and the "how to" at the following VitaminDWiki link: http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=7708 Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Clomephine Citrate has some nasty side effects. One of the most effective and safest methods of preventing CH involves taking the anti-inflammatory regimen with 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 and the vitamin D3 cofactors. You can download a copy of this regimen and treatment protocol from the following VitaminDWiki link http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=7708 Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

With over 22 years of personal experience with CH and nearly 8 years working with the anti-inflammatory regimen and over 800 CHers taking it, I'm of the opinion that cluster headache is enabled by a vitamin D3 deficiency and that taking at least 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 plus the cofactors is a very effective CH preventative. 80% of CHers who start the anti-inflammatory regimen experience >75% reduction in CH frequency in the first 30 days, some as soon as 12 hours. 50% of the CHers who start this regimen experience a complete cessation of CH symptoms in the first 30 days. The 20% who don't respond initially usually have another condition that prevents this regimen from working effectively. An allergy if the single largest culprit in this case. That takes a first-generation antihistamine like Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCL) at 25 mg every four hours and again at bed time to work effectively. One of the best methods of oxygen therapy as a CH abortive involves hyperventilating with room air at forced vital capacity tidal volumes for 30 seconds followed by inhaling a lungful of oxygen and holding it for 30 seconds then repeat the entire sequence until the CH pain is completely gone. The average is 7 complete cycles but it can go as high as 12 to 15 cycles at higher pain levels. As a lungful of oxygen averages 3 to 4 liters, the average CH abort with this method of oxygen therapy consumes 21 to 28 liters of oxygen. If you used a conventional oxygen regulator set at 15 liters/minute you'd consume roughly 250 to 300 liters of oxygen per CH abort. The breathing technique for this method of oxygen therapy involves standing with jaw dropped like saying the word "Haw." This gives the diaphragm full range of motion and free flow of air through the mouth and that enables better lung ventilation. Exhale rapidly until it feels like there's no breath left to exhale then do an abdominal crunch like doing situps and hold the crunch until the exhaled breath makes a wheezing sound for a second then inhale rapidly and repeat 10 times (roughly 30 seconds). On the 10th exhalation, hold the squeeze and abdominal crunch for 2 to 3 seconds. This will squeeze out an additional half to full liter of breath then inhale the oxygen fully. What this does is pump CO2 from your system faster than it's generated through normal metabolism. This elevates arterial pH and making it more alkaline as pushes your system into respiratory alkalosis. Remember the movie The Andromeda Strain? Increasing arterial pH also enables blood hemoglobin to attract and hold more oxygen molecules. The combination of elevated arterial pH, lower CO2 and hyperoxia helps abort the average cluster headache effectively and rapidly. Do you have a copy of the anti-inflammatory regimen CH preventative treatment protocol? If not, CHFather should be able to point out a copy here at Clusterbusters. You can also download a copy at VitaminDWiki at the following link: http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=7708 Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Pwrnapper, I don't think Aimovig (erenumab) has been approved by the FDA for cluster headache unless you're a participant in one of the studies. Have you tried the vitamin D3 regimen at the following link? http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=7708 Near as I can figure, over 800 CHers have started this regimen and the efficacy is not that shabby. 80% of CHers who start this regimen experience ≥70% reduction in the frequency of their CH. 50% of the CHers who start this regimen experience a complete cessation of CH symptoms... all in the first 30 days. Some in the first week or less. Download the treatment protocol at the above link. It contains the latest published results. Take care, V/R, Batch

