Anyone fancy a party?
found a good excuse for one, 12 weeks long!!!

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:D

And here I was ready to bring the beer!

Interesting research.

What is quite surprising is how many "mind altering" drugs seem to impact CH with the list including LSD, magic mushrooms and now cocaine. It would hardly be surprising if there were more that had a similar effect, although what is interesting is that whilst most seem to act as preventives, cocaine is used as an abortive.

Then consider how probably the most consumed drug, alcohol, is a very common CH trigger and the incidence of CH in smokers is much higher than non-smokers.

I wonder what else will be found that acts as a CH preventive / abortive / trigger.

Mike NZ wrote, Then consider how probably the most consumed drug, alcohol, is a very common CH trigger and the incidence of CH in smokers is much higher than non-smokers.


From what I've read, cigarette smoking makes no difference if you smoke or not, but when it comes to a trigger in CH's!  Second hand smoke can be a trigger in some folk.

Hoppy

The capital of the cluster world is the hypothalmus. The hypothalmus is also the capital of the habits and addictions. To me, it stands to reason that Clusterheads would score a higher percent of smokers than the general population.
For me, a smoker, smoking has no affect one way or other on my attacks.

Hoppy wrote on Jun 11^th, 2016 at 5:53am:

From what I've read, cigarette smoking makes no difference if you smoke or not, but when it comes to a trigger in CH's!  Second hand smoke can be a trigger in some folk.

There are some very interesting links between smoking and CH.

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Cluster headache as the result of secondhand cigarette smoke exposure during childhood.
Headache. 2010 Jan;50(1):130-2. Rozen, TD

Quote:

Abstract Unique to cluster headache (CH) compared with all other primary headache conditions is its association with a personal history of cigarette smoking. Studies have indicated that greater than 80% of CH patients have a prolonged history of tobacco usage prior to CH onset. How tobacco exposure can lead to CH has not yet been elucidated. As secondhand smoke exposure during childhood has been linked to multiple medical illnesses could CH also be the result of childhood exposure to tobacco smoke? The United States Cluster Headache survey is the largest survey ever done of CH sufferers living in the United States. The survey addressed various clinical, epidemiologic, and economic issues related to CH. Several survey questions dealt with the issue of personal and parental smoking history. Results from the survey suggest that CH can result from secondhand cigarette smoke exposure during childhood as greater than 60% of non-smoking CH patients had parents who smoked. Strengthening the probable association between secondhand smoke exposure and the development of CH is the fact that double the number of survey responders developed CH at or before 20 years of age if during their childhood they lived with a parent who smoked cigarettes.

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Individuals with cluster headache appear to have a reduced risk of developing lung cancer from chronic cigarette smoking.
Headache. 2011 Jul-Aug;51(7):1174-6
Rozen, TD

No abstract available for this, but it is an amazing connection to make.

Influences of smoking and caffeine consumption on trigeminal pain processing.
J Headache Pain. 2014 Jun 13;15:39. doi: 10.1186/1129-2377-15-39.
Holle D, Heber A, Naegel S, Diener HC, Katsarava Z, Obermann M.

Quote:

Abstract BACKGROUND: Many human and animal studies have shown the influence of nicotine and caffeine on pain perception and processing. This study aims to investigate whether smoking or caffeine consumption influences trigeminal pain processing. METHODS: Sixty healthy subjects were investigated using simultaneous recordings of the nociceptive blink reflex (nBR) and pain related evoked potentials (PREP) following nociceptive electrical stimulation on both sides of the forehead (V1). Thirty subjects were investigated before and after smoking a cigarette, as well as before and after taking a tablet of 400 mg caffeine. RESULTS: After smoking PREP showed decreased N2 and P2 latencies indicating central facilitation at supraspinal (thalamic or cortical) level. PREP amplitudes were not changed. NBR showed a decreased area under the curve (AUC) indicating central inhibition at brainstem level. After caffeine intake no significant changes were observed comparing nBR and PREP results before consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking influences trigeminal pain processing on supraspinal and brainstem level. In the investigated setting, caffeine consumption does not significantly alter trigeminal pain processing. This observation might help in the further understanding of the pathophysiology of pain disorders that are associated with excessive smoking habits such as cluster headache. Previous smoking has to be taken into account when performing electrophysiological studies to avoid bias of study results.

This clearly suggests that it probably does not help with CH if you smoke.


BobG wrote on Jun 11^th, 2016 at 8:35am:

The capital of the cluster world is the hypothalmus. The hypothalmus is also the capital of the habits and addictions. To me, it stands to reason that Clusterheads would score a higher percent of smokers than the general population.

This is clearly backed up by this research:

Illicit drug use in cluster headache patients and in the general population: a comparative cross-sectional survey.
Cephalalgia. 2012 Oct;32(14):1031-40. doi: 10.1177/0333102412458190. Epub 2012 Sep 11.
Rossi P, Allena M, Tassorelli C, Sances G, Di Lorenzo C, Faroni JV, Nappi G.

