Could someone explain this to me. I've seen others post on here or make comments as to "things" not triggering a cycle. I am also that way, if I'm not in a cycle I can eat and drink (especially beer) things that would normally trigger a cluster, without a cluster. If I'm in a cycle it takes very little to trigger a cluster.

Why is this? can anyone explain?

I think you are asking two questions. First, why does a trigger act like a trigger when in cycle? And second, why does a trigger not act like a trigger when out of cycle? The latter is easy: when you are out of cycle, assuming you are episodic, it's as if you did not have this condition. I'm sure something is still amiss in the 'ol hypothalamus but it doesn't cause a problem.

The second is harder. Since we don't really know what a CH is, we can't really know why somethings are "triggers" for an attack and others aren't.

There, that must clear up everything, huh? Sorry. Maybe someone else more sage in these things will come along. Blessings. lance

I'll use an example. I'm currently in a cycle which is off from my normal cycle. I drank 2 beers yesterday evening and was hit hard with a cluster. When I'm not cycling I can drink 10 beers of the same beer and not cluster. So then, why does the same thing trigger when in cycle, that does not trigger out of cycle.

clustersufferer, I love a nice cold frothie as well.
from what ive learnt, when we are in cycle, a beer or red wine will flair it up.
but when where not in cycle, no reaction.
so whatever causes or makes that adverse effect when we are in cycle is obviously dormant or abscent when not in cycle.  if you understand my laymans answer.
maybe if their was a definitive answer, it would help in the approach to finding a cure   ;D
listen, one thing about the reaction, is that its a good tester, to see if your in cycle or not.
either way, just enjoy your cold frothies when you can.
;D
colin

If only all questions were so easy!

Definition: triggers only operate to cause an attack when you are in an active cycle period. (Well, except when....)

Shift you attention to something simple: How to stop clilmate warming.

best wishes.

yeah I really hate that alcohol is almost always a trigger for a CH it sucks.  I'm 27 and I always get hit hard in the summer it blows.  I wanna go out and party with my buddies and throw back a few at the barbecue and play beer pong but I can't cause I get a headache.  Don't get me wrong I can have fun without drinking but I'm 27 I wanna have some fun and these damn things always ruin for me. >:(

Us good guys have our beer test, but how do non-drinkers know that their cycle has truly finished?

The thing with CH's is that we are all different, unless you are
a copy book CH sufferer, Spring, and Fall, if you don't fit into
this category, then this is when the Doc's and neuros start :question. It's the same with triggers, again we are all
different.
Some CH sufferers can drink alcohol, some can't.
Some can eat processed foods others can't.
some can cuddle there wife when wearing perfume
again others can't.
some can smell chemicals others can't.
So again we are all different as are CH's.
The only one that knows the answer to
this. "Is the Beast himself."

Hoppy.

Ultimately, until we know precisely why CHs happen and why some people experience them as cycles vs chronic it is unlikely we can explain triggers with any sense of certainty. Furthermore, why some things appear to triggers CH in some and not in others is another issue that demonstrates the complexity of this condition. Being neurological in origin, CH is rather difficult to study and understand, even for specialists, and what we do "know" are usually more guesswork at this moment than based on solid research and analysis.
Luckily for us, we have developed many successful treatments for this condition without a fundamental understanding of the underlying causes and mechanisms. However, this lack of understanding becomes painfully clear for those who have exhausted the usual treatment options with little success. We are learning more about the brain every day, and there is always the chance that the day will come when this disease is finally understood and more effective treatments can be developed.

...or, to be more concise, we just don't know ::)

Putting aside my smart-ass reply, #8 is really on target.

Until we understand the full complexity of Cluster, these subtle processes ("triggers") can only be intelligent guesses. And that triggers are not a universal set of factors for us, our effective knowledge is going to be limited, even changing.

Triggers are also confusing in that some like alcohol will always trigger a CH for those who have it as a trigger and yet for some other triggers, it may trigger a CH.

As for working out when a cycle is over when alcohol isn't a trigger I have just figured it out from watching the days between CH hits get longer and longer as the cycle fizzles out. In some ways I'd quite like to have a definitive test like the beer test.

Try the wine or liquor test if you can't take the beer test.

Am I the only one for whom alcohol is not always a trigger? If I can get through 3/4 a beer without it triggering a cluster, I am golden to drink more (unless of course I just happen to get one of my regularly-scheduled ones). I don't drink in cycle purely because it is quite rare for drinking to not trigger one, but could this be a result of my preventative, verapamil (720 mg)?

After years of suffering the immediate effects of alcohol I gave up drinking completely. It's just not worth the risk, especially with my cycle shifting around. They started moving around about 20 years ago. It was another year before I gave up drinking entirely because the benefit wasn't worth the pain. Then I found Verapamil and was pain free for about 16 years. No trigger strong enough -- year round, unless I accidentally skipped a dose, then BAM, no trigger needed. Triggers for some are constant and never changing when in cycle. For me, they've been a moving target at best. It's like the Benadryl commercial. You don't always know what hit you, but you're still in a mess until the medication kicks in. Hope this sheds a little light.

rep