Detox

[KarenD]

So yesterday I started my "detox" from the three drugs I have been using for years to try to get ready to "bust".  Does anyone have suggestions as to how to deal with the CH without blowing my head off?  And, is there anything more I should be doing ie vitamins, etc.?   Any suggestions would be appreiciated.

karen

[CHfather]

Karen, in response to your previous post, Purple listed a number of things.  I summarized and slightly expanded on some of them (with some further additions here):

>>OXYGEN, if you don't have it, is a MUST.  If it once worked for you but now doesn't, there are many things you can do to get it helping again. Let us know where you're at regarding oxygen (O2).

The energy drinks Purp mentions are taken at the first sign of an attack. For some people "energy shots" are preferred (5 Hour Energy, 6 Hour Power, etc.).  Some people use just strong coffee.  Many people find that melatonin at night (assuming your attacks come at night) reduces severity of attacks. Starting with 6-9 mg, some people work their way up to 20 or even 30 mg.  I am partial to Trader Joe's brand chewable melatonin, which comes in much smaller dosages but is absorbed more effectively than tablets.  (Other places sell them, too.) With those, a person might start with 1 mg.  But that's a personal preference of mine based on very limited experience. <<<

In terms of vitamins, many people eventually get a lot of help from the "vitamin D3" approach, and you probably should try it, but if you've already started your detox it probably won't kick in fast enough to help you in the next few days.  http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1314134804

K'D, you're going to need help from some or all of these things.  It's not likely that one bust will work any miracles, so you're looking out at 10-15 days.  Oxygen is most important, but the other things can also help.

[Purple]

Hang on Karen, we're with you.

If you don't have oxygen... (you should definitely look into that), ice has been for me the best treatment since 1999 when I figured it out (before I found ClusterBusters). I freeze my temple and/or neck untill it's numbed by holding a bag of ice directly where it hurts. Might not be very good to do that but hey, it works (well somewhat... It can abort within 10-15 minutes, but sometimes it doesn't).

Most people here advocate Red Bull or other energy drinks, they do work for me, yes, but I think it's mostly the cafeine in there that does the job (sorry, I don't believe taurine does anything at all, but that's me), so what I do is drink 3-4 strong cups of coffee in a row (instant) and I find it does the same as energy drinks, with no sugar, and for much cheaper (I'm poor). With either one though, they have to be drank quickly.

As for the vitamin D regimen, many if not most members report good results. I didn't carry on though, so I couldn't testify on this one.

I had tried to eat food containing or boosting testosterone and I had found they helped. The only one I remember is oysters (smoked oysters).

Did anyone else give you their opinion on how long the detox should be for you since you were taking lithium? It is recommended that you detox gradually; I was told it can be dangerous to stop any medication cold turquey. So the detox process is actually longer than 5 days. That is 5 days at least without any meds, not counting the days where you decreased the meds. The other 2 meds you were taking... what are they again?