;DFOR ANYONE WHO SUFFERS FROM CLUSTER HEADACHES (SUICIDE HEADACHES )ALARM CLOCK HEADACHES)

I have been suffering from Chronic Cluster headaches for over 20 years been to many DIFFERENT TYPES OF Drs . I have been on every type of med ..Verapamil imatrix topamax got few MRI s and been to the emergency room on a few occasions .. I have tried everything but after a while they would come back with a vengeance ..Anyway . I have been getting a little cranky in my old age and someone recommended something called 5HTP . I looked into it and started taking it . I stayed on my verapamil for a while till I realized that I was way past the usual time that it would work . I realized that it was the 5HTP that was working for me .. I have been off DR meds for over 2 years ..I take 200Mgs before bed and not only do I wake up in a good mood but no more alarm clock suicide headaches ..I think It is a miracle . I am completely headache free for almost 2 years !!!!! I was just telling my mother in law today I wish there was a way I could tell someone about this but I dont know anyone else who gets these headaches ..Go to the GNC and get a bottle of 200mg 5htp and If it worked for me I am sure it will work for any cluster headache sufferer . Good luck and let me know how it goes .. I never ever thought I would be cluster free ..I can even have a drink without worrying .I hope this helps someone.My headaches were every night ! The worst kind without a break !! Chronic clusters !

Sincerely
Mitch

Tried it years ago, didn't work.

You don't happen to work for GNC, do you?

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I was just telling my mother in law today I wish there was a way I could tell someone about this but I dont know anyone else who gets these headaches ..Go to the GNC and get a bottle of 200mg 5htp and If it worked for me I am sure it will work for any cluster headache sufferer .

Couldn't find this site for clusters, until today.




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Sincerely

Oh, well then, congratulations.


Sincerely

yeah, I tried 5HTP as well, and it seemed to make things worse. Hard to say though. It maybe had no effect and things got worse on their own. Doesn't 5HTP have an influence on serotonin? And I read that CHs can be preceded by a serotonin storm? Sounds like the combo is a bad idea but I'm wondering if anyone else knows more about this? Blessings. lance

5 hydroxitryptophan (5HTP) is a precurser to serotonin.  I forget exactly the metabolic sequence.  All it could do is raise the serotonin level.  I don't even know if i does that because I would think the body would only metabolize the amount it needs and discard the rest.
Some CH drugs are antagonist and some are agonists, that is some block the action of "certain" serotonin neuro-transmitters and some mimick serotonin transmitters.
I don't think raising the level of serotonin is the problem.

Thanks for your reply, Bob. I think I've come to pretty much the same conclusions. I think 5HTP may be one of those things that might help, but might also as in my case, exacerbate the hits. Blessings. lance

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The biosynthesis of melatonin (Fig.1) is initiated by the uptake of the essential amino acid tryptophan into pineal parenchymal cells. Tryptophan is  the least abundant of essential amino acids in normal diets. It is converted to another amino acid, 5-hydroxytryptophan, through the action of the enzyme tryptopahn hydroxylase and then to 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) by the enzyme aromatic amino acid decarboxylase. Serotonin concentrations are higher in the pineal than in any other organ or in any brain region. They exhibit a striking diurnal rhythm remaining at a maximum level during the daylight hours and falling by more than 80% soon after the onset of darkness as the serotonin is converted to melatonin, 5-hydroxytryptophol and other methoxyindoles.

So it's tryptophan to 5HTP to serotonin.

Glad you found something that worked for you, though I would  caution against proclaiming victory over the clusters. I was pain free four 4 years after doing the normal prednisone taper until my present cycle started, so sudden unexpected periods of calm are nothing unusual.

But by all means, stick with anything that you feel is working! ;D