Hi all,

I had my first CH a little over a year ago, though I'd suffered from Migraines since I was 16.
I started Batch's Vit D regimen and it was amazing .. pain free after a few weeks!
I had a shadow cluster around Feb, and then it started up again this July .. not shadows :(
I've stayed on the maintenance Vit D regimen since I started it.
So .. I started researching again .. really wanting answers to why the Vit D helped so dramatically at first, but is failing me now.

I found this website drgominak.com  and was blown away .. it seems to tie everything together.
Dr Gominak is a neurologist in Texas and found a link between sleep and her patients suffering from headache, parkinsons and many other pain syndromes.
She has also connected Sleep quality to vitamin D!
I highly recommend reading through the website and watching her videos .. this has given me a full understanding of how and why the Vit D regimen works!  She is basically doing the same (vit D regimen) with her patients suffering from a wide variety of neurological problems.

I went to my Dr and she said my Vit D level was fine (that is 92) .. but .. I'm getting the headaches again and my sleep sucks.  I wake up every day with neck pain, feeling horrid .. and the CH came back after a few months of this.  What I learned from Dr Gominak is that D needs to be in the range of 60-80 for good sleep .. we don't sleep well if it's too high or too low.  I'm currently working to lower my D level by taking less supplements.  The most important thing I learned is that we each need a different maintenance dose of Vit D (after getting the level up initially).

I hope this info can help others as much as it has helped me!
Cheers,
Angelic

Thank you Angelic

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That's a link into the D3 info, but it is well worth reading a lot of her website. Batch has previously referenced her work too.

I'd really strongly suggest people have a look at this website.

I agree Mike! Very eye opening!

Hey Angelic,

Your serum concentration of 25(OH)D3 is just fine.  I exchange survey data with Dr. Gominak on a regular basis and have incorporated the 3-month course of vitamin B50 in the anti-inflammatory regimen at her suggestion.

Your problem at this point is likely another comorbid condition that's sucking up vitamin D3 and its metabolites at a high rate leaving too little remaining to prevent your CH through genetic expression.

The most common comorbid condition is an allergic reaction.  Allergic reactions are frequently sub-clinical, i.e., no outward or obvious symptoms... but it is still there.  Allergic reactions release a flood of histamine that triggers the release of CGRP from the trigeminal ganglia. CGRP stimulates neurogenic inflammation and CH pain.  The CGRP also stimulates the release of even more histamine...  In a sense, this ends up in a perfect storm that continues until the chemical reactants are used up... and this ends the CH attack... for now...

Fortunately there's a simple solution if the problem is an allergy.  Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCL) is a first-generation antihistamine that crosses the blood brain barrier to block H1 histamine receptors on neurons throughout the brain including the trigeminal ganglia. This stops the hystamin - CGRP cycle and that allows vitamin D3 to prevent CH through genetic expression.

I've found that a 25 mg tablet of Diphenhydramine in the morning and another 25 mg tablet in the evening after dinner works wonders.  Don't drive if you're taking Diphenhydramine as it will make you drowsy.  If you need to drive during the day, taking 50 mg in the evening is just as effective.

The other possible problem is a low grade viral infection that triggers the immune system into action.  This also consumes vitamin D3 and its metabolites at higher rates leaving too little to prevent CH.  A solution here is to take a 1000 mg tablet of vitamin C every two hours throughout the day for a total of 5 to 6 tablets.

Finally, a 25(OH)D serum concentration of 91 ng/mL may not be high enough to prevent your CH.  There are several CHers who maintain a 25(OH)D serum concentration around 150 ng/mL under a physician's supervision with frequent labs.

Accordingly, the solution here is to bump the maintenance dose of vitamin D3 from 10,000 IU/day to 15,000 IU/day for a few weeks to a month.  This will result in a 25(OH)D response up around 120 ng/mL.  This is not a problem as long as your serum total calcium remains within its normal reference rang.

If you need to do this, work with your PCP to schedule regular labs for serum 25(OH)D, total calcium, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) as long as your 25(OH)D is over 100 ng/mL. 

For reference, my wife has taken 15,000 IU/day vitamin D3 for the last 5 years to prevent her migraine headaches.  Her 25(OH)D averages 125 to 135 ng/mL and her serum total calcium remains within its normal reference range.

I hope this helps...

Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch