CHfather

Wow, wow!

As so many times before, thank you, shocked. This is really interesting, and hopeful, information.

Donnie, Generally (to the extent that "generally" applies to any of this), there's at least one very severe hit, in addition to a shift in the pattern of attacks. And generally, things settle down after a third bust. Really, really hoping it works that way for you. I just looked at Nova Scotia weather, and it looks like maybe you've been having some pretty big swings in temperature and precipitation lately. (Since I don't know what Nova Scotia weather is usually like, I can't say that for sure.) A lot of people here do find that their CH is very sensitive to changes in barometric pressure, so I'm wondering whether that might also have something to do with what you're experiencing.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, one and all. Or, as Jeebs would put it: [/img]

islandguy, I got nuthin' to add, except (a) Maybe consider trying the D3 regimen -- http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1314134804 -- or licorice root: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1298659068; and ( The next time anyone asks me, "Sir, could you please provide an example of that fabled Down East Laconic Understatement?" I will show then your post. Folks here will help in any way they can, so please feel free to ask questions, laconically or otherwise. There is some info about high-flow O2 in the Oxygen document at the "MENU" tab over on the left side of each page.

Glad about the O2, Donnie. I hate to ask this, but do your anxiety meds include Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Pristiq, Cymbalta, Elevil, or Tofranil? These are all considered to be likely to block busting. (The general categories for these are SSRIs and tricyclics.)

Yes, not uncommon, and should definitely get better!' Some people find ginger tea quite effective for the shadows.

Seems like it's not too late to modify the title to “LSD and Psilocybin for Cluster Headaches: Preventing Pain, Saving Lives: My 30,015 Years of Experience.”

It seems like President Obama's recently-proposed BRAIN Initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies)) would be very much in the interest of understanding more about CH mechanisms. Of course there is a danger: http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/425102/april-04-2013/obama-s-brain-initiative

Yes, yes, yes. 35-40 is almost certainly "safe" ("safe" in the sense that it's probably enough but won't cause any psychedelic effects). I'd say that most people, after a tentative first dose, seem to be winding up at 60 as a nice level these days. MoxieGirl's preparation guide is good, and detailed: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1357378289 I would make three comments about it: (1) There has been debate here about whether an electric grinder (coffee grinder, for example) is okay to use. Some insist that it creates heat that harms the LSA; others dismiss that, since the pulse you need to grind them is so short. I think MG's suggestions, of a mortar and pestle or hand-operated pepper grinder or spice grinder, are wisest. (2) You don't need to add the lemon in order to extract the LSA, but some people think it helps with the taste. (3) Some people drink the "slurry"; some don't. I kinda figure why not? It might have some nice LSA in it. You can wash your does down with something other than water, if you want -- something more palate-cleansing, like juice. Most people do their dose near bedtime, since a good night's sleep is often (not always, unfortunately) the first "side-effect" of a dose. Hey Donnie -- Lots of folks here pulling for you, big-time.

Sabina, welcome. Do you have a prescription for oxygen from a doctor? I don't think you can get medical oxygen without it. (If you do have a prescription, usually your doctor will have a provider that he or she prefers to work with.) I guess I could be wrong about both of those statements . . . just my experience. Have you tried energy drinks such as Monster, RedBull, or 5-Hour Energy to abort your attacks? They work quite well for a lot of people, taken as soon as possible when you feel an attack coming on. If they don't abort them, they usually at least reduce the severity. Strong coffee works well for some people, too. Also, this conversation just appeared on another thread here, and since it's still quite chilly in many parts of New York right now, it might help you in the short run: >>>I've aborted attacks with those COLD night air walks and have kept the boots on in order to be able to bolt out the door immediately too, so I know it can be done on occasion. For me, it can work during a ramp up phase of a cycle, before the intensity goes through the roof. I've also successfully deployed the summertime version of this where the nose goes right up to the blasting car air conditioner vent for some deep breathing of the freezing air. <<< This, and a longer note in the post before it about cold nighttime walks, appears here: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1363717423/38#38 There are quite a few other things that people here do that help with their CH (not for everyone, but for some or many). Melatonin taken at night helps some (maybe starting with 6-9 mg.) The "vitamin D3" regimen has been helpful for many as a longer-term preventive. You can read about it here: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1314134804 And many people here use "busting" to treat their CH. You can read an introduction to busting here: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1290127865 The good people here will help you, whatever questions you have.

Thanks. If it has a good new home, that's fine with me. Kind and thoughtful of you to offer it here!

b.g., just checking -- This regulator is for a smaller tank (D or E), right, and not for a larger M tank?

Guessing you must have ordered your seeds from tranceplants?? They've been slow on deliveries a few times now--frustrating! Maybe with the O2, you want to step up to the O2ptimask, specially designed for CH, which most people say makes a big difference: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/khxc/ Hoping for better things soon.

Donnie -- How's the O2 working out for you?

