hello, my name is chris this is my first post. I was diagnosed with ch 2 days ago by a neurologist in the er. I dont see my Dr. until tomorrow, and have no medication to treat a ch if it happens. Im worried about tonight because im having symptoms of one small pupil, drooping eyelid, and one nostril getting stuffy, plus a steady headache pressure. I'm afraid of the impending attack that may happen tonight. I've read alot of information on here over the past few days, o2, d3, redbull, etc. and i plan on acting on all those suggestions in the very near future. My question is what is the best way to deal with a ch, without any abortive medications, oxygen, etc.? Do you guys just tough it out? I've only had 6 attacks so far in the last week, and never had one before in my life. What is the best temporary thing i can do until i can see my Dr. tomorrow? At least I know i'm not dying, and wont go to the E.R. Thanks for any replies, and I'm sure you'll see alot more of me in the future on here.

Red bulls or any other energy drink with taurine is probably your best option for now. I have aborted or lessened many an attack by chuggging 1 or 2. Works best if you catch  it early.

Thank you for the reply, should i start drinking them now to help in preventive measures, or wait until it wakes me up then chug the energy drinks? Thanks again

Hi Cbo,
Welcome. Sorry you had to find us,you have a long road ahead
but their is lots of help here. I'm wondering why the neuro
did'nt give you any meds to tye you over until you see your
doc. My advice is you get straight on the D3 Regime,and get
some Melatonin at the same time, they have a good record to
get you through the night without a REM wake up call. Also
you can try useing ice blocks wrapped in a cloth and apply it
to the back of your neck. Also inhale deeply through your nose
for 15-20 minuets. Also avoid all processed foods and alcohol.
Hoping these tips help.                                                          

Hoppy.


minuets

Thank you, just got back from cvs, bought the d3 regimen, redbulls, and melatonin, will start taking now. The ER neuro only gave me a Rx for prednisone and 500 mg naproxen. Thanks again for the help. I pray its not that bad tonight.....

Chris, with the Red Bull, take it at the first sign of an attack is
on it's way.

The prednisone, depending on which kind it is and how it was prescribed, can stop a cycle dead in its tracks at the beginning. Start taking it right now! What were you given and in what doses? We usually are given a taper: high doses that gradually dwindle down. Best of luck and God bless. lance

Did you get to the doctor today?
wimsey1 is right on with the prednisone advice. If your doctor prescribed verapamil (a preventative) you need to start on it now along with the prednisone. The verapamil will take a week or so to get working in your system.

Went to my primary care Dr. Today, they gave me an Rx for propranolol, told me to take the steroids (which is a 5 day taper) and make an appointment with a headache specialist at the university, next available appointment isn't until July 17, about 5 weeks from now. I talked to them about the d3 regiment, and they advised me that 10,000 iu daily of d3 could be toxic, and to take no more than 1000 iu a day because the maximum daily recommend  amount was 400 iu. I plan on going ahead with the high level of d3 anyways. Well, just wanted to give an update, and any advice or comments are very appreciated . Thanks

G'day Chris,
That's quite a common remark from doc's on vitamin D.
"BATCH" has reseached this thoroughaly and has proven
it to be safe. [smiley=bow.gif]

Hoppy

Chris, for the D3 regime to work, you need a
25( OH) D serum concentration of 81.4 ng /ml
203.5 nmol/l, min = 34.0 ng / ml, max = 149.0 ng/ ml.
You can get this blood test from your GP.

Hoppy.

Oh Im so sorry for you CH suck so much!!!  I didn't have any meds to help me out for a long time it was brutal.  9-12 attacks a day lasting like 30min to an hour.  All I could do was tough it out.  It sounds weird but I find if I have a bad one sometimes I just get down on my knees in my room and rock back and forth.  Sometimes I find a really hot shower helps me out I don't know if that works for others but its helped me out many a times.  I've recently gotten on the energy drink fix and I gotta say they've helped me out a lot.  Good luck to you I hope your one of the lucky ones that gets a medication that works wonders for you.  Verapamil at a high dose has been working wonders for me.  1 bad headache in 3 weeks is pretty awesome.

Get that specialist appointment and keep it! They are treating you for migraines (propanalol) and while the prednisone may help for a bit, it isn't a preventative. God bless. lance

Thanks for the replies! I sort of felt that way at the Dr. Office, I could tell the we're out of there scope of their profession. The melatonin seems to be keeping the night attacks away pretty good, only small headaches. I plan to keep my appointment with the specialist even if my headaches are gone by then (hopefully)... A question I have is what the best way to treat the daytime "baseline" headaches that I constantly have? I've been drinking a lot of coffee and I think it's helping... But is there something else you could suggest? Also how much melatonin are you guys taking before bed? Thanks again for everyone's help.

