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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004 Cluster Headache Specific Posts >> Alcohol As A Trigger
        
(Message started by: Sylvan on Nov 18^th, 2004, 11:33am)

Title: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by Sylvan on Nov 18^th, 2004, 11:33am

One thing i've stopped doing since these HA's have started is to avoid alcohol.

I'm now wondering - after much reading here - if alcohol may not be a trigger for me. I often have had a glass of wine with dinner - as i did the night of the first attack.

But that wine was 6-7 hours before the attack. From most of the posts i've seen here - alcohol as a trigger seems to bring it on quickly - not several hours later.

Would it be safe to assume that it's ok to have that glass of wine? Or am i tempting the devil?

Sylvan

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by rbmb on Nov 18^th, 2004, 11:53am

I can only speak for myself, but when I'm in cycle if I drink any wine at all I will have a screaming HA within 10 minutes. I even tried drinking a beer instead.....same result. I simply quit drinking any alcohol when I'm in a HA cycle. The rest of the time, I can drink whatever I want and it doesn't bother me. However I've become a pretty moderate drinker out of fear of drinking too much and starting a cycle......don't know if that's possible to start a cycle by drinking too much but I don't want to do anything to tempt the beast to visit.
Rich

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by Bethany1 on Nov 18^th, 2004, 11:59am

Im with RBMB on this one. Everyone is different, I know I cannot by any means have ANY alcohol when Im in cycle. I like a little wine with dinner as well, but keep it away from me or it will hit me within mins. If its hitting you within a few hours, try not drinking it at all. Its worth a shot. (no pun there).

;)

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by JJA on Nov 18^th, 2004, 12:04pm

6 or 7 hrs later doesn't sound like a trigger to me. The alcohol should be out of your system by then. Just to be sure you could try skipping the wine and see what happens.

Jesse

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by marlin on Nov 18^th, 2004, 12:15pm

Oh yeah! A cocktail or beer during a cycle is a guaranteed screamin HA within minutes. Out of cycle I can drink as much as I want - But, I never touch wine. Could be a particularly nasty HA trigger from the past but I can't even sniff a wine cork without experiencing nightmares.

Tequila shots are fine. Anything but wine.

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by Sylvan on Nov 18^th, 2004, 12:27pm

Thank you for all the replies.

I have completely stopped the wine with dinner since my 2nd HA - and if anything - they've gotten more frequent.

I may very well have a glass with dinner tonight and see if i get some sleep instead of a rocking fest in the middle of the night.

I am leaning towards the fact that the wine doesn't trigger anything quickly being a sign that it is not a trigger - although i wouldn't want to over-do it ;;D

Sylvan

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by dafreeman on Nov 18^th, 2004, 3:51pm

I've found the same. Although it wasn't a trigger every time, but often enough to fear the reprecussions. In fact, my worst episode ever came after having a few. That was the end of that.

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by Redd715 on Nov 18^th, 2004, 4:58pm

alcohol as a trigger is usually a fast onset after drinking. one beer and wham, or one wine, etc...

Personally, it's not a trigger for me at all. I have been having these atacks for 12 years for sure, and if there was a connection I would know it by this time. I'm also chronic, and it seems that for us we have a better "luck" if you will of not getting triggered.

my question is this is the 6-7 hours after drinking, are you alseep before the attack hits? Guess that depends on how late you stay up and how early you eat dinner as well. Just my overly analytical mind at work here. Getting attacked 1-2 hours after falling asleep is usual...so I'm wondering if that isn't the case here.. just taking a guess.

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by Ronny on Nov 18^th, 2004, 5:22pm

Hi,

Nonono,
No alcohol for me, triggers it within minutes.
Havent had a glass of wine in almost 7 months now.

whenever i think it's safe, i try a tiny little glass and i get immediate response. >:(

It could be it's not a trigger for you, it takes a brave man/woman to test it.

Ronny

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by Sylvan on Nov 18^th, 2004, 5:24pm

time frame:

dinner - between 7pm-8pm usually. Bedtime - 11-midnight, attacks usually 1:30am-2:30am.

Assuming i don't finish my wine at dinner - maybe keep sipping on it until 9ish - that would make the shortest time between alcohol and attack 4 1/2 hours.

Thanks for the input. It actually helps me to try to analyse this. (Ok - i'm a bit OCD) ::)

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by marlin on Nov 18^th, 2004, 5:31pm

Ronnie, No Stella either?

I recall back when I was a young reckless party animal on a 3 month kick around Western Europe I spent a couple of weeks in the main square (can't recall the name) in Brussels. Drank nothing but Stella day and night. Had a bathtub full of it on ice. One of the best production beers in Europe. Got a few similar tasting ones here now that I like, (Fat Tire from CO) and we actually can buy Stella although it doesn't taste as good as I remember...

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by Redd715 on Nov 18^th, 2004, 5:38pm

on 11/18/04 at 17:24:02, Sylvan wrote:

I'm not a doctor but I think all the others would agree it's the Rem sleep phase and not your wine that is the culprit.

