So I am a 46 year old male, been cycle free for three years and thinking getting older was good for something at least..when BAM, last Wednesday out of the blue, a cycle started again.

Wow, how I feel for the folks here. I have been a CH sufferer since 91, and have always just kind of dealt with the pain using OTC meds. A doctor in 97 diagnosed me with CH, but at that time said no real meds to help. Being the dolt I am , I never really thought to see if new research into helping with CH had come up till now. After getting on here, I have scheduled an appt with my doc for tomorrow morning.

My question is what do oyu all think is the most effective info to bring with me just in case he is not familiar with CH? Any tips etc would be greatly appreciated

As far as BEST, that's really variable depending on the individual....with the exception of oxygen! (Just my humble opinion!)

31 years of CH, episodic, here's my routine, a 2 pronged approach.

1: A preventative med. That's something I take daily, while on cycle, to reduce the intensity and frequency of your attacks. Verapamil is usually the first prevent they try. WE tend to take it at doses higher then most docs are used to. I use Lithium, at 1200 mg a day it will block about 70% of my attacks. Topomax is also a popular prevent.

2: An abortive. The attack has started, now what? Oxygen should be your first line abortive. I can halt an attack in less then 10 minutes using oxygen. Read the oxygen info link on the left as it must be used correctly or it won't work. Imitrex injectables or nasal spray are popular abortives. There is a pill version of imitrex, generally not effective for CH'ers as our pain ramps up too fast.

That's in a nut shell my approach to CH. Many other meds to educate yourself on. There are also "alternative" therapies which are helping a lot of people.

Welcome to the board, glad you found us.

Giussepi is dishing out good solid advice there plenzmd1,you can take it to the bank.  :)

You'll pretty much have to take this beast by the horns yourself and wrestle it down, armed with info and advice gained here, so that's a real good thing that you're going to the doctor as informed as possible. People who just go to the doc and do whatever they are instructed are very likely to be in for a rough ride indeed.

Abortives that I personally have the best success with: hi liter folw O2 a la the oxygen info link found on the left here, and half dose imitrex injections (a la the imitrex tip on the left) as a backup in case I can't get to the O2 or it fails. Also occasional iimitrex inhaler if driving or something where an injection isn't do-able. The O2 is very very popular here for good reason.

Don't let your doctor prescribe you imitrex PILLS! These MD bozos basically don't know jack, don't have a clue that the pills are for migraines, not CH, and they negligently prescribe them all the time.

We're just scratching the surface here, there are several ways to combat the beast. Glad you're here to get the skinny.  8-)

Print the entire article:

 
Cluster headache.
From: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE (Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases)
[Easy to read; one of the better overview articles I've seen. Suggest printing the full length article--link, line above--if you are serious about keeping a good medical library on the subject.]

Leroux E, Ducros A.

ABSTRACT: Cluster headache (CH) is a primary headache disease characterized by recurrent short-lasting attacks (15 to 180 minutes) of excruciating unilateral periorbital pain accompanied by ipsilateral autonomic signs (lacrimation, nasal congestion, ptosis, miosis, lid edema, redness of the eye). It affects young adults, predominantly males. Prevalence is estimated at 0.5-1.0/1,000. CH has a circannual and circadian periodicity, attacks being clustered (hence the name) in bouts that can occur during specific months of the year. ALCOHOL IS THE ONLY DIETARY TRIGGER OF CH, STRONG ODORS (MAINLY SOLVENTS AND CIGARETTE SMOKE) AND NAPPING MAY ALSO TRIGGER CH ATTACKS. During bouts, attacks may happen at precise hours, especially during the night. During the attacks, patients tend to be restless. CH may be episodic or chronic, depending on the presence of remission periods. CH IS ASSOCIATED WITH TRIGEMINOVASCULAR ACTIVATION AND NEUROENDOCRINE AND VEGETATIVE DISTURBANCES, HOWEVER, THE PRECISE CAUSATIVE MECHANISMS REMAIN UNKNOWN. Involvement of the hypothalamus (a structure regulating endocrine function and sleep-wake rhythms) has been confirmed, explaining, at least in part, the cyclic aspects of CH. The disease is familial in about 10% of cases. Genetic factors play a role in CH susceptibility, and a causative role has been suggested for the hypocretin receptor gene. Diagnosis is clinical. Differential diagnoses include other primary headache diseases such as migraine, paroxysmal hemicrania and SUNCT syndrome. At present, there is no curative treatment. There are efficient treatments to shorten the painful attacks (acute treatments) and to reduce the number of daily attacks (prophylactic treatments). Acute treatment is based on subcutaneous administration of sumatriptan and high-flow oxygen. Verapamil, lithium, methysergide, prednisone, greater occipital nerve blocks and topiramate may be used for prophylaxis. In refractory cases, deep-brain stimulation of the hypothalamus and greater occipital nerve stimulators have been tried in experimental settings.THE DISEASE COURSE OVER A LIFETIME IS UNPREDICTABLE. Some patients have only one period of attacks, while in others the disease evolves from episodic to chronic form.

PMID: 18651939 [PubMed]
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Here is a link to read and print and take to your doctor.  It describes preventive, transitional, abortive and surgical treatments for CH. Written by one of the better headache docs in the U.S.  (2002)
================
Michigan Headache & Neurological Institute for another list of treatments and other articles:

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