I've suffered from these evil cluster headaches for over 7 years now.  I've been to the doctor many times and because I'm a truck driver I cannot take some of the medication that would help.  So basicly I've had to use bottles and bottles of ibuprofin for my headaches.  The problem though is that I get reoccuring ulcers and ibuprofin when taken for days stops being effective.  enough of my story.  I saw a talk show where the guy that created "sinus buster" told his story of having clusters.  this stuff is made from Capsicum which is the main ingredient in hot peppers.  I ordered a bottle from his website and got it 2 days ago.  It actually works and does so within 5 minutes.  It's a nasal spray and it does burn but not as bad as you would think. A small price to pay when you feel like your eye is going to pop out of your head.  you guys know what i'm talkin about.  My headaches occur above my right eye so I sniff it up my right nostril.  I burns moderately for about 30 seconds.  Once the initial burns subsides I sniff another dose as far back as I can which is not far because of the burn.  But immediatley after the second sniff the burning begins go away I guess because of the Eucalyptol, peppermint numbs the area a bit.  Within 2 minutes after taking the first does my nasal passage opens up and I'd say 50-60 percent of the headache pain goes away.  I take one more dose up my nostril and this time you are able sniff much farther back because it doesn't burn very much at all and your nasal cavity is opened up more.  Within 30 seconds my headache is completely gone and stays gone for at least 3 hours.  I get chronic cluster headaches that last all day sometimes so for you luckier people 3 sniffs from this stuff would last all day or until your next one.  The stuff is called Sinus Buster "headache formula."  It really does work and now I don't wait 45 agonizing minutes for my Ibuprofin to kick in.
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Here we go again...

Redd wrote on May 26^th, 2008 at 1:02pm:

Here we go again...

I'm being serious

Hi Clusterhell,

I'm glad to hear SinusBuster works for your pain.  However no one around here has found relief for their cluster attacks from it.  Many have tried.

Search around.  The threads are easy enough to find.

-Dennis-

DennisM1045 wrote on May 26^th, 2008 at 1:23pm:

Hi Clusterhell, I'm glad to hear SinusBuster works for your pain.  However no one around here has found relief for their cluster attacks from it.  Many have tried. Search around.  The threads are easy enough to find. -Dennis-

thats what I did after the first post stated "here we go again" and I found nothing about sinus buster or the ingredients.  thats quite amazing to here because my headaches are extremely painful.  So I would think it would have to work for some.  I'm in utter amazment how well it works so maybe it's really God helping my pain.  It could be the way people are doing it.  I wait a bit before sniff additional doses because when i first tried it by sniffing 3 doses at once it burned too much for me to get it all the way up my nose.

I hear ya.  Waiting 45 minutes for the advil to kick in SUCKS!!!!!!

U think eating a taco with hot sauce on it would help too?

BMoneeTheMoneeMan wrote on May 26^th, 2008 at 1:29pm:

I hear ya.  Waiting 45 minutes for the advil to kick in SUCKS!!!!!! U think eating a taco with hot sauce on it would help too?

I put frozen water bottles on my eye in hopes that my eye ball will freeze and thus my pain might go away.  maybe next time i'll try snorting a habanero pepper

I think you'd have even better luck with proven CH treatments, like oxygen, or triptans.

Oleocapsium is showing a lot of promise as a pain reliever. There are ongoing studies trying to  figure out exactly how it interacts with the brains chemicals to block pain. They are doing knee surgeries without any pain killers, after the anesthesia wears off, by packing the knee joint with one of the extracts of oleocapsium.

That being said, we haven't seen much success with the sinus buster treatment. When someone comes to the board, and their first post upon meeting us all is a testimonial to sinusbuster, our first thought is another salesperson. We get a lot of those here offering berries from the congo, mangosteen juice from who knows where, all offering instant relief to our CH pain. We are mean to them and we chase them away.

If you are truly a CH sufferer, and have found relief using sinusbuster, stick with it. I'm one of those who believes that in the future, this pepper spray will prove to be something beneficial, just not in it's current form! Do stay around and let us know whether or not it's effective long term. Wishing you luck and some pain free time.

