Daniel58 Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 I'm from south Africa and a CH sufferer , I would like to share with you something that helps for my headaches , surely it wont be the same for everyone but this helps me tremendously and stop the headaches in its track . a friend told me about Cayenne Pepper capsules , I started to drink it regularly ( Desperate and will do anything ), 3 capsules a day. Originally it did not keep the headaches at bay and I still had two or 3 attacks per day, in South Africa we get what they call Grandpa headache powder. Grandpa headache powder also did not work in the past. I was on steroids and whatever they could give me. Nothing worked. I again took two grandpas out of desperation and my headache was gone in minutes. Next day I took two grandpa powders again and the same result, Headache gone in minutes. To me it looks like the grandpa headache powder and the capsaicin in the Cayenne pepper together is dong the trick for me. its been two weeks since I had a serious CH. I drink 3 Cheyenne capsules per day and then two Grandpa powders as soon as I feel an CH attack is coming. In minutes the CH is gone and I can carry on with my normal life. I am sure there will be people out there that will not agree with me, but I merely telling you guys what is working for me, Its the first time in years that I don't fear CH and I can actually carry on with my life and work and live a normal life. It took me a while to to write about me experience but after two weeks and in my CH cycle right now, I think it wise to share my experience, Maybe, just maybe it can help someone else. Grandpa tablets does not work, its taking to long to work but the powder is fast acting and kill the headaches before they start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon019 Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Hi Daniel...welcome.. Looked it up.....Grandpa powder = caffeine+aspirin+paracetamol. Caffeine is our friend...the powder gets it there quicker....but careful re longterm use...the aspirin and paracetamol in there can have significant negative side effects... What is the availability of energy drinks in SA? Anything with at least 100 mg caffeine and 1000 mg taurine (caffeine booster among other things) taken quickly and in my case, super cold, will get ya the needed effect (blood vessel constriction) quickly as you crank open the OXYGEN tank. Speaking of OXYGEN....if your CH progresses (likely but let's hope not!) you're gonna want an effective, quick, cheap, safe, medically acknowledged, side effect free, front line BEST abortive. That would be O2! Dunno what your med system is.... but you might wanna start now looking into how to get the right script and the logistics of obtaining. High flow (15 LPM) or a demand valve type, proper non rebreather mask, and proper technique.... has saved the life and/or sanity of many a clusterhead.... In the meantime.... look into the vitamin D3 regimen...also quite effective for a high percentage of clusterheads... Best Jon 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siegfried Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Hi Daniel, Really appreciated you tell us what is working for you ! It's great people do that ! Some methods proposed here are as eccentric as it can be but who cares. Even if a million try it and there is only one patient for who the method works, that is already a huge victory Best Regards ! siegfried 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel58 Posted January 29, 2019 Author Share Posted January 29, 2019 Hi Guys Sieghfried, I know everyone is fighting the beast his own way, and what might work for one, not necessarily works for the other. It was actually by accident that I found this was working for me, I know the Ingredients in Grandpa headache powder looks like it might not agree with what we should not take, like the caffeine, but somehow or another, together with the Cayenne pepper capsules , its really doing the trick for me. I am going into my 3rd week now and have cut the grandpa to one when I need it. my cluster started mid December and it had me in hospital for a week beginning January , At least I can function normally now for the last two weeks. The long term negative affect it might have is not crossing my mind right now, I am just grateful that I have that dreadful headaches under control now by the looks of things. I hope its not going to hit me later and what I thought might work, does not, but so far so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon019 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Yo Daniel, ....no intent to rag on you for what works for you....but I believe in informed decisions and cost:benefit calculations....only you can do that for you... ...one of the soul crushing aspects of CH is that what works today may not work tomorrow...for no discernible reason.....so: …"to ensure peace one must prepare for war"....now...not after Pearl Harbor.... Best Jon PS: to be clear...caffeine is good...and a lot of it at the right time is better...for clusterheads anyway... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiny Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Most excellent quote Jon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel58 Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 Hi Jon There is so much information and suggestions on the net and on various forums , I really don''t know which to believe or not, also lots of conflicting information. I decided to try and go the Herbal way and see if I can find something that might work for me. I got myself some cayenne pepper capsules that contains capsaicin which is known for helping with headaches ,that in itself did not work but it did make it much less painful, I took two grandpa headache powders one day and it immediately gave me relieve , So whatever the combination of the two is doing, it helps me with this awfull headaches . I now started to drink Ginger tea also, Ginger is known to have the same effect as sumatriptan. So I decided to keep my system basically saturated with Cayenne Pepper ( 3 to 4 capsules of 500 mg per day ) and at least 4 big mugs of ginger tea during the day. I still get one attack a day but it is very mild and then I take one of those Grandpa powders and it disappear as fast as it started. I am almost trough my 3rd week without having a serious attack or headache . Like I said before, this might not work for everyone or for nobody at all, but I merely telling what is working for me and like Siegfried said, If it can only help one person out there, then it is a victory. As for caffeine, There is also plenty of different views about that also, you mentioned that it might be good for headaches , My neurologist told me to avoid caffeine because that is one of the triggers. I only have one cup of coffee in the morning and for the rest of the day I am drinking ginger tea. I still think that there is no certain way or remedy for cluster headaches and I also believe what triggers it for one , might not necessarily triggers it for another person. I really think everybody is trying anything to beat this beast on his own way, I decided as a last resort to try the herbal way because of all the long term and negative effects with prescribed medicine . Touch wood it looks like I am on the right track for now, at least for myself. Attached is the information given to me by my neurologist and it clearly says that '' lots '' of caffeine is a trigger, that is why I avoid all energy drinks and only have one cup of coffee in the morning, Like I said before, I don't really know what and who to believe and I just trying to beat this on my own like everybody else . I don't want anybody to do what I do but this is merely my experience that I have with clusters . For now I am staying away from any caffeine except for my one cup in the morning, I drink my Cayenne pepper capsules and ginger tea during the day and one grandpa powder if needed. works for me right now and I am and feel a different person than a month ago. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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