Quote:

Abstract BACKGROUND: The rate of illicit drug use in cluster headache (CH) patients is unknown. METHODS: Two hundred and ten CH patients (162 males and 48 females) attending two headache clinics provided information about their lifetime use (once or more in their lifetime, LTU), recent use (once or more in the past year, RU), and current use (once or more in the past 30 days, CU) of illicit drugs. General population data (IPSAD®Italia2007-2008) served as the control group. RESULTS: LTU of each illicit drug but hallucinogens, RU of cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines and ecstasy, and CU of cannabis and cocaine were significantly higher in the male CH patients than in the general population, whereas no difference was found between the CH women and the controls. In the CH group, 28.5% of patients reported having used illicit drugs for the first time after CH onset and 71.5% before CH onset. Compared with the controls, the male CH group showed a greater prevalence both of lifetime sustained intensive use of any illicit drug and of current intensive use of cannabis. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that male CH patients are prone to overindulge in illicit drug use. This finding possibly reflects a common biological susceptibility that predisposes these subjects to CH and to addictive behaviour.

Mike, with respect, I think that last study you referenced is totally bogus. I neither drink, smoke, nor do illicit drugs, yet I've had CH for well over 40 years, yet within my lifetime, I have been a close acquantance of hundreds of people who indulge/overindulge in one, two, or all three of them, and I'm the only clusterhead. With the epidemic of drug use we have had in the States since the 60's, based on that study, we should have a major enough issue with CH to demand the attention of every medical facility in the country, yet we can't even be administered oxygen when we go to the ER.

Perhaps your experiences are different in NZ.  ::)

Jerry

Interestingly, Calico, I read the study exactly the opposite way round. Not that drug use leads to CH, rather that CH leads to drug use.

AussieBrian wrote on Jun 15^th, 2016 at 11:53pm:

Interestingly, Calico, I read the study exactly the opposite way round. Not that drug use leads to CH, rather that CH leads to drug use.

That is close to how I read it too. A damaged hypothalamus means we get CH but since the hypothalamus (as Bob pointed out) is also involved in addictions then it is unsurprising that there is a linkage between the two.

What I suspect is in the paper (the bit you need to pay to access) is the statistical analysis that shows that the correlation between people with CH and drug use is greater than you would expect to see by chance.

Yup...I'm with Bob too...as Helen used to say...it's a wonky hypo-thingy...

I am always leery of studies...it takes a freaking expert to first understand WHAT they are saying....IF there is any validity...AND under what circumstances. Read a few overviews by Batch and you'll
be very careful what you take from ANY of them..............

For instance...the cigarette smoke (direct/indirect) history of clusterheads. It is nearly pointless to
correlate parent smoking to clusterheadness (new word ;) ) for my generation. My Father smoked...he was gone 6 yrs before I became a clusterhead...HOWEVER...even if he didn't..in my childhood...and even until recently...the number of smokers was much higher...and second hand smoke unregulated and everywhere. So I was exposed anyway...as were most baby boomers....

I would be interested in CH stats for Asian countries.... where smoker percentage is (or was) MUCH higher. Betcha whether ya smoke or not is minimally causal re CH..........tis more likely the other way around.

I can see that the statistics suggest we CHeads are a little more likely to be smokers or use illicit drugs than are an average of the population, and our wonky hypothingummy points us in this direction.

It's interesting to note, however, that many of these horrible and illegal drugs are showing us the promise of hope.

What the statistics don't explain is how every one of our lady CHeads and Supporters is so stunningly beautiful.

I may very well have misunderstood the study. I'm with Jon in mistrusting many of them, anyway. Most go into it with a preconceived notion and data is manipulated to say what they want it to say.

Most clusterheads that I know who use/have used illicit drugs recreationally did so before the onset of CH. Those I know who use them post CH primarily use them to combat it, i.e. shrooms, LSD.

Jerry

Brian - I thought that was barmaids ???  ;D

Callico wrote on Jun 16^th, 2016 at 12:44pm:

I may very well have misunderstood the study. I'm with Jon in mistrusting many of them, anyway. Most go into it with a preconceived notion and data is manipulated to say what they want it to say. Jerry

Some professors, scientists, researcher, etc must be "published" regularly as part of their job/ pay checks. It brings in big $$'s to universities, manufacturers.
63%' no, 72%, wait, 79, 88%, yeah 88% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

And there's a 98% odds that all statistics are made up in Vegas.. right Bob? :-*

BobG wrote on Jun 17^th, 2016 at 8:52am:

Callico wrote on Jun 16th, 2016 at 12:44pm: I may very well have misunderstood the study. I'm with Jon in mistrusting many of them, anyway. Most go into it with a preconceived notion and data is manipulated to say what they want it to say. Jerry Some professors, scientists, researcher, etc must be "published" regularly as part of their job/ pay checks. It brings in big $$'s to universities, manufacturers. 63%' no, 72%, wait, 79, 88%, yeah 88% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

Bob...I am 94% certain that you are 47% correct...within 2 standard deviations....and I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today! .................