CHfather

UncleG, I'd say that things worked out wonderfully well for you last time, but you might have to be more patient this time -- it usually takes several doses to knock out a cycle. Also, as I read it, last time you waited about a week between doses but this time you dosed two nights in a row. The very strong belief here would be that the second dose didn't really help you, because of the phenomenon known as "shutting the door," in which a dose prevents subsequent doses from reaching the right receptors for about five days. So, you have to wait five days to be sure the next dose is going to help you. See http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1290130968 Also . . . are you "detoxed" from all meds that might block busting, including opiates and the "standard" CH meds such as imitrex, verapamil, prednisone, etc? See http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1290130731 I see Jeebs has already addressed this Okay, so in addition to busting, you want to get some other ducks lined up to help you. Drink an energy drink (Monster, Red Bull, etc.) or an energy shot (5 Hour Energy, 6 Hour Power) at the first sign of an attack. Some people say the colder the better. You can go for coffee, too, but most people think the energy drinks are better. GET OXYGEN!. Read about that by clicking on the MENU tab at the left side of this page. Try melatonin at bedtime -- 6-9 mg to start with and work up to see what works. Some folks here take 20-30 mg. Don't eat foods with MSG (monosodium glutamate) in them. Other folks will have other thoughts.

It's very good news that things are improving for you, Tyke. And please keep in mind that oxygen has no side effects, and it doesn't interfere with busting. Verap and the nasal spray do have side effects (eventually, if not immediately), and do interfere with busting (and for many people if not most, they tend to lose effectiveness over time). In this circumstance, you might want to go with conventional meds until your cycle ends, since they seem to be working. Makes sense. But at the least you would want to be prepared for a possible next cycle with O2, and you might want to bust preventively between the end of this cycle and the likely time your next one would begin.

Here's hoping that maybe your hit last night was a slapback. I've admitted here that preparing HBWR got the best of me, so don't overvalue what I'm saying (and I guess these guys must be knowledgeable, since it's their business), but I don't see how soaking ground-up husks, even with the outer layer removed, can be anything but unnecessary at least, and potentially risky in terms of nausea/undesirable chemicals. Especially soaking it all for 24 hours, as the text under the video suggests. There are two other aspects in the text that are at least debatable. Some people say that purified water lacks some chemicals that help with the extraction. And some people recommend against using a coffee grinder because heat harms the LSA. We've discussed that at some length here, and some people say that a quick pulse or two isn't likely to hurt anything; but I don't know how much heat you would generate trying to pulverize these hard husks. It's interesting that in the many comments under the video, there doesn't seem to be anyone saying "Wow, thanks, that really worked." It still seems wiser to me to crack open the husks, scrape out the insides, and grind and soak that. Or use RC.

You're doing great with reading and acting! Here's some info. RC seeds in the UK: http://www.allsalvia.co.uk/cluster_headaches.htm.  Yes--inexpensive and effective. (If your spray is sumatriptan, you might have to stop using it for the seeds (or any hallucinogen) to work.) Vitamin D3 regimen: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1314134804 Yes -- Get that O2. If not from NHS, then another way. Consider ordering this mask, which makes O2 considerably more effective than the standard non-rebreather mask: (European supplier) http://headachemasters.com/product.asp?product=3

You mean Bomba Shack? Here's one thread with it: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1297450426/22

This wonderful! Gorgeous (and the guitar's nice, too)! What a talent.

Same here. How much HBWR did you use?

Thanks! I've updated the "D3 Regimen" file in the ClusterBuster Files section with Batch's new info.

This post from a while back gives the regimen as it was prescribed in 2011. I haven't checked recently for updates, but I'd love it if John (C'man59) or anyone else would let us know if this file needs to be brought up to date. http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1314134804

Hooray for the ice! Like C'man59, I feel very confident that 50,000IU per day for a week won't harm you, especially since your D3 is so low. (I'm hedging that a little because, after all, I'm not a doctor.) Some people get side effects they don't like from D3 (and some people here have said the D3 regimen made their attacks worse), but I don't think there's a general medical danger of going up to 50K IU/day for a week. But it's probably important to do the whole thing except for the calcium, which would include the daily lemonade/limeade, too (I think -- maybe C'man59 will set me straight about that).

Are they somewhere where we can read them?

At least for oxygen and RedBull/energy drinks in general, the answer is definitely yes. But most people seem to be able revitalize the effectiveness of O2 with a better mask, higher flow rate, and different breathing strategies (see p22 here: http://clusterbusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/OXYGEN-12-20122.pdf). And there are energy drinks that are a lot higher in caffeine and taurine than RedBull. Someone was just mentioning a high-octane Monster or Rockstar brand the other day. I think it was Monster Nitrous, which does have twice the caffeine, albeit in a somewhat larger can. Someone else has mentioned Monster Hitman Sniper as a favorite. OMG, is there caffeine in there. There have been some people here, just a few, who have said that HBWR worked for them when RC didn't. It's a little puzzling to me, because the LSA in both of them is the same (I guess some folks disagree with this); my guess tends to be that their RC was weak in some way and the HBWR wasn't. (When I say the LSA is "the same," I mean chemically; obviously, you get more LSA from fewer "seeds" with HBWR, but again, that's because the HBWR isn't a seed but a husk--the seeds are inside.) I had a devil of a time trying to prepare HBWR -- never was sure I was doing it right. But I think what you are describing is the right process, although people have their own wrinkles. Some people here say that if you soak RC (or, I suppose, HBWR) in cold peppermint tea you will get a stronger concoction, LSH instead of LSA. Some people doubt that. Maybe no harm in trying it.

