TakinitEZ

I've actually had a hard time finding where to donate.

Ya, let's just keep the forehead the way it is now... I actually just found out my testosterone is low, so going to see an endocrinilogist as soon as I can get an appointment. Will update him on this info. Could be the ticket. -T

OK, read a little more... this is a complex drug, it actually inhibits the uptake of estrogen, thereby increasing testosterone. "Clomid is the anti-estrogen of choice for improving recovery of natural testosterone production after a cycle, improving testosterone production of endurance athletes, and is also effective in reducing risk of gynecomastia during a cycle employing aromatizable steroids. While it has been claimed that Clomid "stimulates" production of LH and therefore of testosterone, in fact ClomidÂ’s activity is achieved not by stimulation of the hypothalamus and pituitary, but by blocking their inhibition by estrogen. Read more from this MESO-Rx article at: http://www.mesomorphosis.com/steroid-profiles/clomid.htm#ixzz16WhOaPZX

Isn't clomiphene a female fertility drug? Would explain the ED issue, and maybe growing moobs (man boobs). "Clomiphene is used to induce ovulation (egg production) in women who do not produce ova (eggs) but wish to become pregnant (infertility). Clomiphene is in a class of medications called ovulatory stimulants. It works similarly to estrogen, a female hormone that causes eggs to develop in the ovaries and be released." -T

Another difference between welder O2 and medical O2 is that with med O2, they flush the tanks before refilling. This eliminates any possible contaminates. My guess is that contaminates with welder O2 are very rarely an issue since the purity of O2 is important to weld quality. If using welder O2, I'd make sure to get it from a reputable dealer. Another difference is the chain of custody for the cylinders. Med O2 cylinders are tracked, welding cylinders aren't. They may have been sitting around a while, possibly open. -T

I'm chronic and I do get "normal" headaches once in a while on the opposite side. They are definitely "different" feeling and I can pick them right off with normal headache meds. It's kind of funny (not funny ha ha) to have both shadow and normal at the same time and feel one just go away. -T

I'm surprised to hear that anyone's doctor is on board, officially. Doctors assume considerable legal, financial, and patient risk when suggesting any medication off standard formulary or off label. Malpractice or malfeasance can be devastating to their career. That's why many won't even talk about it other than to listen. I believe that all docs are genuinely interested in helping the CH patient as best they can, which is clear in their willingness to prescribe all known and clinically tested medicines to their maximum safe dosages. Many may even "look the other way" regarding busting. The fact is, though, that individual doctors don't develop new drugs, pharma does. Doctors are limited to what is available for a particular indication such as CH. Unfortunately, there are no drugs currently available that are specific to CH. That isn't to say that it's not helpful to educate them about alternative methods of achieving relief. They can be very influential in initiating new studies and advising pharma on new opportunities. Kick-backs by pharma, as well as wining and dining, are highly illegal today and can result in a pharma company receiving very heavy fines and potentially having to pull drug from the market. There are both FDA and SEC issues here. In some drug companies, where such things have even slightly come to surface, company-wide corporate integrity programs must be established in conjunction with paying massive fines. As far as pharma's interest in CH, you have to consider their mission. They are public companies that are charged with providing return on investment for the stockholders. They care very much about patient safety, but rarely invest millions or hundreds of millions of stockholder equity to address a market that can't return that investment as profit. CH is .1% of the population, which is a very small market. The drugs we are evaluating here are largely considered class I drugs, which means that the cost of clinical studies would be massive due to safety concerns. If a company did produce such a drug for CH, they would need to recover those costs, which would drive pricing through the roof. It's unlikely insurance companies would assume that cost. It just doesn't appear to be a good business investment. Unfortunately, et the end of the day, that's what it comes down to. I do believe that some companies are beginning to show an interest in CH and many are evaluating existing medicines for this new indication (indication is what they are targeting with the drug). Taking a drug that's proven for safety and efficacy and running a couple of trials to prove efficacy for another indication is a much less costly proposition and makes sense in terms of boosting sales potential for the drug. -T

Your seeds got stopped? What's that about?

Yep, Lithium. Thanks guys.

Been around here for a little while, mostly reading up. I'm going through detox period now and not really having a lot of fun with it! I thought the meds were doing little, but I was wrong! I also have some weird shakes going on...not completely new, but exaggerated. I am also having a little bit of off-side headaches, severe enough to let me know they're there. Hope this ends soon. -T

Ting, I've been reading here for a while, not posting much. When I read posts like this, it's really helpful for me, knowing that others are having similar challenges with everyday life, the holidays, etc. Thanks for your posts. -T

Hey thanks Alleyoop. PM'd Christine for more info.

Ya, I'm with you guys on the Imitrex bit. This drug really was intended for short-term use only, and here we are using it on a long-term basis. I may be using it too often too, which I know isn't good for my ticker. It DOES work though, for me. At least most of the time. -T

isn't fair, yes, I use oxygen and recently picked up the optimask as well (2 of them). The O2 helps me sometimes if I catch it early enough. It doesn't do a thing for my baseline which is nearly always there, hovering between 2-5. I also use Imitrex inj as abortive and it's fairly successful. There's just never enough of it and it does carry some long term use health risks. Dan, I take your words as the voice of experience. That's the kind of feedback I'm looking for. -T

and I'm considering that path, but in the meantime I'm doing a little research. My doc has recommended an occipital nerve stimulator. My chronic ch hasn't responded much to traditional meds over the past year plus, and I've had them all. I'm curious if others have gone the ONS route and what effects you had. To me it's a very last resort, but I want to be as well informed as I can be. -T

Thanks guys. My wife is my supporter and she's great with it. Will ask her to join the board. I may be in pain, but I haven't forgotten that shrooms are illegal! Are RC seeds illegal? -T :-

Lee Ann, Dan, Thanks so much for pointing me in the right direction. There's an awful lot of posts to sift through to get the info. Of course I got the general approach from the various posts, but Dan, you pretty much spelled it out, at least for the mushrooms. I'll dig around a bit more. -T

First, let me say Hello. I'm a chronic CH sufferer now going on 18 months. I've tried nearly every treatment with little success. I came to this site on recommendation from another CH site, but I have to say I don't get it. Everyone seems to post with some secret knowledge about busting that I can't find on the site. What's RC? Where's this busting regimen or recommendation that everyone seems to have knowledge of? -T :-[