Look i fooled around with the cat scans mri's and every way ever thought of to stop theses headaches !!   Go to ur doctor tell him to give you Staydol nasel spray and be done with theses monsters!!!  1 shot in which ever nostral side the pains on an your done, no if and or butts, dont waiste your time trying anything else !¡!  By far the ONLY thing that works, believe me after 25 yrs of the pain & thousands of dollars. All the other ways to beat a headache are all crap , believe me ive tried every one  !!!

wrote on Jun 12^th, 2013 at 12:54pm:

Look i fooled around with the cat scans mri's and every way ever thought of to stop theses headaches !!   Go to ur doctor tell him to give you Staydol nasel spray and be done with theses monsters!!!  1 shot in which ever nostral side the pains on an your done, no if and or butts, dont waiste your time trying anything else !¡!  By far the ONLY thing that works, believe me after 25 yrs of the pain & thousands of dollars. All the other ways to beat a headache are all crap , believe me ive tried every one  !!!

Piss poor advice.

        Potter

Sorry, I don't think I'll take his advise.... But the good news is I tried the energy drink today to stop an attack while out shopping, and it worked great!!!!!! All of these techniques I'm learning, have taken a lot of the fear away. Thank you guys, so much!

G'day Chris.
on your ? Melatonin, how much to take. I use the brand Bioglan,
the dosage they suggest is 3-5 tabs 1/2 an hour before bedtime
As a rule i normally take 4 tabs which works for me. [smiley=sleep.gif] Your daytime headaches could be rebound
headaches caused by the med's you are taking, try a can or two
of Pepsi, that normally knocks them on the head for me. [smiley=happy.gif]

Another tip, if my shadow or rebound headache does'nt
subside by drinking  the Pepsi by itself, i take Ibuprofen & Pepsi.
"Popular trademarks, include, Nurofen, an Advil. In the UK
it's sold over the counter as an express Migraine relief.
but only use it as per directions.

The best way to treat "baseline" headaches is with O2 and a taurine/caffeine combo energy drink, like Monster or Red Bull. Have imitrex injectables as a backup, or Migranal nasal spray. But O2 is far and away the best.

As for melatonin, how many capsules you take will depend upon the strength of the capsule. I'd rather talk in terms of amounts: 1mg, 5mg, 10mg etc. We did a survey and discovered (head shake in disbelief here) that we are all different! Some need less, and some need more. While there was some correlation to size and weight, it wasn't compelling. Start high or low, and see what happens, then adjust as needed. Blessings. lance

On the getting into a specialist bit - be relentless - call everyone of them you can find in the phone book, Google and whatever other resource you can find within an hours drive - I had a 2 month wait, but I called several every day and asked if they had cancellations - managed to get in an save myself 2months of suffering possibly. The sooner you get in the sooner you can get start getting treated and also finding the right doc for you.  The first may not be any good - I am keeping an open mind on mine - but she is only a temp until I am feeling better.

Be absolutely relentless in getting in to see a specialist immediately.  In fact, be relentless in all dealings with medical professionals.  It's a sad truth that many of us here have had to do our own doctoring because the doctors we went to see either know nothing about clusters or are too timid or fearful of liability to really prescribe what we need.  Get verapamil, it's cheap.  Get imitrex (sumatriptan), shots AND pills.  Personally, I cut both of them in half and they work fine (YMMV).  Get oxygen, and don't take no for an answer. 

My ex-neurologist said he was an expert in CH (lie), and prescribed me oxygen at 2 LpM by nasal canula.  I laughed at this and tried to explain more about CH, and he got pissy and said i was patronizing him.  Then he wouldn't prescribe any more than 4 shots of imitrex a month.  He's so fired. (Dr. Petroff in Austin, FYI).  I detest being my own doctor but you're ultimately responsible for your own care and comfort.  Point is, get what you need, get it now.

I knew a doctor with CH who said he got excellent temporary relief by making mad, passionate love with his wife and that I should try the same thing.

Did nothing for my headaches, but he really does have a nice house.

HA!

Quote:

Piss poor advice.         Potter

I admit, I love the way Potter doesn't BS around, speaks his mind, and get's right to the point.   ;D

Start the prednisone immediately.  You could be pain free tonight.  But five days isn't nearly enough.  You need a two- to three-week taper.  Call that doc and tell him to look up the protocols and get you on a longer treatment cycle.  I hate the damned things, but they work.  I have had relief within 24 hours of taking the first dose of a prednisone taper, and I hope the same happens for you!