Guiseppi

clusterhell wrote on May 26^th, 2008 at 1:28pm:

DennisM1045 wrote on May 26th, 2008 at 1:23pm: Hi Clusterhell, I'm glad to hear SinusBuster works for your pain.  However no one around here has found relief for their cluster attacks from it.  Many have tried. Search around.  The threads are easy enough to find. -Dennis- thats what I did after the first post stated "here we go again" and I found nothing about sinus buster or the ingredients.

Here is a pretty typical example.

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-Dennis-

What actual medical remedies have you tried? And what can't you use owing to your profession? I can't think of a single prescribable cluster med that I've tried which has prevented me driving. Hopefully we can give you some help here!

Help from God and Sinus Buster. This really sounds familiar.

wrote on May 26^th, 2008 at 2:07pm:

What actual medical remedies have you tried? And what can't you use owing to your profession? I can't think of a single prescribable cluster med that I've tried which has prevented me driving. Hopefully we can give you some help here!

deprakote, lithium and such are not DOT aproved for driving commercial motor vehicles.  For right right now Sinus Buster is working despite all the odds.

DennisM1045 wrote on May 26^th, 2008 at 1:54pm:

clusterhell wrote on May 26th, 2008 at 1:28pm: [quote author=725358585F457B07060203360 link=1211820885/0#3 date=1211822611]Hi Clusterhell, I'm glad to hear SinusBuster works for your pain.  However no one around here has found relief for their cluster attacks from it.  Many have tried. Search around.  The threads are easy enough to find. -Dennis- thats what I did after the first post stated "here we go again" and I found nothing about sinus buster or the ingredients.

Here is a pretty typical example.

START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

-Dennis-
[/quote

doesn't sound so bad

Guiseppi wrote on May 26^th, 2008 at 1:46pm:

Oleocapsium is showing a lot of promise as a pain reliever. There are ongoing studies trying to  figure out exactly how it interacts with the brains chemicals to block pain. They are doing knee surgeries without any pain killers, after the anesthesia wears off, by packing the knee joint with one of the extracts of oleocapsium. That being said, we haven't seen much success with the sinus buster treatment. When someone comes to the board, and their first post upon meeting us all is a testimonial to sinusbuster, our first thought is another salesperson. We get a lot of those here offering berries from the congo, mangosteen juice from who knows where, all offering instant relief to our CH pain. We are mean to them and we chase them away. If you are truly a CH sufferer, and have found relief using sinusbuster, stick with it. I'm one of those who believes that in the future, this pepper spray will prove to be something beneficial, just not in it's current form! Do stay around and let us know whether or not it's effective long term. Wishing you luck and some pain free time. Guiseppi

didn't mean to sound like a sales pitch, i'm just happy right now that something is working

Depakote and Lithium are both not first choices.

The normal first line preventative is verapamil and I see no mention of abortives. Sinus buster will NOT prevent attacks, at most it could be termed an abortive, acting on a hit and not the cycle (although I have to be honest and say no one I know of here, bar new posters, have ever had "success" with it)

Abortives are medications such as triptans or O2 for example. What if any of those have you tried? All are prefectly safe for driving.

We have many people here who drive daily, we have many who drive for a living. It is possible with proper meds and I have to add as well that if you think ibuprofen is rotting your stomach, what do you think the sinus buster will do to the parts it can reach?!!

wrote on May 26^th, 2008 at 2:30pm:

Depakote and Lithium are both not first choices. The normal first line preventative is verapamil and I see no mention of abortives. Sinus buster will NOT prevent attacks, at most it could be termed an abortive, acting on a hit and not the cycle (although I have to be honest and say no one I know of here, bar new posters, have ever had "success" with it) Abortives are medications such as triptans or O2 for example. What if any of those have you tried? All are prefectly safe for driving. We have many people here who drive daily, we have many who drive for a living. It is possible with proper meds and I have to add as well that if you think ibuprofen is rotting your stomach, what do you think the sinus buster will do to the parts it can reach?!!

are you suggesting that sinus buster is going to bust more than my headaches? do you need a prescription for verapamil?

LOL I meant it will be corrosive thats all! Yes you do need a prescription for verapamil but it's a very ceap drug, it's not one of the hugely expensive ones.

Let's go back to basics though first and start again because I want to ask some more basic questions if thats okay with you? It will help with the advice we can give.

Also, please bear with us, the board has changed format today and we're all adjusting to the new functions so bear with is!

Right where was I?

I saw you have suffered for seven years. Atre you chronic or episodic? Are you aware of the difference? Please don't be offended at my questions, I'm not patronising you, I want to help as best I can.

