CHfather

Having searched around the site, b'82, you probably have noticed that for most people RC (rivea corymbosa) seeds work very well (in most cases as well as or better than shrooms, in some other cases less so). They are legal (in the US and most other countries) to purchase and possess; preparing and drinking them is unlawful. If you order seeds today you'll have them in time to use as soon as you have "detoxed" from the trex and pred, assuming that you don't take another trex shot (you should detox from trex for about 5 days). Dan is correct that you should also "detox" from the verap, although many people have had success detoxing fewer than 5 days from the verap. You can order seeds from many places. www.tranceplants.net and www.iamshaman.com are two of them. Read this file http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1290128974, and you should also read other files from the ClusterBuster Files section of the board, including "Playing Well Together" and the "Warnings." If you decide to start with seeds, let us know. Moxiegirl's new file is a very sound guide to preparing seeds for consumption: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1357378289/2#2 Now the big thing is the detox period. You don't mention oxygen -- do you have it? It's tough to detox without this abortive. Here's a file about oxygen: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1356823258 There are other things you can do to get relief without using the meds that block busting: energy drinks, for example, and maybe the "Vitamin D3" approach that has helped many people. Ask, and you shall receive (more information).

Nice summary, TO! Mortar and pestle also good for grinding. I think we'd recommend roughly 35 float-tested seeds for a first dose. Some chase them with juice (cranberry, orange) to diminish the taste, some add some lemon or other juice to the soaking liquid. Freezing unused seeds might help extend their life. Cool, dark place, well sealed, is apparently just as good. Shouldn't be kept more than 6 months max seems to be the rule, although some people have had success with ones kept longer. I'm with you -- fresher the better.

http://clusterbusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/OXYGEN-12-2012.pdf Seeds: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1290128974 D3: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1314134804

Thanks, Lt2. Hope you're doing well!

That sounds great on all counts, jb!

Turns out that O2 (15lpm, non-rebreather), according to this study, is good for migraine and other types of bad HAs, too. http://www.docguide.com/efficacy-high-flow-oxygen-therapy-all-types-headache-prospective-randomized-placebo-controlled-trial?tsid=5

Great big [/img] to those thoughts -- and what better way to illustrate that than with this photo of Jeebs from this year's conference in Vegas.

[/img]

What a great story, jhs!! I'm pretty sure most people here would recommend another bust, to be on the safe side.

Welcome, TR. If you type the word truffles into the search bar at the top left of the page, you will be able to find some discussions about what kinds of truffles others have used, in case the mexicana kind are not the best kind to use. If you do that search, you might contact some of the people from Holland whose names you see there by sending them a Private Message (PM). Oscar has been very helpful to many people. Often, "dosing" (using a psychedelic to treat CH) is followed by what we call "slapbacks" or "post-dose hits," in which things get worse before they get better. This is considered a good sign that the psychedelic might be working. It sounds like that might be happening with you. Usually these slapbacks are less severe after the third dose. So maybe you are on a good path even though it doesn't feel that way right now. If you are using immigram injections, or you did use them earlier in this cycle, they might have interfered with the effectiveness of the truffles. It is usually said here that you have to have stopped any triptan, such as immigram, for about five days before taking psychedelics in order for them to be effective. If your oxygen flow rate is 15 litres per minute (lpm) . . . many people find that is not really enough for them. You can trying getting a regulator with a higher flow rate. Many people find that with a 15 lpm regulator, they get much better results if they replace the bag that is attached to the mask with something larger, such as an unscented garbage bag or turkey bag. That allows you to breathe more deeply and more rapidly. Also, many people find that the O2ptimask is a big improvement over the standard non-rebreather mask. You can see that mask here: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/khxc/ Many people find that drinking an "energy drink" (RedBull, Monster, etc.) at the start of an attack helps, and if they combine drinking an energy drink with oxygen, the combination seems to be more effective. Coffee also helps, though for most people not as much. Other people will have other suggestions. Melatonin taken at night helps a lot of people. We are hoping for the best for you!

I've been wondering about that. As I remember it, this was mostly Lieutenant2's inspiration, and he reported some good initial results. But he hasn't posted anything in almost a year, and I keep thinking that if the GABA had continued working for him, he would have let us know. I believe I've seen his handle on the daily list of people who have been at the site within the last 6 months or so, but I don't remember any posts. My own research suggested that GABA supplements don't cross the blood/brain barrier and therefore would likely be ineffective, whereas gabapentin does, but there were some contrary indications.

You'll find some of what you asked for--positive and negative--in this "poll" thread: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1296960364/3 Quite a few people report positive experiences (and non-positive ones) in this long thread: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1293084254/0

Can't tell you how great it is just to see a post here with your handle on it, Mystina!! I know I'm not the only one who thinks of you often with affection and admiration. Jerry

I feel pretty certain, like 99 percent, that it's the caffeine too (since caffeine alone works for many people). But, hey, we're learning things all the time here! Wonder whether Jeff did that taurine-only experiment?

