I found this site today.Also got diagnosed today.I've been having these headaches off and on.since 2008.But over the last four months,they are getting worse and worse.I've considered taking my own life,but I'm trying to hang in there.I only learned about cluster headaches a week ago.What I read matched my symptoms exactly.Before I learned about cluster headaches,I figured I had a brain tumor the size of a baseball.Had a CAT scan 4 years ago,nothing.Had another at the ER recently,nothing.Finally saw the neurologist today,all my symptoms matched cluster headaches.I suffer from mild paranoid schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder.This on top of that makes me want to blow my brains out.This is the weirdest part,over the years,I have been able to stop the headache with one thing,aspirin,and only aspirin.Nothing else has ever worked.Narcotics have only made my headaches worse.I can handle the day,but the night..I can't sleep anymore.I sleep 3 and a half hours,awake in agony.The headaches are the worst pain I've experienced.Breathing rapidly,groaning,violently clawing at my bed and my flesh,kicking my legs.I stopped doing that for the most part.Now I enter an altered state of consciousness,and smoke.I take 3 aspirin.With aspirin,it never lasts more than 30 minutes.Without aspirin,it just keeps going,but I've never let it go longer than an hour.After the first headache,I sleep 1 hour,get a stronger headache.Take aspirin,wait 30 minutes,go back to sleep.Sleep one more hour,third headache.This is usually the strongest one.Aspirin,30 minutes,I go back to sleep and usually do not get a fourth.Alot of suicidal thoughts.I have some new medication to try tonight,verapamil.I also got six doses of Sumatriptan nasal spray.My insurance will only cover 6 doses a month.Everything is dark now,my life is a living hell,and I don't even have it as bad as most of you guys.With my psychiatric illness,lack of sleep is making me pretty unstable.Last 2 nights I've just slept until I get the first one,then gotten up and stayed up.I hope to god these new meds will do me some good.This post was very long,I apologize about that.My life is falling apart

Jeramy,
I"ve been exactly were you are right now I"ve had these sense I was 17 now almost 52 was chronic for around 10 yrs.A lot of people will tell you asprin will not work but what ever works for you do it.What you should do is read up on Vitamin D3 it"s in the medication section please read alot other people will probably chime in and give there opinions try to stay positive and read read read.

Mark. 

G'day Jeramy, welcome home, and many of us know only too well the dark and scarey place you're in.

It's horrible, I know, but the good news is that we have only good news to tell you.

We've got heaps of information here on different ways of attacking this monster which means you can get back in control of it. There's no cure, for sure, but we can dinkum give this beast a run for its money.

Some of our little tricks involve beating individual headaches while other bits of our artillery try to lessen the number or intensity of the attacks.

Stick with us because we're here to help,

Brian down under.

Hi Jeramy and welcome, sorry you had to find us.
I've only read of one other sufferer finding relief with soluble aspirin in a large dosage, but the good news is, the vitamin D regimen has since kept him pain free, so do look into it, you can find all the information here, also, check with your doc about getting oxygen to abort those attacks, in the meantime grab some Red Bull the one with Taurine and at the first sign of the beast slug one down, this is known to abort the beast in lots of folk.

Cheers Hoppy

Hi Jeramy,
Welcome to CH.com. Sorry that you've had to come here, but glad you did.
For a quick relief, some people take a high cafeine drink at the onset of an attack, either a strong coffee or an energy drink such as red bull, monster, or the likes.
Also take a read about oxygen info, -yellow tab on the left of your screen-, get yourself some oxygen as quick as you can, it works better the sooner you start inhaling it at a minimum of 15 litres/minute, 25 L/min is better, when an attack starts. Until you get the oxygen, when you start feeling the shadows (shadows is the feeling you get in your head when you know an attack is about to start) hyperventilate like hell, give it all you have, if you can do it outside, it's even better. I remenber it used to work for me, it diminished the intensity of an attack, or delayed it, or sometimes would make it go away.
Hoppy above mentioned taking Vitamin D3, There are a lot of people on this forum that take what is called the "Batch D3 regimen", this regimen of high dose vitamin D3 is successfully working at making 100's of us pain free.
You can read this thread about it on the "medication, treatments, therapies thread", look for "123 days pain free and i think i know why" topic, there is alot of reading there but it's worth it and i know it's probably not easy for you to read a lot at the moment, just take in what you can.


The person who came up with the idea of taking a high dose of Vit D3 is called Batch, he will likely see your post and get in contact with you, otherwise, if you wish, you can send him a private message. You can do this by clicking on his name -Batch-, this will bring you to his profile and you will see an option for "send private message".
Batch is an amazing guy who has helped  a countless amount of us and seems to always be willing to share with care.

Regardless of what is going to happen to you next around your headaches, CH.com is a place where people care and know what you are going through because we have all been there too, some of us still are in pain, some of us are now pain free. CH.com is the single best place for you to find info about your Cluster Headaches, the collective knowledge is amazing and the most comprehensive on this planet.
Stick around and hopefully we can help. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
This place is your silver lining.

All the best

Welcome to the board, Jeramy.
Aspirin is usually not used against cluster headaches. But, if it works for you go for it.
As others said, energy drinks (I use 5 Hour Energy) at the first feeling of pain can help kill it. The drink needs caffeine and taurine.
If you need to go back to sleep after an attack try it sitting up or slightly reclined, not laying flat.

Jeremy,

Welcome. All the advice you have received is excellent. I would suggest that you concentrate firstly on getting Oxygen at home as soon as possible. It will help you control the beast and get you back into a more regular sleep pattern.

If you can do that then the whole roller coaster ride of CH becomes more manageable.

Then read up everything you can here on D3, as advised by others. Ask lots of questions. This is something you can deal with, once you have the tools.

Keep us posted and best of luck.

Peter.

Thanks alot guys,I really do appreciate it.I very much appreciate the advice.The vitamin D3 thing is quite interesting.My diet is poor,and I don't take vitamins.I will get right on that.I will see my neurologist again soon,I will ask for the oxygen.It's kinda funny you mention energy drinks,I drink Monster,I was wondering to myself if it might be a trigger.I guess not.Yeah,I know the aspirin thing is weird,it's not supposed to help.I guess if you really believe in something,that alone can help.It's all I've had.I'll try to go back to sleep inclined.I have much reading to do.Thank you very much for all the advice,I really appreciate that

dring a monster real quick when you get the first hint that an attack is about to happen.
take a look at the thread "D3 - flushed face, red nose" for more about the D3 regimen.
All the best

Jeramy...re the energy drink. What worked best for me was to limit use to ONLY as an abortive....really cold....and really fast.....


If you drink it and/or other caffeine during the day between hits...the body gets used to what is your "normal" and you don't get the "big bang" effect we're looking for.....

I also noticed that caffeine at the "wrong" time was a trigger...for me...it's kind of a juggling act...and we're all different...but you might want to try some tweaks and see if it helps.........

Best

Jon

Jeramy,

Welcome to the forum, I like you have only recently been diagnosed. I have found great support and advice on this site.

For me O2 and Zomig are great to stop a CH in its tracks. None of the preventative medications have worked. I have started Batch's D3 regime in the past few weeks, bit early to tell if it working as my D3 levels were low before I started, however I am very hopeful.

Stay Positive.

Con