If you are episodic how long do your cycles last?
How may attacks a day/week do you have on average?
How long do they last?
Do you have them more during the day or at night?

I know it seems like I am a nosey old bat (that's cos I am!) but it all influences the things that are the best options for you.

Hang in there!

Helen

well I believe i'm more chronic than episodic because I rarely go a week or two between cluster periods.  the cluster periods last typically two to three weeks and during these periods my headaches can last all day and night ranging in severity.  literally two weeks on and one to two weeks off.  not much of a break but technically episodic.  during the periods I get them every day at the same time.  sometimes the clusters occur at night at bedtime and additionally when I wake.  in between cluster periods they still occur but not every day.

okay I'm getting allsorts of warning bells here now.

From what you have said, it sounds more like hemicrania continua than cluster headaches.

Did you get diagnosed by a headache specialist neuroogist? The reason I ask is that there are over 600 headache types with many, many over-lapping symptoms. It really does take an expert to diagnose and not a family GP or a neuro who's speciality is anything other than HA's.

I am NO specialist and I'm not presuming to diagnose. Merely to hopefully help with info you can discuss with your doctor.

Hemicrania Continua is a constant headache (bad) with spikes of greater intensity which closely resemble cluster headaches in description.

CH tends to be an attack which lasts usually, up to two hours without treatment. We can have what we call "shadows" but we don't describe them as an all day attack, hence my thoughts re Hemicrania Continua. You're ticking alot of boxes for that one.

One thing about hemicrania continua which is good is that it's very responsive to a drug called Indomethacin which is an nsaid. Although it's prescribable and not OTC it's very cheap. You should take it with something to protect your stomach though.

It's worth a try, at worst, you dont have HC and it won't help. At best, you have found your magic bullet.

The best bit is, within a couple of weeks it should be blocking the vast majority, if not all of your attacks so hopefully, it's worth a try!

Let us know how you get on regardless or also, any other symptoms or concerns you have.

We WILL try to help!!

Helen

well from what I understand one of the tell tale signs of cluster headaches has to do with these on/off time periods and also that they reoccur at the same time daily/nightly for the cluster period.  It was a doctor that first diagnosed me but also my own research.  what is odd to me is that the frequency and severity of my headaches is ever changing.  When I first started getting these headaches they did seem to be triggered by Spring/Fall and not so much during the Summer/Winter.  But there has been a progression into a much more frequent headache.  I think I started episodic and with a shift toward chronic.

I'm not saying I'm right, you're wrong or anything else - just trying to help with other suggestions. These are all types of headaches from a group called TACS, Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias. Symptoms do cross as they are all so similar and one of the most insidious things is how they do morph.

However, we CAN use this to our advantage in that while meds that previously worked now don't the reverse can also be true. Never be afraid or too cynical to re try a med. Your receptiveness could just have changed along with your pattern. We are all learning all the time, us patients right the way up to the "experts"

Only fools think they know it all!

My advice is to read, read, read and read some more.

Join OUCH, there is a wealth of info there too.

Read all the old threads (not in one go!) on here and ask questions as often as you want. The golden rule applies, if you want to know something, chances are that someone who WON'T ask will too!

Wishing you pain free time

Helen

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I drove commercially for several years while using Verap and Lithium in combination.  DOT does not proscribe Lithium.

Sinus Buster works on the principle that the brain cannot recognize two overarching pains at one time, hence the pepper burn will overshadow the CH until the brain does not recognize it.  At least, that is my laymen's understanding of what I believe to be a worthless product developed to take advantage of our desperation.

Jerry

Callico wrote on May 26^th, 2008 at 3:28pm:

I drove commercially for several years while using Verap and Lithium in combination.  DOT does not proscribe Lithium. Sinus Buster works on the principle that the brain cannot recognize two overarching pains at one time, hence the pepper burn will overshadow the CH until the brain does not recognize it.  At least, that is my laymen's understanding of what I believe to be a worthless product developed to take advantage of our desperation. Jerry

well i'm definitley gonna look into verapamil.  as far as the pepper tricking my brain thing I would agree with that except that for what ever reason when the pepper burns wears off my headache stays gone.  Am I the only one that this stuff is working for?

So inducing pain to myself I'll get relief from my CH? As I said in one of my first posts, I was in so much pain from my beast, that I got myself to breaking a finger, which didn't do much, but to silence the headache for 6 seconds.