You probably missed the meeting when I was declared Official Carpet-Color Selector, Ron. No second-guessing. (At that same meeting, Dan volunteered to be Official Does-the-Carpet-Match-the-Drapes Inspector, a move that was enthusiastically seconded by Jeebs (see below) and approved by all in attendance.) Wishing Michael great results from the current strategy. We love ya, man. [/img] Bejeeber seconds Hipshot nomination Â

Well, now I see why it's been so slow here the last few days -- everyone has been busy dusting off the red carpet and rolling it out for the return of the great, the one and only, BONKERS! Wonderful to see you here again, Ron, and, if I'm reading you right, are you bearing good good news about Michael?

You could start here: http://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_ylo=2012&q=%22cluster+headache%22&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5Â Note that on the left side you can set the date range. Here's a list of CH-related clinical trials in the US: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=%22cluster+headache%22&Search=Search

 As you wish, of course, and I realize your situation is different. But if one is looking for caffeine, which is what most folks think helps with the attacks (plus taurine, which Coca Cola obviously doesn't have), you're not getting much caffeine from Coca Cola -- about 2.8 mg per ounce in Classic Coke and about 3.8 mg/ounce in Diet Coke, versus about 18 mg/ounce in drip coffee. A 12-ounce Coke Classic has about 34 mg of caffeine; a 12-ounce "cup" of drip coffee has about 215. For the sake of comparison, 12 ounces of standard RedBull has about 120 mg of caffeine and a two-ounce 5-Hour Energy shot has 138 mg. Since most people with CH prefer "energy drinks" to coffee as an abortive, you gotta figure it's something other than the caffeine that makes the difference, since an 8-ounce cup of coffee has considerably more caffeine than an 8-ounce standard RedBull and also more than a 5-Hour Energy shot. I guess that's why taurine is considered an important part of the CH-aborting equation. I don't know whether the taurine connection has been analyzed in some persuasive way. Some people have taken taurine supplements, which they believe to have helped.Â

A lot of people find that the energy drinks don't keep them awake. Can't promise that, unfortunately . . . just sayin'.

Great, Donnie! Two suggestions: (1) Call the O2 provider to confirm that they are going to bring you the right stuff. Many O2 providers have never worked with CH patients and so they make mistakes. Be sure you're getting O2 in a tank (cylinder), not a concentrator. Non-rebreather mask and a regulator that goes at least to 15 litres per minute. You would like to have at least one large tank (an "M" tank) and at least one smaller one (an "E" tank). (2) Be sure they set it up for you and show you how to use it. It's simple, but you don't want to be worrying about whether you're doing it right. As you use it, (1) Cut off (or don't use) the strap on the back. Hold it firmly to your face. (2) There will be two round sets of holes on each side. One (or possibly both) will have a gasket in it that keeps room air out as you breathe in and lets the air out when you exhale. If only one has that gasket, cover the other as you breathe in, so you're getting no room air. Or tape it closed.  See how this goes, but also consider getting an O2ptimask. (3) Don't forget about trying to quickly down an energy drink just before you get on the O2. (4) Hit the O2 at the very first sign of an attack. Best wishes for success with this.

Donnie, you want your doctor to see this article from a prestigious medical journal (Journal of the American Medical Association). At the least, print it out and bring it with you. Even better, in advance, fax it or send a link to the doctor and to any support people there (nurse, physician's assistant, etc.). Often these support people are more of a help than the doctor. http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=185035 If I may, since I wrote the oxygen page that b.g. linked you to, I'd recommend the updated one that's here: http://clusterbusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/OXYGEN-12-2012.pdf Also -- have you tried energy drinks or energy shots for those nighttime hits? Might help. Will help a lot in combination with oxygen.

sledge, you won't learn much about whether mushrooms work for you if you just take 'em without a plan. 1 - 1.5 grams dried (that's 1/10 of the non-dried weight) is the generally recommended dose. They won't help you much, if at all, if you are taking other CH meds -- you have to "detox" from those meds for about five days (maybe a little less for verapamil). And doses less than five days apart generally won't help. Read these files (and the other ones in the "ClusterBuster Files" section that have numbers: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1290127865 http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1319290654 http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1290130731 http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1290128444 You have oxygen? http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1356823258 Tried D3? http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1314134804 Lots of great people here to help you. Lots of success stories. Please read and ask questions.

What Dan (Hipshot) said. Read back over the posts in this thread. You can get seeds from tranceplants in a couple of days, and you can prepare them and take them right away (if you're detoxed). But oxygen should be priority #1. Up above you say "waiting to see a neuro." That might or might not be good enough to get you oxygen. It should be -- all doctors should know about and prescribe O2 to people with CH, but often they don't. Go back to whatever doc is prescribing all these meds with the article about O2 for cluster headaches that's in the oxygen file for which there's a link in a previous post. Educate him/her. Demand. A whole lot of hearts and minds have been opened to you here Donnie. The "big shining star" you asked about has been provided: oxygen, and, if you choose it, busting. Time for you to act.

Pulling this one in here from another thread, also. Maybe that was HBWR seeds, donnie? Most people here don't "trip" at all from 50 or more RC seeds. Maybe a "two-beer buzz" for some people. You can start with a relatively small number (let's say 20) and see what happens -- but the problem is that if you take too small of a dose, you're not sure whether you got enough LSA to start fighting your CH, but you still have to wait 4 or 5 days before your next dose. Donnie -- Do you have oxygen???? Have you tried injectable imitrex???? Energy drinks????