Just beat another cluster with a red bull. I've been suffering with clusters for 15 years and only started using taurine this past year. It shocks me, how much it shortens the time of a cluster. I usually get woke up in the middle of my sleep, only been asleep for about an hour and a half, to the point I have to sit up in bed. I remembered I just bought a 4 pack of 12 oz cans at the grocery store the other day. By the time I had the can finished, I'd say around 10 minutes, it was gone. Worse one I've had so far this cycle. I noticed for some reason They came late this fall, I usually get them around halloween, and they didn't start until right before christmas, I can't figure that one out yet. I guess I have a couple months to look forward to them until they go away until next year.


edit: Only problem is, now i'm awake! and probably won't get back to sleep until this taurine wears off but I'd rather be awake then suffering!

Congrats on the CH kill  8-)

It's probably the caffeine keeping you awake not the taurine.   

Hope you caught some zzzz'z   ;)

Thank you, I still can't get over how much a red bull helps. From trying it when I get a cluster, i can't say it takes it away every time, but if it doesn't make it go away it at least makes it more bearable. Sorry for my misspelling of taurine up there, not a word I spell every day.

Do an experiment - go to a health food store and buy yourself a bottle of taurine supplement. See if you can either abort them by taking the taurine alone or by taking it preventatively before bed. Then you'll know if it was the caffeine, the taurine, or the combination of both that did it. Who knows? Maybe you'll be able to kick it's backside and still be able to get back to sleep.

Let us know how it works out.

Just a word of caution on the taurine tabs...if you're on other meds (like verapamil) check for interactions between the two. I use both, but verapamil regularly and energy drinks only when needed and never more than once a day. No sense getting a massive daily dose of conflicting med interactions. Blessings! lance

Yes, Lance makes a great point I omitted: taking taurine and verapamil together can mess with heart rhythms and spell trouble.

The energy drinks are a life saver for me,here's why:

"There is also evidence that taurine is beneficial for adult human blood pressure and possibly, the alleviation of other cardiovascular ailments (in humans suffering essential hypertension, taurine supplementation resulted in measurable decreases in blood pressure"

Hmmm,i wouldnt get too used to that,bad for you,try the sumatriptan shots buddy ;)

TheVerbalArchitect wrote on Jan 5^th, 2011 at 2:49am:

Hmmm,i wouldnt get too used to that,bad for you,try the sumatriptan shots buddy ;)

I'm not sure I totally agree about that.  If someone is NOT on verapmil, I think the experiment would be worth a shot.  If someone is, proceed with caution as Lance and Brew noted.  However, sumatriptan is a wonderful abortive for some...but here's the rub...most insurance will only pay for a limited amount each month (don't get too attached to it being your magic bullet everytime) not to mention they're outrageously expensive.   O2 is a cheaper abort and most can abort most of their attacks with it (it was a rough cycle for hubby, so while O2 usually worked consistently in the past, I still wouldn't want him to be without it)..why burn an inject when O2 would work?  And finally, imo, we went through a huge amount of imitrex this cycle, yet it was more intense and lasted longer than any other.  Coincidence?  There are some here who think it's use extends cycles.  After this cycle I'm leaning that way too.   JMO

If the taurine alone was found to be a magic bullet abortive for hubby, I'd have him try it in a minute.   Unfortunately, with the preventive he's on, don't think he should try it.  But if it works for others, I'd go for.