The organization OUCH (now defunct, at least in the US) asked people with CH to recommend doctors. Here's the list for NJ: Bloomfield: Dr. Joseph A. Carluccio Edison: Dr. Michael Merkin Edison Neurologic Associates Emerson: Dr. William L. Cantor (ENT) Kearny: Dr. Frederick Weisbrot Somers Point: Dr. Kevin E. Hunter Coastal Physicians & Surgeons Stafford: Dr. Loretta L. Mueller UMDNJ - University Headache Center Summit: Dr. Melvin Paul Vigman Vigman & Pollock Turnersville: Dr. Ramon Manon-Espaillat Neurology & Neurophysiology Associates of NJ

Arrrrgh. That neuro story is so typical. Makes my blood boil. Was it Sewell's study you were involved with (where people sent in seeds they had used to be tested)? This one: http://www.maps.org/research/sewell_2008_aha_lsa_poster.pdf

In short, Avrild, "busting" is using psychedelic drugs to end CH cycles and even prevent recurrence of cycles. The drugs are taken at low levels that induce no psychedelic effects, or generally low levels of psychedelic effects. These drugs have been shown in many studies to work against CH. Some people use psilocybin mushrooms, some use LSD, and many use seeds that are very easily converted to LSA, which is a form of LSD. In most countries, the seeds are legal to buy and possess and are converted to LSA very simply, by grinding them and soaking them in water. Drinking the mixture that results is against the law in most countries. The seeds usually work quite effectively with no psychedelic effects at all, and they are very inexpensive. I would say that most people here would say that if these drugs were legal they would be the #1 prescription (along with oxygen) for CH, since they are effective and they have no side effects for most people. Unlike oxygen, they are not used to treat individual attacks but to end cycles and often prevent cycles. Most people here have been on the types of drugs you are taking (and many others) and have found that they prefer busting. You can read about many aspects of busting in the "ClusterBuster Files" section of this board. You cannot bust while you are using many of the medications you are taking, particularly the triptan. A "detox" from those meds of five days is strongly suggested. Here's the basic file from the ClusterBuster files section: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1290127865 There are many others there that we can refer you to if you are interested in busting. You might also consider the completely legal, relatively inexpensive "vitamin D3" approach that has helped a lot of people reduce the severity of their attacks, end cycles, and perhaps prevent future cycles. You can read about that here: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1314134804 Regarding your O2, a lot depends on how effective it is for you now. Many people find that the bag attached to the mask doesn't fill up fast enough at 15 lpm to allow them to really inhale deeply and frequently. In addition to some other features, the O2ptimask that I have mentioned has a larger reservoir bag. You can also take the reservoir bag off your mask and replace it with an unscented trash bag or turkey bag, which will give you more capacity. The idea is, as I say, to breathe very deeply and somewhat rapidly. Some people even "hyperventilate" to push as much stale air out of their lungs as possible and get in enough pure O2 so that it works faster.

Fingers crossed! Here is the place where you can get this mask: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/khxc/. Many people with CH find that they abort attacks much more quickly and effectively using it. In addition, many find that using higher flow rates than what is typically prescribed also helps get a quicker abort. Guessing that your regulator goes up to 12 or 15 litres per minute; many people now use 25 or more lpm. In many places, one can buy a higher-lpm regulator and attach it to your oxygen tank, but I do remember that in some places in the UK the regulator is built-in to the tank and can't be changed. In that case, there are still some things you can do. Let us know if you are interested--and don't forget about the energy drinks! (Coffee works, too, but for most people not as well as the energy drinks.) For now, we all will hope, with fingers crossed, for success with your procedure today.

Jackie said it all very well, Avrild. Plenty of people here who can help. I have the sense that you are in Europe (since Lustral is called Zoloft in the US)? How is your O2 working for you? Some folks have found that relatively small improvements can make a big difference. One simple thing is to drink an "energy drink" (RedBull, Monster, etc.) just before you start on the O2. For a lot of people, that can make a significant difference in how quickly the O2 works. Other people here have found that the mask that is made specifically for people with CH -- the O2ptimask -- helps them abort much more quickly with O2. There are some other ideas, too, which we can get to if you are interested.

Great big smiles to you, too, RD!!! [/img]

thrilled that you're seeing this progress, heilette!!!!!!!!

I'll second that! :)

As you should!

Like I say, very similar looking: [/img] [/img] You're right, though -- the Starbucks website does not list taurine as an ingredient in either the "energy drink" or the "espresso." In fact, a search of the entire Starbucks website doesn't turn up "taurine" anywhere! However, many older websites do show taurine as an ingredient in the Starbucks "doubleshot energy" drink. (For example, http://voices.yahoo.com/starbucks-doubleshot-energy-drink-review-3730222.html and http://www.energyfiend.com/caffeine-content/starbucks-double) So I'm wondering whether Starbucks has recently changed the ingredients in the "energy drink" to exclude taurine, but maybe there are still a whole lot of cans of the old formulation being sold. Only other thing I can think of is that there's still taurine in it, but they're not saying so, but I assume that would be somehow illegal. The can for the old one, which seems to have included taurine, is different. It looks like this: [/img]

spiny, I think the product that has taurine in it is "Starbucks Doubleshot Energy + Coffee." That's a different thing from "Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso," which I don't think has taurine. The cans look almost exactly the same.