CHfather

I've also done the mixing, but "we" haven't had a chance to try it out yet. It'll be about a week before that happens. Anyone else trying it, or preparing to try it?

People are still using HBWR. I don't know if this is new in the past 7 years --probably not -- but many use rivea corymbosa (RC) seeds, too. RC is easier to work with, but some say that HBWR might be more potent somehow. Maybe preparation has changed since then(?) -- grinding and soaking in water for an hour or two is all that's needed. The vitamin D3 protocol has helped a lot of folks: https://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1314134804 Some people are very fond of licorice root to abort attacks and break cycles: https://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1298659068 Maybe some better ways to use O2 (higher flow rates, O2ptimask, etc.) -- see the CB Oxygen file under the black and white MENU tab on the left. Energy drinks? Melatonin? I don't really know what's "new" among the things folks are doing. Here's to seven more years!!!!!!!!!!!!

psilocybin is the compound in some mushrooms that makes them psychedelic. the various kinds of mushrooms that have psilocybin in them are called "psilocybin mushrooms." if a person buys spores, they are not buying mushrooms -- they are buying the "seeds" that they need in order to grow mushrooms. in most countries, you can't buy mushrooms because they are illegal. in some places it is legal to buy spores, but it is not legal in most countries to grow mushrooms from the spores.

mjit, assuming that you are asking about spores . . . If you type the word spores into the search box on the top left side of this page, you will see two things: (1) advertisements from online entities that sell spores, and (2) previous posts from people about buying spores. The online site that seems to be most favored here is www.ralphstersspores.com. Of course, I have no idea whether anyone would, or could, ship to Egypt (even though there is of course strong evidence that ancient Egyptians used psilocybin for sacred rituals -- and maybe also just for fun). If you are looking for RC seeds, you could go back to www.tranceplants.net.

"Busting" is ingesting substances with psychedelic properties (certain kinds of mushrooms, or LSD, or seeds containing LSA), usually to prevent future CH attacks (but sometimes to abort individual attacks). Consuming any of these substances is illegal; possessing some of them is illegal. When you ask "how I can get it," that's a problem, since they are illegal (in almost all countries). There is a way, in some countries, to get the seeds that can be made into LSA -- the seeds are legal to buy and to possess, but it is not legal to make them into the substance used to treat cluster headaches. People often find ways to get what they need. These substances are taken roughly every five days. Many people (but not all) try to take the minimum amount that will treat their CH without too much of a "trip." Many find that after a few doses their CH symptoms are reduced or they go into remission and don't have more attacks for some period of time. If you are thinking about doing this -- "busting" -- you should tell us what your specific questions are and they can be answered. There are other strategies that help people with CH. Most important is having oxygen to inhale in order to abort an attack, but there are many, many other things you can do. If you tell us more about how you are now treating your CH, we might have some helpful ideas for you.

Such beautiful people. Thank you.

That's where it counts (I keep telling myself)!

Melatonin's a tricky thing. The reason that it's believed to help people with CH is that melatonin is depleted in the blood of people with CH (and of course it's related to the circadian rhythms that are related to CH). Some studies have shown it to be somewhat effective for people with episodic CH, not so much for people with chronic CH.  Some factors for you in terms of dosage: The quality of melatonin supplements varies greatly in the US, where it can be bought over the counter (without a prescription). European melatonin is considered to have more reliable quality, so you might have better results with less. General (non-CH-related) studies show that younger people need less melatonin as a sleep aid than older people do (natural melatonin levels go down with age). If I guess that you're somewhat younger than spiny, you might have good results with less. (Not that spiny is old. I'm old. The rest of you are all spring chickens to me.) I don't know how melatonin is administered over there where you are--whether it's a tablet that you swallow, or something that you put under your tongue or in your cheek and allow to dissolve, or whether it's in chewable form. My daughter (who is the person in my family with CH) gets very good results for sleep with .5mg (yes, .5mg) of chewable melatonin, which I bought for her after a researcher told me it was by far the most effective form of melatonin. (However, it seems like maybe melatonin is actually a CH trigger for her when she's in cycle. One or two other people with CH have said that it seems to be a trigger for them, too.)

Have we talked at all about busting with rivea corymbpsa (RC) seeds? With RC, you could get a potentially therapeutic dose without any risk at all of any kind of significant trip. Lots of people have successfully used RC to bust a cycle. No one here has ever reported anything more than a mildly "buzzed" feeling, even at what seem like very big doses, and you wouldn't have to even try a big dose. You could start relatively small and work your way up if you wanted to. At the smaller doses that still can be effective, I could practically guarantee you that you would have no trip. (I would absolutely guarantee that based on all we've seen here, but I suppose there's some one-in-a-million chance that you would react differently.) I don't know what RC availability is in the Netherlands, but since in most countries the seeds are legal to buy and legal to possess, it's hard to imagine that law in the Netherlands would be more strict than that.  There's a UK supplier that some people have recommended --www.allsalvia.co.uk -- if you can't buy them more conveniently right where you are. Really -- they're an effective busting agent (more effective than shrooms for some people) with no trip.

