We have identified many triggers to attacks.

i.e. sleep, alcohol, smoking, opiates, change of weather, diet, stress, exercise, altitude, etc.

I'm curious if anybody has documented their past cycles so well that they have learned how to prevent a cycle by changing their lifestyle as compared to previous cycles?

Or.....is it a consensus that when the DRAGON decides it's time to TORTURE, no lifestyle change will matter because it's just unfortunate timing?

Thoughts?

Until the finding that the hypothalamus is central to CH there was no clear focus on what triggers a cycle. And I use "focus" to convey that that the answer has yet to be hammered down.

Even the list of triggers you present is hardly firm because the number of items which have a high trigger % is meager. The issue is that, in the informal conversation we have here, we may say "X is a trigger" when "X" may reflect such a low number of us that it would not be accepted as a well established fact.

But, saying all this, some folks have such a firm schedule that, for them, starting their preventive med a few days/weeks before the expected start date, would be quite reasonable.

My rather loose interpretation of 'trigger' is something known to cause an attack for me.

Altitude - going up, weather front (pressure dropping), beer, and wine.

Beer or wine will set off the beast with a few sips when I am in a cycle. Or, they will start a cycle. Now, I don't drink wine at all and beer only in the summer when I have yet to have a cycle.

Altitude and pressure I haven't found any way around. But, they are usually just a one day affair, so not a problem except when in middle of a cycle. At least no one expects me to jump out of plane anymore to get over my fear of heights anymore. 8-)

I stay on Verapamil or other meds in the past year round. I don't know if that is bad for you or not. Each med works 'mostly' for a year or two and then we start over looking for something I can take that might help.

Dr Fredrick G. Freitag wrote in Headwise magazine that 'cleaning up one's act, avoiding caffeine, avoiding alcohol, quitting smoking, keeping a regular schedule' doesn't help.

The magazine is new and a web site for them is START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE. The Dr gave me a copy last month. Mostly, this issue deals with migraine.

As you can see, one thing we know is a trigger for us is not even on his radar and he is vice president of the National Headache Foundation! :o

Just goes to prove they still know very little and ya'll know a lot more in this area.

Hope I didn't break any rules with that quote. :-/

Quote:

Beer or wine will set off the beast with a few sips when I am in a cycle. Or, they will start a cycle. Now, I don't drink wine at all and beer only in the summer when I have yet to have a cycle.

I have found that alcohol sends me screaming into a viscous cycle which I do not forget...I have completely stopped drinking....that is one surefire way to wake the beast for me

It's such a hard question to answer because for me, I have found very few identifiable triggers for my attacks (and some things that trigger attacks in most others do nothing to me).

For example, you mentioned opiates... I don't need to go on a whole thing here, but Vegas, I'm sure you know the whole schpiel and not only do they help me, I notice no increase in headaches (rebounds) when I cease use. I have also rarely noticed rebounds from triptan use... but I seem to be more susceptible to rebounds after excessive triptan use than opiates, which is odd. There have been times when I've been changing preventatives that I've had to use the max amount of triptans per day and as soon as I got to a therapeutic level of the prevent and stopped the daily triptan use, my headaches stayed at bay. I guess I'm lucky that when I get into bad spells I seem to be able to medicate without too many consequences....?? Although every once in a while if I use the triptans like that, I do notice an increase and then have to suffer through curing the rebounds.

Possibly because I'm chronic, clear liquor does not trigger them, but certain aged liquors and red wine will. Occasionally beer, though not often.

Flying will ALWAYS give me a headache, whether I'm in a high or low cycle. It's terrible because I go to school far away so I fly frequently, but then it's just trex for me the second I feel the beast coming. Having an attack on a plane is one of the worst things I could possibly imagine... other than maybe being stuck in an elevator.

I quit smoking in an effort to help my headaches (well, you know, besides all those other health issues), and now that I've been entirely smoke-free for a year to the day, there has been no change in my condition.

My only definite triggers are excess stress and lack of sleep, but even though my insomnia is very much under control, if I don't sleep well for one night (or more), the next day is hell, regardless of high and low cycles.

I've tried to make the lifestyle changes that would be conducive to a decrease in attacks but none seem to work. I would stop drinking if it seemed like I had to, but as long as avoid the specific alcohols that might set me off I see no reason. As I said, I quit smoking partially because of my CH. I exercise more frequently now that I've been diagnosed (when able) and have been eating healthier. I've cut all sorts of foods out of my diet but put them back in when nothing changed.

In short, poor me I guess... but whatever... these things happen. Such is the beast!

Zacsz,
Congratulations on making it an entire year of no smoking! :D

Tryptans definitely give me rebounds, but without o2, they are the only viable option.  Opiates and common OTC migraine/tylenol/etc did not touch my pain and also created rebounds.

Interesting to read about flying, i've read others report the same, never personally experienced as I could only imagine like you said it would be horrible.  I have been stuck in an elevator up 20 stories in a highrise downtown Chicago and got a nightmarish attack.  When the firemen and police pried the elevator door open, I attacked them and got cuffed and thrown in jail for the night, not a pretty situation to be stuck in an elevator while being TORTURED by thr DRAGON >:( :'(

Excess stress, red wine and dark liquors seem to be common triggers among most CH'ers, you are not alone.

I started this thread in hopes of finding something that was common among us that actually triggers the start of a cycle, not necessarily triggering an attack; however I do appreciate your input as we all learn from each other. ;)

-Gregg in Las Vegas

Oh yes I know! Like I said, I can't speak too much on triggering cycles because I'm chronic; but certain things DO trigger my high cycles... I could have been more specific. About 3 weeks ago, I went 4 nights without sleep for no reason I can really think of and since then, I've been in one of the worst cycles of my life. So, there are certain things that definitely do not only trigger attacks but can lead to a whole dismantling of my stability.

When I'm feeling better, staying active also noticeably increases the amount of time I have in between the high times. Well... low times. The rough times. You know.

EDIT: It's worth mentioning I am not the best flyer to begin with, so the stress from being in airports, on the plane, in the air etc. definitely doesn't help. But I also get very rough ear plugging/pressure which seems to precipitate problems.