brett66 Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I have been busting since June every seven days. Even though I know I should be doing it every five days do to my work schedule. I am seeing good results but after the fourth dose I noticed the clusters are trying to move to the right side. Has anyone experience side switching? So what I've done is started dosing every five days on the last two doses and noticed a change for the worse. Meaning more frequent attacks. If anybody has any advise it is welcomed...thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bejeeber Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Hi Brett, I have the feeling others may be along with some better ideas regarding how to proceed, but I can tell you that as hard as it is for me to personally imagine, switching sides is not an uncommon phenomenon. I know some CH'ers have been able to up the effectiveness of their busting if it starts flagging by switching to another busting substance - such as switching from vitamin M to Vit L, not that the L is exactly easy for everyone to get. Then there's the D3 regimen, and other miscellaneous ideas such as when Dan's M stopped working for him, he found occipital FACET nerve blocks would.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brett66 Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 Does that mean I should lay off the M for awhile? Or should I start back up on the Verapamil? I've been off of it since the end of April. Been on D3 5000ui per day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoxieGirl Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Hi Brett, A change in cluster patterns is usually a sign that the busting is working, or at least doing something. Yes, they can come faster and harder, but will eventually break. I never know which side of my head the next attack will be on. I get more on the right side than the left, but the left are MUCH more painful. I've had the odd one or two on both sides at the same time and occasionally they'll swap sides during an attack. Or perhaps it is two attacks back-to-back on opposite sides. Hard to tell. The only rule with clusters is that no two people have them the same and just as soon as you figure yours out, it changes. A changing pattern is part and parcel with cluster attacks, even if it takes 10 or 15 years, they will eventually change in some way. I am one of those people who like to chop and change busting meds. After busting regularly with shrooms for months, I'll switch to seeds for awhile, then back again. I've learned that my body quickly adapts to any medicine it is on, so changing often is good. Although people here can give you advice based upon their own experience, and a list of things to try (Oxygen, sumatriptan, energy drinks, coffee, Vitamin D3, etc.), we have all entered a realm where we are our own doctors and chemists, and probably know more than the doctors we go to see about this condition. As such, it's hard to say what will work for you. There are no charts that says if you are this or that gender and this body weight you should take x grams of mushrooms or so many RC Seeds. We know rough ranges that most people find affective, and the ranges where people experience a minimal trip - most people that is. My advice. Try everything. Start with very small doses and work up. Find your comfort level, find what seems to have an impact against the beast and stick with it for a period of time. And most of all, document all attacks and meds taken. It will help you find a pattern that works, and to help know if you are having an impact on the pattern. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHfather Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Or should I start back up on the Verapamil? I've been off of it since the end of April. Been on D3 5000ui per day. I think we're increasingly seeing that verapamil is not the full blocker of busting that it was once thought to be. So (my opinion only here) if you think verap will help you, and your dosage is low or moderate, you might be able to resume it while continuing busting. Not the ideal course, probably, but not crazy if you feel that maybe busting is losing its effectiveness. 5,000IU/day of D3 is probably not enough. I'd suggest stepping up to the recommended 10,000IU -- and you should get a blood test to see what your D level is. Are you doing all elements of the D3 protocol: Omega-3s, acidic juices (lime, etc.), other vitamins? https://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1314134804 (maybe the regimen has been updated over at ch.com since this was posted; this is my latest info). as Jeebs says, you might try switching to a different busting agent. LSD is indeed often hard to find, but LSA/seeds are easy to get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brett66 Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 Thanks for the input everyone! I have had blood work done a few months ago and surprisingly the only thing that came back wrong was I was extremely low in vitamin D. So I will up the dose 15,000iu. The one thing to note is the doctor said to take it after my fattiest meal because it absorbs into fat cells. Ill see what the vitamin D does before going back on Verapamil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.