Here's a list of doctors in Louisiana that have been recommended by people with CH: Baton Rouge: Dr. Steven Zuckerman Covington: Dr. Srinivas Ganji Lafayette: Dr.Steven J. Snatic Metairie: Dr. Daniel J. Trahant New Iberia: Dr. Timothy F. Himel If one or two are near you, you might call the office and say you have cluster headaches and want to be treated by someone who understands them.

LEGION, maybe you'd want to share this with your idiot doctor. (Posted just a while ago by MoxieGirl.) http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/cluster-headaches/print.html

Thanks, MG!

Legion, what's your oxygen system like? Are you using a "standard" 15 lpm with a "standard" non-rebreather mask? If so, you'll get much better results with the O2ptimask (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/khxc/) and a higher-flow regulator that permits you to hyperventilate. In the short run, you could try (a) replacing the reservoir bag on your mask with an unscented turkey bag or large garbage bag; and ( tilting your head down (like you're looking toward your feet) while you're on the O2. Some people, including a prominent CH doctor, say that helps. I'm a pretty gentle soul. I had heard people saying they wanted to kill someone and I had always assumed that was a figure of speech. Until I had to deal with my daughter's neurologist. Arrogant, uncaring, stupid monster, that neurologist was. There's something seriously wrong with your doctor, LEGION, prescribing esgic-plus, which might only help because of the caffeine. Has he never heard of the internet? Doesn't he have some kind of prescribing book that would tell him what to prescribe? To me, he's just another monster. We can hope that busting will work for you and you won't need the standard meds, but as Jeebs says, it looks like you would want to get to a headache center ASAP to get those meds, if only for future emergency use.

Start at 9 mg, and add 3 mg up to as much as 18 or 21 mg. I hope it helps.

If you think the verap alone could work, you might know that there are more than a few people here who have busted with success while on verapamil. Not complete success in most cases, but enough to make a difference. So maybe you could start the verap, then bust, and see what happens. I haven't heard the same about success with busting while taking prednisone. Or, as Jeebs says, go with just the verap/pred and ride out this cycle that way. You don't say anything in your first post about preventive busting between cycles; maybe you'll want to start that.

well said, 'mom. it's bad enough to be in the clutches of the unkowing, the incompetent, and the uncaring, as too many people also are.

here's one more: http://www.ratemyink.com/?action=ssp&pid=49691 accompanying text: >>I get cluster headaches and the pain is commonly referred to as the beast. The demon reaching into the skull really represents the pain. I gave my artist an idea and this is the finished product. Johnathan at Body Chemistry in Bluefield WV is my artist. 304-325-2639 <<

unless i'm mistaken, there are four in the first row. if you click on the right-hand one (the new ink), it'll take you to a page where there's at least one more (boxes on top right, second row, second from left).

CHS, several are shown here: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1077&bih=588&q=%22cluster+headache%22+tattoo&oq=%22cluster+headache%22+tattoo&gs_l=img.12...4017.13926.0.15789.33.26.4.3.0.0.127.1874.24j2.26.0...0.0...1ac.1.14.img.zeL5I6GOc4Y

How a doctor can identify cluster headaches and then do so little research as to prescribe oxycodone . . . gosh, it's depressing. Have you read enough yet to know what you want/need to be doing? Such as . . . I hope the fact that your name is legion shouldn't scare us (Biblical joke :D)

A few years ago, Progresso removed the MSG from its soups. I'd still check the labels, but you're probably okay. (The MSG in Progresso chicken soups nearly killed me in 1990. Long story.) Whole Foods doesn't seem to accept anything with MSG, so that's a pretty safe place to shop.

A new poster, Entheogenesis, has mentioned that it's critical for him/her to avoid MSG (monododium glutamate) while in cycle. Several other folks have mentioned this over the years. So I'm thinking maybe it's time to issue this general warning. Might be bad for your CH or might not be, but worth paying attention to. (It's generally bad for you -- and your kids -- anyway, so worth avoiding in my opinion.) MSG is in a whole lot of foods that many people eat regularly -- many soups and broths; flavored chips; a lot of bacon products; many sausages and pepperoni; some fast foods (e.g., some at Taco Bell and KFC) -- as well as in a lot of restaurant foods -- particularly Chinese, but not exclusively. Often a food's label will say "monosodium glutamate," but some other words on food labels also indicate that MSG might be present. They include hydrolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, autolyzed yeast, and protein isolate. I've looked around for a good, straightforward list of foods that contain MSG, but couldn't really find one. This is a pretty good start. http://www.3fatchicks.com/4-foods-commonly-containing-msg/ Jerry