Brew

(Copied from the archive files): PLAYING WELL TOGETHER Every doctor, every pharmacist, will warn about drug interactions...some chemicals simply do not play well with others in the body. Sometimes, one drug will strengthen or change the actions of another, or the two together will cause something else entirely to happen. Sometimes one drug will block the actions of another. The bad news for cluster heads: many medications commonly used to treat clusters will block the effectiveness of tryptamines. In fact, when the clusterbuster treatment doesn’t work, most of the time it is because these drugs are interfering. There are other drugs and substances that make the tryptamines work too well...that is, they enhance the psychedelic side effects of tryptamines, make for some unwanted surprises. Based on the reports of clusterheads and expectations based on research and theory, Clusterbusters made a list of drugs likely to interfere with the treatment. There are other drugs we are not sure will interact with tryptamines, and drugs that might enhance the psychoactive effect of tryptamines. And of course there are drugs and treatment that do play well with the clusterbusters. Experience has shown the clusterbuster treatment works best when drugs that interfere are avoided for long enough to be cleared from the body. We call this period “detox,” short for “detoxification,” though technically, this is not the proper term. Many clusterheads use some of these drugs for other conditions, and should talk with their doctors before stopping or changing any medications; some cluster medications must be withdrawn from slowly with a prescribed schedule so, again, see your doctor first. Dropping cluster meds can be difficult while the attacks keep coming, but there are ways to help you survive during detox (LINK) . Warning! Check with your doc! Do not, by any means change or drop a prescribed medication, whatever it is prescribed for, without consulting your doctor first. SURE BLOCKERS Triptans Perhaps the most common culprits for ClusterBuster failure are the triptans, since they unfortunately are the most popular abortive treatments for cluster attacks. Sumatriptan (Imitrex) can stop an attack quickly, and it’s possible it foils the clusterbuster treatment more often than any other blocker. Other triptans are used less often, and there are fewer experiences, but for the sake of caution, these should also be avoided. Sumatriptan (Imitrex®) Zolmatriptan (Zomig®) Rizatriptan (Maxalt®) Naratriptan (Amerge®) Frovatriptan (Frova®) Almotriptan (Axert®) Eletriptan (Relpax®) Steroids Steroids, the corticosteroids Prednisone and Prednisolone particularly, can be very effective at completely stopping cluster attacks while it is being used. It is also very effective at causing some nasty side effects, and most doctors will prescribe it for clusters only for short periods in decreasing dosages. There are many reports that prednisone will block the clusterbuster treatment. Verapamil Verapamil is a blood-pressure drug often prescribed for the long-term, preventive treatment of clusters. Most reports seem to indicate verapamil will block the clusterbuster treatment, though a few say they successfully used tryptamines while on verapamil, and some reports seem to indicate that it impeded, but didn’t completely block, the treatment. Verapamil is known by the brand names Isoptin, Verelan, Verelan PM, Calan, Bosoptin, and Covera-HS. Anti-convulsants Topamax (topiramate) is another of those drugs developed for some other disease that clusterheads have found useful. Many find its side effects objectionable. There are indications it will block the effectiveness of tryptamines, as will other anti-seizure medications such as Depakote and Tegretol. Ergotamines Including but not limited to:    •    Dihydroergotamine (DHE) (nasal sprays (migranal) and injections)    •    Sansert    •    Cafergot    •    Ergomar The molecules of these substances are very similar in shape to the tryptamines, and this means they fill the same neuroreceptors as tryptamines (LINK), and interfere with the clusterbuster method. They can have some very serious side effects as well. They are powerful vasoconstrictors, and can cause bad circulation problems, particularly in the fingers and toes. Opiates Opiates usually have little to no effect on clusters for most, but a few say the stuff works for them, and it is too-often prescribed by doctors in desperation or under the faulty assumption that such powerful pain killers must automatically work for painful “headaches.” There are many tales of emergency room doctors who are surprised and aghast when a shot of morphine has no effect on a cluster attack. Other drawbacks - the infamous addiction potential, while sometimes overstated, is real. It results in such medications becoming a target for theft. In any case the opiate and opioid pain killers seem to interfere with the cluster treatment. There are a lot of them in use; an incomplete list: Opium Morphine Heroin Codeine Demerol (pethidine) Percoset (oxycodone) Oxycodone Oxycontin (oxycodone) Hydrocodone Fentanyl Buprenorphine Methadone Tramadol Ultracet Vicodin (hydrocodone) Dilaudid (hydromorphone) Actiq (fentanyl) Duragesic (fentanyl) Suboxone (buprenorphine) Ultram (tramadol) Ultracet (tramadol) SSRIs Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Zoloft Not-so-selective: Effexor, Pristiq, Cymbalta Tricyclics Elevil. Tofranil NON-BLOCKERS There are substances which will probably not interfere with the actions of psilocybin:    •    antibiotics    •    NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as Tylenol (acetaminophen), aspirin, ibuprofen, Vioxx (rofecoxib), etc.    •    antacids and anti-ulcer medications    •    asthma medications    •    insulin    •    caffeine    •    caffeine/taurine energy drinks    •    Tylenol    •    aspirin    •    B-Complex and multi vitamins    •    Diovan (blood pressure)    •    protonix (for acid reflux)    •    Indomethacin    •    meclizine and dimenhydramine (The antinausea agents)       •    Lipitor Warning! Check with your doc! Do not drop a prescribed medication or change its dosage without consulting your doctor first.