 Happy to hear this!! :) :)

Celebrex is an NSAID, and to the best of our knowledge, NSAIDs don't block busting. The usual I-am-not-a-doctor cautions apply.

Abstract: http://www.docguide.com/cluster-headache-age-onset-important-clinical-presentation?tsid=5

What they said.Â

Nice job, didg!! Seller has 100% perfect satisfaction record, too. Hmmmm. I bought one.

Couldn't agree more.

Fabulous -- and with a link to the CB site, too! For a young fella (it's all in your perspective), that guy Bob is pretty articulate. Interesting (from the author) >>I couldnÂ’t find a media outlet at that time [about a year ago] to take the story<<

It's here (you might have to join (free) to read it). http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/781651_1

Echo, you haven't said how the oxygen is working for you now -- any improvement???? Two thoughts about truffles strains: 1, You might PM Oscar, who is from the Netherlands. He has not been at this board lately, so I can't say that you will succeed in reaching him, but he has been very helpful to other folks with CH. Here's his "member" page. You can PM him from there. https://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?action=viewprofile;username=003C2C2E3D4F0 2. Using the search bar at the upper left, you could enter the word truffles and the word strain. There seem to be a number of responses to your question there. Here's one, that seemed potentially right for you because of the character of the experience: >>What i have heard from online vendors in the past is that CH suffers they have had contact with have pointed to the strain called Tampanensis in truffle form. (this is the webshop description) The TAMPANENSIS sclerotia truffle gives visuals and deep thoughts. We love the Tampanensis; it is the most pleasant of all truffles species. I have often busted with a stronger strain like Mckennaii, but Tampanensis gives a more mellow not quite as intense experience and I have found it does the job! <<< That's from here: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1317484551

His state's Department of Human Services, I'm pretty sure. Very relieved to hear that you seem to be out from under this, bub. Hoping that you're doing well -- you deserve it.

  It's my assigned role here to suggest that he's probably not using O2 right. It doesn't work for a very tiny fraction of people who do use it "right," but almost always we find here that people who say it doesn't work for them can get it to work if they use the right strategies. You/he might take a look at the CB oxygen page under the MENU tab on the left side of this page. (Or maybe he's just pretending it doesn't work -- https://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1391061090 )

Yes, there are reports of that. Not to get overinvolved in the details of your romantic life, but many forms of vigorous exercise often quell CH attacks.

Here's a video showing how to assemble the O2ptimask (simple as it is, it stumped me) and suggesting ways to use it. He demonstrates the breathing tube that you can use instead of the mask, and has an important suggestion for using that tube with a high-flow system (block the non-breathing end of the tube as you inhale). Some people like the tube (they feel like they get a better inhale, and it's less "claustrophobic" for them than the mask); others strongly prefer the mask, in part because they find that taking in O2 through the nose is soothing in itself.Â

David, thank you for this. With this level of GammaCore outcome, would you drop it altogether and just use O2, except in situations where oxygen isn't available? I assume you haven't yet tried just using it for only a minute or two and then switching to O2 to see how it affects an O2 abort (making it more like using an energy drink)?

Unfortunately, those licorice sticks are different from the licorice root extract that's used for CH.  When your oxygen starts working right it will make a huge difference. The thing about oxygen is that there are no side effects. With almost every other prescription CH med, there are side effects, often significant ones, and even long-term ones. (With lithium, for example, you should be getting regular blood tests to make sure you're getting enough but not too much -- and some studies have shown that when people with CH stop taking lithium, they sometimes experience severe "rebound headaches.")  That's a reason why busting and D3 are so appealing to many people -- no significant side effects have shown up for either of them. The licorice root you have to be somewhat careful of while you're taking it, because it apparently has some significant effects if you take too much for too long, but over the short run, used properly, it doesn't seem to create any distress. I'm just saying that the more that you can successfully treat your CH with relatively side-effect-free treatments, the happier you're likely to be. There's nothing on your doctor's list that will not have side effects, even pretty major ones.

I see Jeebs got in ahead of me once again! So this is redundant in many (or most places). I wish he would quit doing that! Many people use seeds (rivea corymbosa seeds) that contain a busting agent, but which are not hallucinogenic at the level needed to treat CH. Something to think about. There's plenty of stuff to try! Two things that your doctor probably wouldn't know about but which have helped a lot of people with CH are a "vitamin D3" regimen, and licorice root. You can read about them here: D3: https://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1314134804 Licorice Root: https://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1298659068