Alright..new member,,noob i guess :D

There was a forum i was a member of years and years ago,didn`t post much...can`t remember the forum name now..lol

Ok....about me..i started getting headaches at about 16 years old..doctor had no idea,did all the tests and was told it was migranes which started every year, for 6 weeks ,beginning March 15th almost to the day..

took the doctor about 10 years to see the trend,,and finally discovered i had cluster headaches,didn`t help me though,she still had no idea what to do..tylenol3 in large lots and see you next year for more test,xrays etc..

So..computer age and the web shows up...so i start searching,find a forum on this..and discover imitrex ..

Doctor had no idea but made some calls,,did a stress test and prescribed it..it did help..but i was getting at leat 5 headaches a day for 6 weeks and she wouldn`t let me take 6 nazal sprays a day.......so..tylrnol3 and tough it out i guess..

So here`s the question,don`t laugh..

What i found 4 years ago,,was that when i get my first headache of the season..which usually goes away quickly then comes back with a vengence 2 weeks later,almost like a warning that my life is about to end.....is this..

4years ago i was drinking a Monster Energy drink,,the green ones,i liked them....the headache went away???

So every time the headaches started i drank one can,the headache went away..i had a pile of imitrex and tylenol3 and didn`t use them..i thought this is just a coincidence..

Nope.....every time i get my pre-cursor headache (that`s what i call it)  i buy some Monster drinks and stay on them..i still feel the pressure or slight headache for the 6 weeks..then they are gone :)

wife thought i was nuts...but 4 years of keeping them at bay is no joke..if i stop drinking the energy drink in that 6 weeks or so time the headaches return..and all it takes is a can or 2 and they subside..

Like i said...no laughing..

So..what`s in it that helps me..cafeine and niacin are 2 things..


If i could just take the ingredients that help me and not drink this foolishness would be nice..scared to try other energy drinks since this works..

So now i`m an energy drink junky for 6 weeks a year,,better han imitrex i think..

Brian

Oh......re-reading my post i have to add...

no i don`t drink 6 cans a day of the Monster drinks..i drink one in the morning when i get up ..as i`ve learned the hard way that`s the time i need to..or else..

I drink another usually an hour before bedtime..if i don`t i`m up in an hour with a headache that imitrex barely controls...

So unless i`m having a nasty day..2 cans does it..i can only remember having 3 cans once and that was when i was stupid enough to think i didn`t need to keep drinking them till the pressure or slight headache went away completely the 6-8 weeks later..usually 6 weeks..

B

Techforlife:

You're not crazy - energy drinks are a commonly-used abortive for CH.  Something about the caffiene/taurine mix does wonders for an attack. 

The general consensus around here is that you need to pound down a cold energy drink at the first onset of a headache.  A lot of us keep a supply of energy drinks in the home fridge, office fridge, car, briefcase etc. in case of emergency.

Since you seem to be new to the site, I would also HIGHLY suggest you look at high-flow oxygen as another abortive treatment.  Oxygen has been making a huge difference in the lives of CH patients.  There is a tab to the left highlighted in yellow that has all the relevant info you need to get set up. 

Take care,
Ken

Techforlife,

I never tried it myself, but plenty of people here say it works for them if it's wolfed down quickly at the first sign of an attack.

So it's not a crazy idea at all.

Incidentally, I have 4 cans in the fridge. I'll try one sometime when I need to.

Peter.

Hi Brian,
If the energy drink your guzzling contains Taurine, then
that's the ingredient that's helping keeping your CH's at
bay. You can buy Taurine from your health food store in
500mg capsules, you need to get the the ones that
contain powder Taurine, and take 2000-4000mg
over the course of a day.

Cheers, Hoppy.

The energy drinks that work all have caffeine and taurine as ingredients.

Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, just like oxygen, so that is a potential mode of action. Taurine is a calcium channel antagonist, just like verapamil which is a good preventive.

The carbonation (the fizzy bit) will help make the contents be absorbed quicker too.

So whilst this isn't a formal proof by any means, it shows there are grounds for explaining why an energy drink can help.

Well.i thought someone would ban me from this site for suggesting the energy drinks even work,,lol

it is nice to know i`m not nuts,,so i`ll keep the drinks nearby,,i also see i have a pile of reading to do here too..alot of good info..the anti-inflam dosages i quickly read and vit d3 was really interesting,i had always thought low vit d might be an underlying issue..

I`ve always had an inflammation issue,,i`ve tried some anti inflammatories with a little success..

Well thank you all.i appreciate it,,i need to research more,seems everytime i decide to search alittle i find new ideas and possible treatments..

without these forums i`d still be just using tylenol3 and not known about imitrex...

B

Forget the tylanol. Pain killers work on the nerve endings and as Ch is a primary headache, which means it's the nerve it's self which is hurting, so there are no nerve endings for the painkillers to work on. Not even morphine will have much effect.

Taking lots of pain killers ( done it myself in the early days) will just cost money and risk stomach problems. Imitrex is a vasoconstrictor (as is oxygen if used correctly) and the injections will work better than the pills or nasal spray, killing off a big one in about 5 minutes.

maz wrote on Mar 14^th, 2015 at 8:26am:

Forget the tylanol. Pain killers work on the nerve endings and as Ch is a primary headache, which means it's the nerve it's self which is hurting, so there are no nerve endings for the painkillers to work on. Not even morphine will have much effect. Taking lots of pain killers ( done it myself in the early days) will just cost money and risk stomach problems. Imitrex is a vasoconstrictor (as is oxygen if used correctly) and the injections will work better than the pills or nasal spray, killing off a big one in about 5 minutes.

Thanks Maz....tylenol3 never did help much,,and taking the ammount i was taking coluld never be healthy..not sure the energy drinks are a good thing either,but better than the pain killers.i have a pile of imitrex going out of date as we speak and the tylenol3 is nice for the occasional "normal" headache when i need it..

i`m reading up on treatments here...i`ve got alot of catching up to do,wish i`d kept with the internet search i started years ago......i would have been farther ahead than where i am now..

one thing i have to say about the energy drinks...when it hits March and i know the headaches are coming.i don`t have that big gloom come over me like life is going to end for the next 6-8 weeks...about 2 months with no sleep and no real life was nothing to look forward to,,my poor wife felt helpless watching her hubby go through something she could only guess on how painfull it was..

B

No, the energy drinks are not really good for you, but neither is the repeated stress that all that pain will cause. Not conducive to sleep either, but then if you are going to be awake anyway, and in serious pain you have nothing to lose. I would choose to be "hyper" and full of sugar any day.

My imitrex injections have also gone out of date, but they still work fine. Keep hold of the tylanol for "normal" headaches. My favourite kind.

Our supporters are wonderful people. My husband too has felt helpless and I often think it's worse for those who have to watch than it is for the sufferer.I don't think I could bear to see one of my loved ones in the same state I have been in on occasions. Even watching a clip on you tube makes me cry.

Keep reading here. You will soon learn all there is to know - except what, where, why, how and when. But you will learn the best, tried and tested methods there are, to live with this thing in our heads.
Maz.

Energy drinks work great in a pinch.. Read up on the D3 regimen. It's working great for so many of us. Some have been PF for years using it.  (me, since Oct 21st 2013 after being chronic since 1997).

Best advice any of us can give you here is READ READ READ... there's years of research on this site and we've all been there and know and understand. We're here for ya..

Let us know how you're doing..  :-*

BarbaraD wrote on Mar 17^th, 2015 at 6:36am:

Best advice any of us can give you here is READ READ READ...

And ask all the questions you can think of too.