BBillow

I can sometimes prevent a full attack by eating spicy food when I feel my warning. I believe this is an effect of stimulating the ganglia above the palate. Some studies find ganglia stimulation effective in some cases. Like all the treatments, it does not work with everyone. I think people with food triggers may be less inclined to try this.

Yes, but I believe it's related to the relaxing after stress type trigger. I only take baths now during an headache, running scalding water over my head provides some sort of relief. Showers have never triggered a cluster for me.

Dane, I feel terrible for you. I know I have had the thought that if this headache doesn't end I'm gonna have to kill myself but fortunately they always end. The longest I have had was about 2 hours, and that was agonizing. Days on end must be torture. Verapamil worked wonders for me and triptans did at one time. I hope you find something that helps soon.

I'm sure it's filled with MSG, but I am fortunate that I have no known food triggers, all of mine seem to be event related, sleep, relaxing and alcohol. Mine also switched sides. After a 3 year remission, they returned on the opposite side with increased frequency and pain. Also when they returned sumatriptan quit working. It was a miracle drug when I had them on right side, totally ineffective on the left.

Very good topic, for years I couldn't understand why I got a headache 30 minutes after I left work regardless of what time I left, I was blaming the dusty atmosphere until I read Relaxation was a trigger, It was a epiphany! It all made sense. I am very fortunate to have identified most of my triggers and it's a short list. relaxing after stress. daytime naps, baths, and number 1. Alcohol.

I know this sounds silly, but I know us CH sufferers will try anything and this actually works for me. When I start to feel my CH come on I make a tea from the spice packets i get out of the spicy chili ramen noodles and this will stop my headaches exactly like triptan's did when they worked for me. I believe that the spice stimulates the nerve ganglia in much the way that the implant does and at 4 for a dollar instead of the 6 dollars a dose that sumatriptan was costing me it's a win win. I actually hate Ramen noodles but that spice packet has earned a place in my heart.

I used Verapamil to successfully end the worst cluster I have ever had, 4 months with as many as 7 in one day. we started at 180 mg a day and increased dosage in 60 mg increments until they stopped around 480 mg. but the side effects, mainly lethargic and a heart tic made me stop taking it after 2 months. THE GREAT NEWS! My headaches, while still occurring are much less severe, much shorter and much more infrequent. if they were 10's before. they are 1's and 2's now, duration down from 30-90 minutes to less than 10 minutes. Frequency from 3 to 7 a day down to less than once a day, usually nocturnal, about an hour after i go to sleep. It took about a month for all the side effects of the drug to wear off and now I feel like my old self, my energy has returned, I have returned to work and my life is great. I take absolutely no medication now and just deal with these little baby clusters now as a minor annoyance instead of a life altering disability