I have been a CH sufferer for 24 years. Each time I start a new cycle (currently every 3 - 5 years) I visit the doctors but they  never seem to know anything about CH so I don't get appropriate treatment. This time I prewarned my doctor that I was coming about CH and he had obviously done a bit of research. I was prescribed Zomig nasal spray which Zolmitriptan. It is fantastic and stops the attack within about 10  minutes of using it! However, since I have been taking it (around 4 days now - and I dont use if for every attack as it can only be used twice in 24 hours) I seem to be getting more attacks (I was getting 1 - 2 every 24 hours an am now getting 4 - 6) and some are more intense. Does anybody know if this is a potential effect of using Zomig? (It could of course just be coincidence?

Also does anybody know anything about the effectivenes of using melatonin before sleeping?

Hello Carole, and welcome. You have certainly been getting the run around from your doctors, and you are not getting the best treatment for CHs. Let's start with needing a preventative. Verapamil is the most common although there are others. Normal prescriptive range for use as a blood pressure medicine is up to 240mg/day. Many of us need as much as 960mg/day to control CHs. Then there is the Vitamin D3 regimen. Look for it on the posts. It is showing some amazing results for some clusterheads.

The second thing is to have a decent abortive. Zomig never helped me, nor will any of the triptan pills. Imitrex (Sumatriptan) injectors are the way to go. And pure O2 delivered through a nonrebreather mask at 15lpm or more is the fastest and best abortive. See the link at left.

There's more but you'll do yourself a favor by taking the time to read past posts and searching the site. Good luck and God bless. lance

Our experience fromUK folks suggests that doctors have little useful training/experience dealing with complex headache disorders.

You have an excellent support group which can help you learn about local sources of care. I understand that you have a legal right to by-pass your local doc and move to a headache clinic. Worth exploring with the group:

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Welcome Carole! As stated previously, there are many treatments that can help with CH and other headache disorders falling under trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias (TACs). Get in-touch of a good headache specialist if possible, and if they don't work out move on to the next until you find someone that helps you.

In your previous post you mentioned that you use melatonin and that it seemed to stop the cluster/cycle. It does help some people, but there are treatments which are more widely effective for CH victims. O2 is huge and works for most including me. Vitamin D3 is effective in some improvement or even effecting pain-free in 80%. It doesn't work for me, but 80% is a good chance.

I have used melatonin in the past and it decreases the attack frequency for me, though it increases some of my other case specific symptoms.

Keep moving forward! There is a lot of help available.

Carole wrote, Also does anybody know anything about the effectivenes of using melatonin before sleeping?

Hi Carole and welcome,
Yes, Melatonin is known to help you get through the night
without those wake up calls, you need to take 10-15mg
before going to bed, seeing you live in the UK you will need
to buy them online. I get mine online from Biovea.

Hoppy.