Just the beasts normal MO.....good thing ....no need to give up that simple life pleasure.

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by Sylvan on Nov 18^th, 2004, 5:48pm

Thank goodness! I was really unhappy about watching my S/O reap all the benefits from the 2 cases of wine we just brought back from our latest wine tasting tour!

Especially the Sheba T'ej [smiley=mellow.gif]

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by Redd715 on Nov 18^th, 2004, 5:53pm

on 11/18/04 at 17:48:20, Sylvan wrote:

What? And you aren't gonna send a bottle to your new bestest cluster buddy for saving you from that torture of giving it up? Thanks alot..... :'( [smiley=laugh.gif]

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by Sylvan on Nov 18^th, 2004, 6:13pm

Here you go:

http://talisman.com/mead/smmead.jpg

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by Redd715 on Nov 18^th, 2004, 9:29pm

on 11/18/04 at 18:13:23, Sylvan wrote:

Here you go:

http://talisman.com/mead/smmead.jpg

Ahhhh.....teasing me aren't ya now?.....I'm more of a red wine person myself....or couldn't you have guessed...lol

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by Sylvan on Nov 18^th, 2004, 11:00pm

I love any good wine - white, red, even ried a black ginseng recently.

If you're ever out here in the North-east - i'll drag you up to one of our local wineries for something called Black Dirt Red - It's one of the best red wines i've ever had. Although i truly love a good mead!

Sylvan http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0WQDdAvkbHhNHVUWOEzRUTa8dHrKaPXZJK9ANtr7YI2*QjCFdJVsiQDejov*x18jrwepiEk*sL*rfaDFFR1ATu7VeA1PuF0wCJZxksNms9K8izXJT9RJAVPVzeKCqngBoSwVGcS2qRvQ/emptying%20wine%20glass.gif?dc=4675406082471841500

Title: Update
Post by Sylvan on Nov 20^th, 2004, 10:09am

I'm convinced now that alcohol (at least in small quantity) is not a trigger for me.

Took a chance last night and had 1 beer with dinner. (around 8 pm) went to bed at midnight (after taking an antihistamine which seems to help - i haven't yet had a nocturnal HA when i've taken one)

I did wake up suddenly at around 3 am and for a moment thought i had one - but it barely lasted a minute or two and was gone as suddenly as it started.

Tonight we attempt some GOOD wine! (mostly because i can sleep late tomorrow morning if necessary)

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by 3dogmom on Nov 20^th, 2004, 10:24am

Oddly, have found that wine can aggravate what is already occurring, but beer (ale, that is) for me sometimes is somewhat soothing. Go figure. I'm not even a beer drinker.

Title: Re: Update
Post by Redd715 on Nov 20^th, 2004, 12:13pm

on 11/20/04 at 10:09:43, Sylvan wrote:

As was said in the other posts, if alcohol is going to be a trigger, it's going to happen very shortly after consumption, not hours later. The night time attacks is just the beast's prefered time to hit...and During REM sleep....the wine or beer had nothing to do with it after that much time.

If there is a connection between taking an antihistamine and prevention of a night attack, you are one of a kind. No worrys about perscription meds...glad you are pain free with that.

Title: Re: Update
Post by Sylvan on Nov 20^th, 2004, 12:27pm

on 11/20/04 at 12:13:41, Redd715 wrote:

If there is a connection between taking an antihistamine and prevention of a night attack, you are one of a kind. No worrys about perscription meds...glad you are pain free with that.

No clue if it's co-incidence or it's helping - all i know is that the 2 times i took one in the past 2 weeks - i ended up HA free those nights. If i have to take an OTC advil sinus every night - so be it! I'm still going to pursue a definative DX though - i may not have woken in agony last night - but i can feel the beast lurking behind my eye even as i type.

Thanks again! :D

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by Redd715 on Nov 20^th, 2004, 12:52pm

All I know for sure is that no matter what OTC things I'd tried over the years, nothing stopped the attacks. I'd used Afrin every night before bed for years in the misguided belief that if I kept the left side of my sinus clear, it would prevent the attacks. Not so. I'd still wake up in the night with the left side blocked and sometimes running sometimes not running, and the front left quadrant of my brain feeling like it was ready to boil out of my eye socket. At which time I would swallow down a double dose of sudafed and 4 tylenol pm's and rock and pace in agony for an hour or two waiting for them to "kick in". Sometimes the pain would radiate into my upper molars and I would dig and pry in there with a needle nose pliars and dental floss thinking if I could just rip them out the pain would go away. All I ended up with were bleeding gums and a few broken teeth and still had the attacks.

Title: Re: Alcohol As A Trigger
Post by Sylvan on Nov 20^th, 2004, 1:40pm

The way i see it at this point is that if i can even stop SOME of them - i will. And in the meantime - i'll keep working with my doctor and seek a new one. Someone my S/O works with uses cafergot - i'm going to see if that helps stop the attacks and if it does - i will ask my DR to RX it for me.

Thanks once again! It really does help to hear what others have gone through.

[ Hugs ]
Sylvan