devonrex

Monster, for me is an energy drink like Rockstar or Red Bull, high in taurine and caffeine, many say it helps (Including me) if you drink it fairly fast at the first sign of a hit. In my case, caffeine is also a carrier for pain meds, helping them work and interact faster. I do not recommend nor are they very widely used for ch, but for me opiods have a limited effect for me, never getting rid of them but if they, with caffeine, 02 can take one down even a point it is a big thing. Some have also referred to the attack as "The Beast" "Monster" but it is likely the references to monster are the energy drink. I choose the monster "zero" no sugar and like 10 calories.

I had joined here, 3 years ago give or take, totally forgotten anything related to that account, but have been what I call low grade chronic for 20 years or so (Low grad in 1-2 a day, at most daily but usually 1 every couple days.) Bad enough of course, as they rarely tended to be anything below a 6. So after the headache clinic I first went to accused me of drug seeking, I stuck with my family doctor, I ended up on topiramate, long story short, kidney stone later after positive reduction in headaches I was taken off topiramate in the worry it would cause more stones, within a couple weeks my ch morphed into a hydra, 4-6 a day, they had always been in and around 2.5 hours long but the gap between would generally run 1.5 hours. For the first year of this I would get a skip day, usually every 5 days, this window slowly closed so last three years, daily attacks from 4-6 a day. Laundry list of meds later, dhe infusion therapy was the only thing that actually did -something- it changed up regular schedules, duration, time between, in essence seemed to stick them in a bag, shake them up and dump them out randomly. I was lucky enough to find a better set of neurologist in the same headache clinic I had left and not come back to, the drug accusing dr having left by then. My lead neurologist now specializes in headache disorders. So, at this point, the ch attacks have somewhat lost their clock like regularity, while nice at first, I now miss being able to try and plan around known factors. Sumitriptan was working at a 1:1 ratio. Lately the efficiency has been dropping off, could be scar tissue from dhe injections 3 a day for a couple months, or just the nature of the beast. So, as of this moment I am refractory chronic ch, 5-7 a day, break between having shrunk the last few days to an hour and under. I also did the vit d regimen with no luck. O2 will not abort but will round off the sharp corners, combined with opiods and monster it will take a 9 to an 8, that to most not familiar with the beast may seem very little but one step is a huge leap. Since it is 9 am, I have not slept since yesterday at 9pm, I apologize for any rambling as my beast is sitting on my shoulder pulling on my eye with a gaff hook as I write. He is being gentle this time. Only a 7.

I know, as chronic, that I have a slight droop to my right eye now, some discolouration around it, pupils are no longer PEARL (Pupils equal and reactive to light) right pupil is no longer equal to left and is slightly sluggish. All it seems 'normal' according to my neurologist. I seem to have slightly above my old normal right sided nasal congestion as well. Directly to what you are experiencing, I have woke after apparently sleeping through low scale clusters with the tail end of the symptoms leaving, ie runny eye, swollen, stuffed up etc. I have not had any precursors such as you have had that were not followed by an attack, though my warning window is abysmally small, 1-2 minutes from droop and sniffles to it ramping up.

I have had chronic, in the clinical sense (no full month free periods) but 4-5 years ago they were once a day tops or as low as 2-3 a week. Still high level ones, so I was tried on Topiramate (Canadian name use) my pharmacist said and I quote "Ahh, the California drug" I was like huh? She said it is kind of an inside joke, because it makes you skinny and stupid. Took several months for the fuzzy brain, no taste, and other side effects mentioned above to really dissipate, but it cut them to about 1-2 a week, nearing the end of summer...4-5 years ago, ended up with a kidney stone. In hindsight part of the problem was topiramate and I see now, I had one of the rare "heartburn" side effects but since heartburn was semi common to me, it never registered. So eating antacids like candy may have attributed to a calcium build up and to a stone. So, to wrap up, I collected said painful, yet less painful than most of the beasts, specimen and next time I saw my primary Dr, she sent it out, took me off topiramate not long after as it was a stone consistent in makeup of those that can be a side effect of topiramate. Now, this is where things went to hell in a handbasket, not long, maybe...2 weeks? They started...5-6 a day, every 1.5 hours, lasting give or take 2.5 hours and rarely anything below a 6. every 5 days or so I would have a skip day, but that faded. I ended at a refractory chronic ch with even a return to topiramate doing nothing (Decided I would rather pass a few kidney stones a month than have the beast) but it did nothing. As of right now 4 years later am sitting at funnily enough a new change, (might be related to dhe) of every hour for the last couple days. So, use with caution, while anecdotal it surprised the hell out of me to read above someone else who had their frequency go out of control once they went off. Final sum up, it worked, worked well, once passed the most annoying of the side effects and if you have a few pounds to lose.....But kidney stones and for me, they went insane once I was off.

Just when you think the 10 you are experiencing is the tenist ten you could ever have, you have a new definition of ten. To the point the 1-10 has become more of a sliding scale, with high, mid and lows to each number.

I tried this about a year ago maybe a bit longer, think it may have cleared some hurdles in Canada faster? In any case, same as a couple of you above, nothing at all, preventative, abortive nothing at all, the best it did was make me look like Billy Idol with a twitchy sneer.

The usuals above. Also since it is not sound sensitive I will blast music as loud as I can stand, try to lose myself in it, helps with the restlessness, moving to the music. Bury my face in my cats side and listen to the purr.