Also, someone said something about a kneecap surgery. They do not stand a chance against the CH pain. I've been shot, didn't hurt that much. I had a doctor pull out a nail from my shoulder (it was deep inside the bone itself) with no anastethic whatsoever - doesn't hurt that much.

I don't think that sniffing peppers will make me feel good. I love my triptans, my Red Bulls and a strong, black coffee in the morning. Soon I'll love my O2 NRB set.

Well, if the stuff works, why chuck money at an overpriced commercial product?  It's just diluted pepper juice and water.  

Get some sterile saline solution and capsaicin if you're squeamish, or distilled water and hot-pepper juice if you're not, and make your own.  

You can even experiment around with the concentration--make a luke-warm salsa for the little tiddling headaches, and a thermonuclear mash of death-by-chili-peppers for the bad ones.

Or is there something "special" about this particular product?  

George    

clusterhell wrote on May 26^th, 2008 at 4:01pm:

Am I the only one that this stuff is working for?

>:(

If it's working for you great, but, as you've seen, we get repeated efforts
by the purveyors of this crap to tout this as a cluster remedy and I'm sorry, the feedback is very consistent, it just isn't.

The Sinus Buster guys are ultimate sleazes and have tried to position themselves as being on the lookout for snake oil salesmen. Like the wolf watching the flock. Sleazes.

Scott

seasonalboomer wrote on May 29^th, 2008 at 9:22am:

clusterhell wrote on May 26th, 2008 at 4:01pm: Am I the only one that this stuff is working for? >:( If it's working for you great, but, as you've seen, we get repeated efforts by the purveyors of this crap to tout this as a cluster remedy and I'm sorry, the feedback is very consistent, it just isn't. The Sinus Buster guys are ultimate sleazes and have tried to position themselves as being on the lookout for snake oil salesmen. Like the wolf watching the flock. Sleazes. Scott

I agree that the Sinus Buster people are A-holes for promoting their product the way they do.  However, I saw the creator on a talk show and either his story was genuine or a genius con.  Either way this stuff is truly working for me.  My headaches are typically an 8 on the Kip scale. I've done some home work on Capsicum and it doesn't just trick the brain it actually has been shown to reduce swelling.  Even after the pepper wears off my nasal passages open up and I breath easier and the headaches fade. So why just me????? I apologize to all of you for even talking about this.  I am not trying to promote this stuff.  

Well you certainly don't sound like a salesman to me. And as I mentioned in my earlier post, there are a lot of ongoing studies with oleocapsiun as a pain killer. Not just as something that "hurts more then your CH" but as a chemical that interacts with your "pain chemicals" in your brain. I've read a couple of the studies but that's as technical an explanation as I'm able to give. I really believe there will eventually be a form of this stuff that will be an option for CH relief.

As Lelimey said, try not to let anything said here get personal. We toss lots of ideas around, shooting many down, building amny others up. It's how we all learn. Stay open minded, (even if it occasionally appears others her aren't!) Most here will do anything they can to help another CH'er get relief. Wishing you some pain free time soon.

Guiseppi

if i understood right you're taking kinda pepperspray nasally for hortons.
i wouldn't do it, but i think there is a wisdom here.
i've been eating hot peppers for years (habaneros and scotch bonnets are my favorites) and i like them quite hot. tormenting sometimes.

anyway, 2 years ago i had a major CH period (had it since -94).
i decided to get active about it.
i took pictures of myself during sessions and tried al kinds of alternative
medication.
i also ate fiery food almost daily, especially when shadowing and right after attacks.
can't say that it helped the actual pain much, but maybe it made me a little fighter.
with hot food you like to push the limits.
so i started teasing the pain with chilis, smoking and moving.
tryin to do things while in extreme pain.
even eating hard bread.
must sound quite masochistic and maybe it is, but
it helped me trough the period mentally coz the pain was really bad.
plus chili takes away the discusting taste of my imigran spray.

imigran works for me 50/50 and is way too expensive around here.

m

Damn M, I thought I played with pain, but you put me to shame.

I run naked without drugs and play with the pain of my hits...but to add Scotch Bonnets for fun, you da man!!!

clusterhell wrote on May 29^th, 2008 at 10:00am:

However, I saw the creator on a talk show and either his story was genuine or a genius con.