Hmmm... Lots of good questions so I'll start with the vitamin D3 cofactors... In simple terms, more CHers respond to this regimen if they take all the cofactors than CHers who take only vitamin D3. That some CHers experience a cessation of CH symptoms taking only vitamin D3 likely indicates they're likely eating a diet very rich in the needed vitamin D3 cofactors. To give you an idea of how much dietary sources of magnesium you would need to eat a day in order to satisfy the 400 mg/day requirement for magnesium, you would need to eat: 3/4 pound of dark chocolate or 13 ears of corn or 4 cups of broccoli or 8 cups of peas or 5 cups of Tofu or a cup and a half of Cashews or 13 bananas or 3 cups of black beans... (that could be dangerous) and the list goes on... My SWAG (Sophisticated Wild-Ass Guess) is it will be a lot easier and cheaper to take a 400 mg capsule of magnesium for 11 cents a day than go through the gastrointestinal stress... and expense of eating enough dietary sources of magnesium each day... What we've learned over the last 7 years about this regimen is Magnesium is a must as it is consumed rapidly in the enzymatic process that hydroxylates vitamin D3 to 35(OH)D and on to 1,25(OH)2D3 the genetically active metabolite. Without magnesium supplements, taking 10,000 IU/day or more vitamin D3 will deplete the body's magnesium reserves rapidly (a couple days) and this results in a magnesium - calcium imbalance. As muscle contraction requires calcium and muscle relaxation requires magnesium, a magnesium deficiency will result in muscle cramps. Finger and leg cramps are annoying at best... however when cardiac muscle starts cramping or not relaxing properly, THAT will get your attention with a fluttering feeling in your chest. Solution... take at least 400 mg/day magnesium. The other indication of insufficient magnesium is when CHers take only vitamin D3 they tend to have a favorable response or a pain free response within the first week... They enjoy 2 to 3 days of CH pain free bliss then the CH beast starts jumping ugly again... Why? Vitamin D3 has consumed available magnesium leaving none to support further vitamin D3 hydroxylation. Regarding the rest of the vitamin D3 cofactors... My research and that of experts in vitamin D3 therapy indicate each of the remaining cofactors plays a role in both the D3 pharmacokinetics (What the body does to vitamin D3) and vitamin D3 pharmacodynamics (What vitamin D3 does to the body). As CHers, we need to take this regimen daily as a way of life. Accordingly, I've tried to select the supplements with the best bang for the buck. 10,000 IU/day Vitamin D3 (Nature's Bounty) - 12 cents 400 mg/day magnesium (Nature Made) - 11 cents Kirkland 50+ Mature Multi - 4 cents (The Mature Multi contains nearly all the essential vitamin D3 cofactors. It doesn't have enough magnesium and it doesn't have any vitamin K2), Omega-3 Fish Oil (Nature Made) - 8 cents (The Omega-3 fatty acids act as a potent anti-inflammatory and also help in the absorption of vitamin D3). This brings the total cost per day for the anti-inflammatory regimen essential supplements to 36 cents. Adding the LEF Super K with advanced K2 complex (MK4 % MK7) - 20 cents This brings the total cost of basic anti-inflammatory regimen to 55 cents/day. When to take the anti-inflammatory regimen... For starters, its best to take this regimen with the largest meal of the day. There are two good reasons for doing this. 1. Absorption is highest when these supplements are taken with food high in fats. 2. Taking this regimen with food helps avoid GI tract distress. As an example, taking magnesium on an empty stomach increases the odds of osmotic diarrhea. It's also best to take all of these supplements at the same time each day. Rational... Vitamin D3 absorption starts when it reaches the small intestine and continues as it travels roughly 12 feet until it reaches the large bowel... roughly 12 hours after oral dose where it reaches maximum serum concentration (Cmax). Vitamin D3 (not 25(OH)D3) has a half-life of roughly 18 hours as a fraction of vitamin D3 it is hydroxylated to 25(OH) vitamin D3 each time serum vitamin D3 passes through the liver. What really counts for us as CHers is the hydroxylation of vitamin D3 at the cellular level in neurons and astrocytes within the trigeminal ganglia. Here it's likely hydroxylated at the same rate... and possibly much faster. As this is the site of the genetic expression that down-regulates the expression of CGRP that helps prevent our CH, and the reduction in CH frequency can be as short as 12 hours... hydroxylation to 1,25(OH)2D3 may be even shorter than 12 hours. Getting back to vitamin D3 pharmacokinetics... 10,000 IU of vitamin D3 = 250 mcg = 0.25 mg... That's not much when you consider nearly every cell in the body needs vitamin D3 and we're trying to get as much as possible into neurons and astrocytes within trigeminal ganglia where it's hydroxylated to 1,25(OH)2D3 to support the genetic expression of peptides that down-regulate the expression of CGRP and in doing so, helps prevent our CH... Hope this helps... Take care, V/R, Batch

