Im new to the board but have been dealing with my husbands cluster headaches for 2 yrs now. he is a chronic suffer, the beast is always in the shadows!!!!! the 1st yr the beast started in oct, 2nd yr in sep, this yr which is the 3rd yr they have started in aug. he has felt it coming on for 4 or 5 days then whamo this morning the beast reared his ugly head full blown!!!!!! he was bed ridden most of the day, now after 12 hrs has gotten a little relief. i made him take a cold shower and put an icepack on his head. he is going to take melatonin and magnesium in a while before bed.  does anyone have anyother advise before he goes to the dr. on monday to get SCRIPT for oxygen? HE IS WILLING TO TRY JUST ABOUT ANYTHING AT THIS POINT!!!!!!!!!

Read the oxygen info on the left and print some portions or all of it out if necessary to help him get the oxygen prescription from the doc.

Here is a list of herbals/supplements that may give some relief over the next few days.  Keep in mind they will not be nearly as affective as actual prescription medication and abortives.

Taurine - found in energy drinks (stay away from high acidity energy drinks if he has ulcer issues)such as redbull **there are others.     Taurine Combined with Caffeine/coffee works in many to help kill a CH hit.  You can also find taurine supplements at GNC or buy it off the internet, however if you use the internet you will be waiting for at least a week to even get  your shipment.

Kava - Herbal also found at GNC

Cetrizine/Zyrtec = over the counter allergy medication, taken before bed by about 1 hour it may help him get through the night with no hits and some decent zzz's. Found in most any grocery, drug, or walmart store.

The above are items I use.


Others here also use...

Melatonin : take 1 hour before bed- GNC

Fever Few: herbal - GNC

Magnesium - GNC

Dosages on all may have to be played with but the combination I use works for me.

Hot or cold wet clothes to the head during an attack- depends on sufferers preference.

Thanks for the info and the advise!!! I will print out the info on the oxygen for his dr. he had a horrible night. he has an ice pack on his head now and is drinking coffee. i will go get him some energy drinks today!!! Thank you!!!!!

You are quite welcome!  I hope it helps.

Remember to make sure the energy drinks you get have taurine and caffeine in them!

Wishing your hubby a Pain Free night!

I can't give you any advice, but we're here for you.  Being a supporter is it's own hell.

And I can send vibes and prayers for an easier time of it for your hubby (and you).

Thank you both so very much for the advise and the support!!! we got the red bull yesterday and so far it is working like a charm!!!!!!!! we dont understand why it helps but thankful that it does!!! Saturday he was in bed all day long and he felt hopeless cause he knows he has to just ride the beast out.  but the red bull has been a god send! he is still getting the shadows and the knocks just past the shadow but the red bull holds it at bay. still going to get his dr to write a script for the oxygen though. cant hurt to have it. again thank you!!!!!!!!! :)

Glad the Red Bull helped and definitely get the oxygen if you can!!!   Beats chugging a lot of Red Bull, but it works in a pinch. 

Good Luck with the Doc!!  :)

Kas, how knowledgeable is his doctor? My husband's regimen on cycle goes something like this:

Gets hit, uses O2. Calls doctor to update Rx's. Usually has to see neuro. For meds, they start him on pred for 2 weeks (taper) and he also starts lithium. Lithium is tricky and he has to have a few blood tests while the regulate the dosage. Then he stays on the lithium for a couple months and tries to taper off to see if he gets hit.

He's episodic but the last cycle lasted about 8  months. He also gets cafragot and imitrex (shots, he didn't like the nasal) for when he needs it. I think the cafragot is probably similar to the energy drinks. Above all, O2 is his friend and he never leaves home without it.

Hope this helps, hang in there.

Kas,

Sorry to know about your husband really, but here is an advice:

Let your husband drink as much water as he can, and I mean it literally, as much as he can, in addition to the abovementioned advices.

Once you go to the doc, get a prescription for Imigran / Imitrex injection. When he uses is, please read the "Imitrex Tip" to the left of this page. Imitrex can change your husband's life. In the event Imitrex was not an option for a reason or another, here is a medicine that is originally administered for migrane not CH, but it works really better than any other medicine for CH. It is called "Zomig" (Active Ingredient:Zolmitriptan). Zomig should be taken at the very onset of the attack, 10 mgms not less, and heavy coffee shall be taken right after.

Hope this helps.

