happymeal79

Thanks for the input Spiny and bejeeber. So just an update on the Lomerizine. I'm cautiously hopeful that it's actually working. I started on them on Monday night and have slowly gotten better, Last night into the morning I only had a CH that i had to abort with zomig at 11ish pm and then 6:30am. I actually slept through the night. Today I've only had one shadow around 2pm that went away with just a monster energy drink. I was able to hit the gym again yesterday and today, first time in almost 3 weeks. edit* actually having a shadow now as I write this, edit edit* it went away with an energy drink. Things that are keeping me cautious though: I started vitamin D on saturday, but only 10,000iu the first 3 days and 20,000 since, I haven't added in the other supplements in the regiment yet. Maybe it's working...? Is that possible that soon? I also actually started feeling a little better on Monday before I got the Lomerizine, Had a few CHs at night/morning and only shadows (alot but only some were really painful) during the day (but didn't need to abort the the daytime ones except by drinking an energy drink) Also I think a big part may be that I'm taking considerably less zomig. After reading through a lot of threads about what shadows actually are, i kind of did some testing on my own definition of them. I found that I can have a shadow that may stick around a long time but won't rise above a 3 and can usually be aborted with just an energy drink. If it goes up to a 4 then I take the zomig. Before that realization I was taking the zomig at the first sign of a shadow. So I went from taking it 6-10 times a day to around 2. Problem with this assessment is it all happend after I started taking the Lomerizine, so it may actually be a result of taking it that I'm having these smaller less painful headaches that I'm able to deal with without using the zomig. TLDR: the Lomerizine might be working, but there are other variables that could also be at work like vitamin D, naturally coming out of the cycle, or taking less triptans. Anyways, i'll try to keep you all updated. Might be an option for some, since it has less side effects than the verapamil.

So I got back from the neurologist. It's a no go on the O2. They just don't prescribe it for take home use I guess, I asked like 5 times if it was impossible, and i got fuzzy answers... I got 3 options from him: stay on zomig, get imigran injections, or try a preventative called lomerizine. I still have a largish stock of zomig so I didn't choose that. I tried imigran tablets before and they didn't seem to work, so I assume the injection wouldn't either...? anyone know differently? So i'm giving this lomerizine a shot without any real hope of it working.

Thanks for the answer to that question Bejeeber, now I'll push even harder for that O2 when I see the doc on Monday, I just realized I have no idea how to say oxygen in Japanese, i'll have to look that up.

Thanks for the reply and wishes Denny! Yeah i'm getting slammed alright, perhaps he's making up for being late, this is the first summer cycle i've ever had as far as I can remember. Anyways, I was just thinking that since triptans have been known to increase frequency of clusters during a period perhaps they could bring on one that starts a cycle. Long shot but wanted to check if it's happened to anyone else. I'm also hoping those first headaches were actually CH which would mean i'll be getting out of this cycle sooner, but I drank alcohol during that period with no consequence, is that possible?

So about 3 weeks or so ago I woke up with a headache, I didn't think it was a cluster, didn't feel exactly like one although it did originate in my shoulder up my neck on only on the side of my head that clusters happen. Also the pain only reached about a 3 on the cluster scale. I may have just been in denial though. So i took some otc headache meds and went back to sleep. A couple days later I had another one, the otc didn't work so I tried my zomig that I had stockpiled for clusters that I expected back in March/April but never happened. Anyways, it worked. Throughout that week I got maybe 2 or 3 more, but I don't think I was in a cycle because I went out drinking and it didn't trigger a headache. Anyways, 11 days ago I had a definite cluster and am in a bad period where i'm getting 6-10 a day. Does anyone know if taking triptans like zomig can actually initiate a cluster period? Or was that first headache actually part of the cycle? Additional information: I had a bad case of food poisoning for almost a week right before the clusters started so I may have been dehydrated and I was taking all sorts of weird medications.