The following may help address availability and cost. Approval for episodic cluster headache should be only a few months away. http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/388250-fda-approves-drug-to-combat-migraines The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new medication on Thursday designed to prevent migraines. The drug, called Aimovig, produced by pharmaceutical giants Amgen and Novartis, is intended to be administered through a monthly injection, and would cost patients $6,900 annually, Amgen said. The drug blocks a protein fragment called CGRP, which is believed to play a critical role in migraines, the company said. Amgen said it expects to make the drug available to patients in the U.S. within a week. Aimovig is the first drug designed to treat the severe headaches experienced by millions of Americans. Trials of the medication showed many patients experiencing at least a 50 percent reduction in the number of days they experienced a migraine. The condition can be debilitating for those who suffer from it. It not only causes severe headaches, but is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and aversion to light, and can last for days. "The FDA approval of Aimovig represents a long-awaited and important therapeutic development for patients and their physicians who are in need of additional treatment options for the prevention of migraine," Sean Harper, Amgen's executive vice president of research and development, said in a statement.

Hey Ammo, Good question. Turmeric (Curcumin) is a natural anti-inflammatory and anti-oxydent. It adds additional pressure to down-regulate/suppress the expression of CGRP and that helps prevent CH. When combined with CoQ10, vitamin C and the rest of the anti-inflammatory regimen, it does wonders for the cardiovascular system. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Ammo, Excellent! As you've just finished the loading schedule, your serum 25(OH)D is still climbing. Stay at 10,000 or 15,000 IU/day vitamin D3 as your maintenance dose for at least two weeks to let your 25(OH)D stabilize then see your PCP for lab tests of your serum 25(OH)D, calcium and PTH (parathyroid hormone). As long as you're CH pain free or mostly so, your serum calcium is within range and your PTH is in the lower half to third of its normal reference range, you're good to go at the present maintenance dose... and your actual 25(OH)D doesn't really matter... even if it's over 100 ng/mL. The next step is diet... For the next month no sugar or sugary products. I'd even stay away from diet pop and artificial sweeteners. In short, if it's sweet... don't eat it. No wheat or grain products including grain oils like canola, mazola or margarine blends. Good oils include organic butter, olive oil, avocado oil, and my favorite extra virgin coconut oil. No bread, cereal, pasta or pizza. You can eat all the organic NON GMO green and yellow veggies you want. You can also have one serving of fresh fruit/day but no fruit juice unless you buzz your own in a blender as a smoothie. you can eat all the free range organic meats, poultry and eggs you want. A serving of wild caught fish, oysters, muscles or crab is really good for you. Avoid farmed fish and nearly all shrimp & prawns, they're farmed too. You never know what they've been fed and for sure, they're given antibiotics and growth hormones we don't need. Other vitamins and supplements to add are: 4 to 6 grams/day vitamin C, CoQ10, 1000 mg/day turmeric (curcumin) and a baking soda tonic first thing in the morning before breakfast. You make it with a half teaspoon of good old Arm & Hammer Baking soda in 4 ounces of cold water. I take all of the above... Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Ammo, Be sure to take all the cofactors... They're essential. For example if you skip the magnesium, you'll have a CH pain free response as long as there's some magnesium left in your system. Without 400 mg/day magnesium Vitamin D3 will deplete it from your system and the CH beast will start jumping real ugly... Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Bilal, Thanks for the update. Glad to hear you're CH pain free for the most part. Be sure to see your PCP for a lab test of your serum 25(OH)D. This is the essential lab data we need reported in the online survey that makes neurologists look at this regimen as a serious safe and effective preventative and not just a fairy tale. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch