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Can alcohol prolong a cycle?


DreamerOfDreams
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Have an argument with my wife and need some data if possible. Anecdote if not.

Background:

I am finishing a long cycle for me (6mo) which was particularly hard. Started the cycle by busting for the first time. It seemed to work for two months then the beast strolled in and he was pissed off. Then on Verapamil and O2 and finally am off verapamil (last week) and have been pain free for 4 weeks with only one shadow.

My question to y'all:

As alcohol is a trigger I often test that my cycle is really done by having a nice glass of wine or two. No headache, wait three years or so for my next cycle. My wife is worried that alcohol could prolong my cycle and wants me to wait (esp until after a big family event late October). Does anyone have any evidence or anecdote of alcohol causing longer cycles vs triggering a headache during an attack??

Any thoughts much appreciated. I don't care about the alcohol so much as it's a marker that I don't have to fear the beast anymore. I so desperately want to box away that fear until next cycle. But I respect my wife's worries and desire that I not unnecessarily prolong this particular nightmare.

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I have had a similar experience.  Very long cycle this time for me this time (worst ever) finally killed it (or it ran its course).  Like you I was fearful of triggering another round but after a month without a hit I gave it a wine test and no hit.  Historically I never found alcohol to trigger a cycle but a random hit has occurred.  This last cycle was so long I have no idea when to expect the next cycle.  Going to bust every 3 months cause I'm not sure I could survive another session like the last one...getting too old.

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  • 3 weeks later...

stay clear of it if you can,its frustrating thinking of upcoming events when you know the beats could appear! 

just the very thought of it coming to get you is enough,but i would suggest that you take medicine a week

before any event,i personally do that using mm or lsd,!

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I'm very squeamish when it comes to alcohol these days. During an active cycle it's a guaranteed ferocious attack, and as others have mentioned, I have gotten hit hard a few times by alcohol outside of an active cycle. I too get nervous about triggers and extending/reactivating a cluster if one seems to be winding down. As Pebbles mentioned, "the beast is strange." Pebbles does ok with beer, but it's even worse than wine for me--different people, different reactions. It's October now--would be interesting to know how it went...

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Hello,

For me no hard alcohol. I take 3 or 4 shots and a cluster starts. I can drink beer (not during a cluster of course ). And I use it as a test to see is the cluster is really over. And can start lowering my verapamil regement. I've also had one triggered by lager or stout. I'm about 6 years in and it's taken a long time to get my triggers mapped out, seems I keep finding new ones.

So beer would not extend my cluster, but hard alcohol would probably start a new one. As always every CH is different.

good luck,

rkeck9999

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Alcohol is the biggest trigger for me. My CH usually start May or June and last for 3 months everyday 1- 6 a day. After I found out about busting tried it and was HA free till next yr. Once they started I busted again and like magic gone again. I figured after about 2 weeks I would be OK and had 1 beer. Kinda felt a burning in my left eye and left nostril. Opened another and drank about 1/2 and bam the beast put this CH in overdrive. Everyday after. Waited 1 week and busted again. Thankfully it worked. Now I stay alcohol free for the 3 months and wait another 2-3 weeks before I drink again

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  • 2 weeks later...

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