I'll choose (b.), minus the "genius".

As I said, if it is working for you, great. I'm going with the feedback I've heard from a lot of other posters here that have also tried it that it offered them little REAL help.

Scott

conman or not.
personally i wouldn't inhale capsaicin.
it must burn like hell.
if it comes down your throat afterwards like triptan sprays..
can't even think.

maybe snorting slushy laboratorysand with a special slushsnortex headache roll would "cool" the pain down? who knows?

i have prettymuch come to a conclusion.
i have this condition. can't help it at the moment.
i try ignoring it as much as possible.
every pain free minute is potential good time.

habanero wrote on May 31^st, 2008 at 7:27pm:

conman or not. personally i wouldn't inhale capsaicin. it must burn like hell. if it comes down your throat afterwards like triptan sprays.. can't even think. maybe snorting slushy laboratorysand with a special slushsnortex headache roll would "cool" the pain down? who knows? i have prettymuch come to a conclusion. i have this condition. can't help it at the moment. i try ignoring it as much as possible. every pain free minute is potential good time.

You try Ignoring it as much as possible.  What the f!*#.  I couldn't ignore it if Scarlett Johansen was naked and on top of me.  Snorting burning hot pepper is pleasure compared to my headaches bro.  Please don't say stuff like that to me.

ignoring it between attacks man.
can't and don't do it all the time, but it's still good to keep up your daily schedule if possible.
sickleave don't help much for me.
tried it.

my point is to keep active during painperiods and
live your life it's possible.
it is possible in my situation.

i just don't recommend pepperspray.
chili is used for making your life better, not worse.
that was the original subject i think.


m

edwardbear wrote on May 29^th, 2008 at 7:52am:

So inducing pain to myself I'll get relief from my CH? As I said in one of my first posts, I was in so much pain from my beast, that I got myself to breaking a finger, which didn't do much, but to silence the headache for 6 seconds. Also, someone said something about a kneecap surgery. They do not stand a chance against the CH pain. I've been shot, didn't hurt that much. I had a doctor pull out a nail from my shoulder (it was deep inside the bone itself) with no anastethic whatsoever - doesn't hurt that much. I don't think that sniffing peppers will make me feel good. I love my triptans, my Red Bulls and a strong, black coffee in the morning. Soon I'll love my O2 NRB set.

Knee surgery during a cycle suxors! I had an IV of whatever it is they pump into you for hydration, and the room was hotter than crap. After about 7 hours of waiting.... BAM kip 7 with nowhere to go. Sux. I had an airplane hit me in the head...didn't hurt either, but I ain't gonna put a pepper up my nose. I second the redbull, coffee, and triptans! Haven't been shot yet, managed to avoid all of those.

Capsaicin is still a funny one and unfortunately (IMHO and it sounds like Guiseppi's too) is no longer flavour of the day (no pun intended).

Intranasal capsaicin has been studied clinically in CH, albeit with limited efficacy, and they actually use it subcutaneously to stimulate cranial pain in healthy volunteers to monitor venous effects compared with normal headaches!  Topical capsaicin (usually a cream or gel) is known to be a safe and effective pain management adjunct for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, neuralgias, and diabetic neuropathy.

The theory is that capsaicin actually induces the release of a peptide called Substance P (P is for pain) but after repeated use it depletes the neuron of Substance P and hence prevents re-accumulation of this and other nociceptive peptides.  However, the importance of Substance P in the pathogenesis of CH is debatable, particularly when compared with migraine.

Capsaicin also increases nitric oxide (NO) which is elevated during a CH attack, which confuses the issue somewhat (for me anyway); perhaps it also depletes NO after continual use?  The good thing about it is that it does all this without causing vascular changes or cardiac effects, as can be seen with calcium-channel blockers and other medications used in CH.

Trials have also been conducted on a substance called civamide, a synthetic version of capsaicin, but again only showing moderate efficacy.  I've a hunch though that the synthetic version is probably not as good as the natural stuff.  As far as I am aware, no clinical trials have been conducted on "Sinus Buster" (despite what they say); and as limey-bird and Scott have alluded to, all the anecdotal evidence bar newbies suggests that it doesn't work very well in CH.

If Flo were still here he would no doubt still suggest sufferers would be better served with cayenne capsules or modest amounts of hot sauce taken at regular intervals.

-Lee