Jammin - It's all good. Different strokes, and all that. I certainly respect where you're coming from, and I can tell that you respect where I'm coming from, too. Stated another way, there are many times when I swear to myself I'm going to take a break, but there are always certain folks whose presence keep drawing me back in. Like I said, I'm hooked. (Say it with me, now: I can quit anytime I want) ;D

I can certainly appreciate that. However, I made a HUGE mistake. I started meeting some of the folks here and over at ch.com, and I found I wanted to spend more time with them. Now I'm fuckin' hooked. My absolute best friends in the world are here and over there. What does that say about my social life?

Just a little bit of home. They left the rest here. What a mess.

I haven't yet brought my 19-year-old son into the know about my busting. You know how they can be about just having to tell somebody about stuff like this. But if I do tell him before then, he may come with us.

What important part about fluoride? Whenever I use seeds, I soak them in about 2 oz. of white wine.

See? Just having it around scares the beast away sometimes.

How high does your regulator go?

First off, it's Brew (not drew). Sorry, I knew a real asshat named Drew. Bad subconscious connection. I'm with you 100% on the trip part. Used to love it in my teens. Now I hate it. But I've come to realize that right now there's no way around it, so I try to make the best of it. I become extremely anti-social during the trip, so I make sure my iPod is fully charged and loaded with some great music, and I just ask my wife to leave me alone for a couple of hours. The results are soooooo worth it. Keep your eye on the prize.

Why not bust and put all that other shit away?

Yes - you need to get off the trex for at least 5 days.

It's not that 60 isn't safe - but once you're up around that level and you don't get positive results, it may be time to move to fungus. I've done 60 several times - certainly safe. But when I was still getting hit a week later, I made the move.

Another cheap way to process the seeds is to go to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army store and buy a used pepper mill. Got mine for $2.99. Beats the shit out of grinding manually.

Busting can be a long process. Every 5-7 days. For some it can take months to achieve. It's not a "one and done" proposition. If you were under that impression, you need to do more reading at this site. If your doc won't prescribe O2, get it yourself from a welding supply house. If you're uncomfortable telling them it's for welding, then tell them you use it to keep live bait alive longer.

Absolutely. It is the difference between public perception and insider information.

The difference is that MD and MS kill. CH does not. Hard to garner sympathy for what most people view as an inconvenience.

From the FAQ contained on this very site: Here's the link for everyone's perusal: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?action=downloadfile;file=Frequently_Asked_Questions_Mushrooms.htm When I first started busting, I was still on 240mg verapamil, heading toward zero by my second bust. The point is I got positive results while still on verapamil.

Try this sometime: Before the next time you dose, study a translation of Mozart's Requiem so that you understand what the Latin means when it is sung. Then get a good recording of it and listen to it. Freaked the shit out of me.

I merely meant that I wouldn't insult you by repeating myself. That's all.

Not that I'm advocating the use of verapamil, but any time you make a change in dosage, it can take up to two weeks to determine whether or not it is at a therapeutic level for you. Your doctor's nurse is not nuts. Get the oxygen on your own if your doc won't prescribe it. I've told you this already, and won't say it again.

So, would Scotch drinkers be welcome? I'm more of a 12-year-old cask-strength Macallen guy... I would, however, eat those bleu cheese stuffed olives. Probably a whole jar of them. Get a year's supply of sodium in one sitting.

And my comments were not directed at you, Dan. We're on the same team here.

It's my understanding that BOL is a treatment, not a cure. Cure = one and done. Treatment = ongoing. It's not like we ain't gonna cough it up eventually. I will gladly part with $400 every six months or so to keep this shit at bay without having to trip to do it.

Yeah, just like my main function in life - keep me in the dark and feed me bull$#!+, and I'm happy as a clam. ;D

2010 was a magical year for me. For the first time in a long, long time, the majority of the year was spent pain free. I learned how to effectively bust my cycle and am prepared for the next time I must. The process of busting holds no allure for me. While I do not enjoy losing any control over how my mind processes its surroundings, I have learned to relax and enjoy the ride because I know it is temporary. I have learned, too, that Big Medicine and Big Pharma are Big for a reason. Hundreds of thousands of people depend on these institutions for their livelihood, and making me better runs counter to their interests. It reminds me of a parable that I just made up: When all you have is a shovel, preparing the garden that will feed your family all year can seem like a daunting task. It might even be a never-ending job. But when someone shows you how to use a rototiller, you plow through, get 'er done, and move on to higher pursuits. In the above metaphor, Big Medicine and Big Pharma are the shovel manufacturers, prescription meds being the shovels they produce. The garden is your body - which needs to be worked and reworked until it becomes an hospitable place to sow the seeds of life. Feeding your family is doing the things we all need to do each day to survive. ClusterBusters is the someone who shows you how to use the rototiller, and the spinning blades of the tiller are the alternative meds we use to replace the shovels. I'm sure my metaphor breaks down at some point, like all metaphors do, but I think you see my point. No longer are we stuck turning the earth over one shovel full at time, taking one dose of verapamil or lithium or topomax at a time in an effort to prepare our garden. It seems the shovels we're given (or should I say given the privilege to purchase) are only big enough to allow us to turn the earth over at a predetermined rate so that once we're done, we have to start over right away to keep the earth able to produce. Treadmill style. I, for one, have jumped off the treadmill. I have been able to spend more time doing what I love - working, being a husband and father, maintaining our home, playing the bass, singing, dancing, and most of all, loving the people that mean the most to me - and that includes you, the person reading this. There is no doubt in my mind that the use of psychoactive meds in the treatment of CH is a gift from the gods. It is my sincere wish that all CH sufferers might one day benefit the way I have. Here's to hoping 2011 brings us closer to that goal.