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Pre Episode symptoms: do you have them?


CatCha
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Hi all.

This is my first time posting here.

My partner Dan suffers from cluster headaches. His cycles vary a lot and sometimes they last a few weeks up to a few months.

Recently he started trying alternative methods but he's still trying to figure out doses and amounts - but let's leave this for another time.

My question is if anyone else who has cluster headaches has the same pre symptoms he has...

Right before a new cycle starts, Dan has days when he feels extremely depressed, empty and sometimes enrage. A few days later he has his first episode of the new cycle.

Even now, with his alternative "medication" which subdues the intensity of his episodes, he still has these dark moments.

He only realised there's a correlation between this negative thoughts preceding his cycles maybe a year or two ago, but before that, for the 12 years he's been suffering from cluster headaches, he always had them.

As I haven't read anything about this so far, I was wondering if anyone experienced them before and so, how do you deal with them? These moments with dark thoughts really distress him.

 

Thank you.

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Hi CatCha! Welcome. 

The start of another cycle can be pretty depressing. And the feeling that it is inevitable and beyond your control can tick you off. 

Often the someone has 'shadowing' just prior to a cycle and that brings the coming fight to the forefront of the brain.

For me, I cope with preparation. I take the D3 Regimen year round and have my O2 on hand. May not sound like much, but it provides some peace of mind. That being said, I also realize that I am not at my best for those around me. I sort of require more space? And a lot less stress too please. Dark thoughts are gone since I joined here and learned. Funky thoughts? Yes, still get those. 

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Hi Spiny,

Thank you for your reponse.

I don't dare to say I can imagine what it feels like...

Thank you also for the input on the preparation regime; definitely something I'll be advertising him to check.

In this case however, I mean that his mood changes before any shadows or any other symptoms of a new cycle.

For him it is now like a symptom on its own: a 2-3 days of extremely depressive mood, than shadows kick in a few days later...

As I've never encountered any mention of anything similar in all of my readings on CH so I thought maybe someone else experiences this...

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I'm on Verapamil which keeps the beast "managed", but the "pre-symptoms" you've described are persistent.  It's such a weird feeling, going from perfectly fine to riding the peaks & valleys of depression and irritability.

I'm coming up on my 1 year CH anniversary (episodic Mar/Sept), so I'm still learning, but I'm on board with what Dan describes.

I'm open to suggestions, but there's not much I do to deal with them, other than make sure my wife knows what I'm experiencing. I think just talking about these things with your significant other can make those peaks and valleys less daunting.

 Best of luck to both of you.

 

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