PS: O2 is VERY helpful, try to get a regulator ASAP, especially when Imitrex injection gets less effective the more frequent you use it.

grrr been in to my ch for 3week ones again ,,im at the depression stage n life less i just wanna feel normal again but wat in normal ? :(
im taking my verapamol n my oxygen their working on me ok but im sick ov it all now ,i just wanna end it all n be pain free ,,i told my doctor how i feel broke down in tears i didnt know where to turn ,,so he as took 4 lots ov bloods n i got to do a 24 hour urine test ,i cant wait to pee in a toliet again n not in a jug ,but i dont know y hes doing the urine test ? anyone know y ? my BP as been high over the last few days aswell ,
im going now just hope there is help out there for us all we begging
  take care all n besafe
love sarah xxx

sarah wrote on Sep 10^th, 2009 at 6:01am:

grrr been in to my ch for 3week ones again ,,im at the depression stage n life less i just wanna feel normal again but wat in normal ? :( im taking my verapamol n my oxygen their working on me ok but im sick ov it all now ,i just wanna end it all n be pain free ,,i told my doctor how i feel broke down in tears i didnt know where to turn ,,so he as took 4 lots ov bloods n i got to do a 24 hour urine test ,i cant wait to pee in a toliet again n not in a jug ,but i dont know y hes doing the urine test ? anyone know y ? my BP as been high over the last few days aswell , im going now just hope there is help out there for us all we begging   take care all n besafe love sarah xxx

I'm sure your doc just wants to rule out any other problems with the additional tests.

I've been that low before too. HANG in there You WILL Make it Through!

I'll be Sending Pain Free wishes to you!

This Topic was moved here from Supporter's Corner by Margi.

Hi Sarah, I hope you don't mind but I've moved your post up here - you'll reach a wider audience in this area.  Thanks Delta and Brew for letting me know about Sarah.

I'm so sorry to hear you're running out of rope over there!  My husband has been where you are right now and the only way we've gotten through it is to get him sleeping again, sometimes the sleep deprivation makes clusterheadaches seem totally unmanageable. 

The best thing we've found to get him some sleep is Gravol (I think it's called the same in the UK?  If not, maybe it's Dramamine?)  It's a seasickness pill that causes sleep as a side effect.  It also prevents you from getting to the REM phase of sleep which is where the middle of the night attacks find you.  You're not supposed to take it more than 7 days in a row because *gasp* you might become sleep deprived.   ::) (obviously written by someone outSIDE the CH lifestyle.)   My hubby is 5'7" and 165 pounds.  He takes 3, 50mg pills before bed and it will most always get him through the night without being wakened for the deep REM CH attack that always seems to be the worst one of the day.  This stuff won't make CH go away but it just might give you 8 hours of sleep and pain freedom.  When you're peaking in your cycle like this - that alone can be golden. 

(Sorry if this is repeated advice, I'm on the fly here and couldn't take the time to read the whole thread.)

Hope you find your balance soon, Sarah - always know that it IS possible.

Big hugs to you,
Margi

p.s.  when Mike was on Verapamil, he had a horrible cycle.  It did work after awhile but it was the longest cycle ever for him.  He's had better luck with just the abortives rather than the preventatives like Verap.  He now uses O2, ice and Zomig Nasal Spray (Zolmatriptan).  This concoction is HIS balance and I believe every clusterhead is different in this regard.  Each one needs to reach that point (and CAN, with the help of the fellow warriors here!)

edited twice because a) fingers going faster than brain and b) apparently, I'm parenthetically challenged!

Hi Sarah,

I don't have any great advice to give other than just to say I know where you are and where you've been with this.  Hang on!  There is hope, and you will get through this.

I'm hoping someone from there in the UK can get to you and give you a bit more advice medically as I'm not that familiar with your system.  All I can say is O2 and energy drinks are what work for me for abortives, and I've been using Kudzu as a prevent, and it seems to be working pretty well.

After 30+ yrs I know how it can sneak up on you and totally sap your mental and emotional strength if you are not careful.  Keep in mind that this will end.  No one dies of CH, and you are much to strong a person to give in to the beast.  You can beat it, and you have this wonderful family behind you to help you through it.  Please keep us posted on your progress and let us know how we can help.  Drop me an email or a PM if you just need someone to talk with.

Jerry

Kas

  Absolutely get the 02 as soon as possible . . . it is the first-line abortive for most of us.  If used early-on in the attack I can abort in 5-10 minutes.   I can't use Imitrex due to some artery blockage and high cholesterol, so 02 is my only abortive.


Sarah

  In the UK, see your doc, have him fill out a HOOF (home oxygen order form) form and "tick" the box for cluster headaches.  They'll deliver to your home with proper regulator and mask. 

  PF wishes to both of you,

    Be Safe,

       PFDANs

         Richard

hia everyone thank for all your support n all your replys bk to me ,,iv just been bk to c the doc today n he told me on top ov everything going on in my head now i for a enlarge heart ,wat more can heppen to me ? wat av i done so bad to get all illnesses ?
just alittle update on how i got on :0) ,hope all is good out there in the world n pain free from the demons grrr
tc all n thx once again love
    sarah xx