Thanks for the replies. I wasn't able to make it to the doctor yesterday so I will have to try on Monday. I'm really hoping to get some 02 but I don't know, doctors in Japan are weird... About the seeds, I was really trying to look into the legality of it (not of consumption, just of possession) but came up empty. I'm really paranoid about it because i've been a teacher here for over 5 years now and don't want to lose my job over trying to get medicine... One thing that ups my paranoia is this article: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/06/19/national/crime-legal/strict-drug-laws-put-expats-risk-execs-arrest-shows/#.VcaFDvmqqkp it's about an American Toyota executive that was arrested for having oxycodone sent to her. It was stopped at customs but she was still arrested. It also mentions another person arrested for having ADD medication sent over from the US. I know it's a different thing though, because the medications mentioned in the article are all expressly illegal here in Japan, and as far as the seeds... I'm not sure. One article that does give me hope is this one: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/07/10/national/crime-legal/police-claim-kabukicho-raids-end-open-sale-kiken-drugs-stores-japan/#.VcaEZPmqqkp Although the article is about a crackdown on quasi-legal drugs it mentions that online sales and distribution are still continuing. I really want relief, but I'm still unsure if I can risk it. On other issues, thanks for the other advice, I stocked up on energy drinks, I'm trying to order some melatonin, and I'll give sleeping sitting up a try. I really should keep a food log, I've known alcohol to be a trigger for years now. Nothing else seems to trigger it outright, but perhaps they increase the severity of attacks. On that note I had a really bad bout last night, 3-4 hours, zomig was ineffective. I'm wondering if the vitamin D i took during the day had anything to do with it. I bought some yesterday and only took 10,000iu to test it. Also another big question I have is, could the zomig be extending the CH period and causing me to have more attacks? It might be my imagination but I think my periods have been longer since being prescribed it. Also this current period is hitting me hard! probably close to 10 attacks a day. Which brings me to another important question I have, I've been going over the daily recommended amount of zomig (10mg), not by too much I don't think, I have 2.5mg tabs that I take half at a time, but when I have bad ones I take the other half 45 minutes in. I think I'm taking anywhere from 10-15mg a day. Should I be concerned about side effects? Thanks again for all the help.

Hi all, I wanted to thank you all for the mental support I received from finding this site and knowing there were others out there that know what I go through. I found this site 2 years ago during a cluster period and am only getting around to posting now. I'm a 36 year old male. I've had episodic CH for over ten years now. Well that is as far as I can remember putting the pieces together that it was happening around once a year and for 4-8 weeks. I do however have a memory of dealing with a really bad cluster in highschool after drinking, and at least one cluster period during college. About 10 years ago I finally got over my fear of doctors and went and had my head looked at, all seemed fine and they said it was a migraine and gave me some ineffective medicine. I dealt with it on my own from then, just waiting each headache out, pacing, rocking, you know the deal... In 2010 I moved from Washington DC to Japan. That spring I had another cluster period and decided to go to the doctor again with the new information I had been piecing together, about how it happened yearly for about a month or two. The doctor told me it might be something called cluster headaches. I had never heard of it and he gave me some more ineffective medicine so I didn't believe him. I wasn't til the next cluster period the following year that I saw another doctor that said the same thing, this time I got some zomig and it actually worked in aborting the headaches (4 out of 5 times). I was over the moon with joy at finding something that actually worked, but it took a while to kick in. (actually I have been crushing and snorting them and it cuts about 10 minutes off the waiting time usually) Anyways I was ok with just that for a while, and during a cluster period in 2013 i found this site and found emotional relief from it. Now it is 2015, I thought I was safe for the year when May rolled around and a cluster period didn't start. (as far as I can remember, it's always started either in fall or spring) But just last week it started and boy is it bad. I've had 6-10 attacks a day, and my zomig doesn't seem as effective anymore. (usually it kicks in between 20-30 minutes, but I've had quite a few this week that have lasted over an hour). This is my first summer attack that I can remember, and it doesn't seem to be following the usual rules i've become accustomed to, such as mostly happening at night and being generally "safe" between around 10am-5pm. I just wanted some advice from you guys on what I can do from here. It's really hard in Japan, it doesn't seem like many doctors know anything about CH, I haven't once been offered oxygen or anything beyond an abortive. I'm going to another doctor today to see if I can get oxygen but I'm not sure how it will go. I read about the melatonin and looked for it but it wasn't carried at the two drugstores I checked out. I wanted more information on the D3 regimen but the links posted here don't seem to take me anywhere. I was trying to look into the legality of having seeds sent to Japan but am not finding any information on it, I don't want to get into any trouble and get deported back to the US. Any advice? Also a request for newbies like me: I did lot of reading to try to get caught up on the valuable information from this site but it's a bit difficult. I think I'm okay now, but I think it would be helpful for others if someone would be gracious enough to start a thread with definitions for the various CH related shorthand and abbreviations used, and also a list of treatment and possible home treatment options with information and instructional links that work all in one place. *edit* nevermind, i didn't realize more forum topics were opened up after logging in, seems all the information is right there stickied Thanks to you all, wishing you a pf year.