I became a member of this support group to read up on the latest treatments and discoveries.  I read about Melatonin in  one of the posts.  I should have done that years ago. 
   Melatonin has almost eliminated my headaches this episode.  I take 50 mg daily with Aleeve(naproxyn), Ramipril, and magnesium.  It is truly amazing.  Yes, sometimes the beast sneaks through but it is easily handled with a tiny portion of a Treximet pill.  I told my doctor and he is recommending it.

G'day LustreKing, welcome, and it's always great news for us to hear a ClusterMate has found something that's working.

Never used melatonin meself but it seems there's different types, slow working or fast working and the like, and some get better results with one or the other.

Perhaps worth a look but otherwise it's all smiles and and only better days ahead.

Anyone know if timed-released melatonin is better than regular?

Hi and welcome Jordan

Try both and see what works best for you.

Tried 30mg of Melatonin last night with no success.  Going to up it tonight with my Magnesium in hopes that helpsme get through the night.

Regular Melatonin works best for me, it normally takes a couple of weeks before it kicks in, 5-15mg before going to bed is what's recommended to keep the beast at bay, you just have to see what works best for you, I take 5mg and it works just fine for me  [smiley=sleep.gif]

Cheers Hoppy

Hi Hoppy,

Could you tell me which brand you take, where you get hold of it and how many milligrams dosage is advised on the label, please?

Thanks.

I use LifeExtension natural sleep Melatonin 5mg which recommends you take one capsule 30-60 minutes before bedtime. I buy it online from the iHerb.com website.
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Not sure what's going on, but they only have it in the 1mg dosage at the moment. You can get it from the LifeExtension website, but it's a lot more expensive.

Cheers Hoppy

Thanks Hoppy.

What exactly does Melatonin do for you?
I mean, is this for CH relief, or just to get more or better sleep?

I'm just trying to work out if this is good for your CH relief, or for sleep problems.

Thanks.

Melatonin is a naturally occurring chemical in the brain that induces sleep.

The excretion of Melotonin is triggered by the Hypothalmus in the centre of the brain, which responds to the natural day/night cycle caused by the rotation of the planet.

So, the connection to CH is that the Hypothalamus does not function correctly in CH sufferers, so the Melotonin secretion is interrupted. Consequent, we suffer greatly from sleep problems as well as severe pain, while in cycle.

Indeed, this dysfunction of the Hypothalmus is not hugely different from the "jet Lag" people experience after long haul flights.

This also helps to explain the "seasonal" element of CH. The Hypothalmus also responds to your "inner clock", known as your Circadian Clock, so it is no coincidence that Episodic CH is timed to coincide with the changing of the seasons.

So, this is why we benefit from taking Melotonin at night. You should note that it's effects are cumulative and therefore take a few weeks before the benefits are experienced.

Hope this help.

Peter.

Incidentally, the brand I use is called 21st Century and is also good.

Take care,

Peter.

Thanks Peter & Hoppy,

Can anyone tell me if we are talking about the over the counter (OTC) Homeopathic Melatonin, prescription Melatonin, or Melatonergic drugs?

The clear distinction would be useful to CHers I think.

Many, many years ago (like maybe 12-15), I wanted better sleep so I took some Melatonin.  That night, it triggered a cluster headache cycle!  So while it makes sense that it should help (helps regulate sleep cycles, connected with Serration which is why triptans and triptamines help, etc), my one bad experience scared me off.  Perhaps I should reconsider that, maybe over Christmas holidays so if a cycle starts it isn't as disruptive with work.

Does this put you in full remission?  How long as this worked for you?  What was your cycle timeline before (ie, annually, bi-annual, etc).  I'd like to try this, but need to know more before taking the risk.

Alan

Melatonin suppresses hypothalamic over activation to some degree, which may be useful in some cases of CH.  Also, there is evidence that during cycles melatonin production almost stops.

I experimented a lot with melatonin over the years, read a lot about it and talked to many CHers who used it, and my conclusions are:

1. Its effect varies, not only in different people but also on different cycles. Sometimes doses as low as 1.5mg prevent nocturnal attacks and even the attacks during the day. Sometimes even doses higher than 10mg aren't enough.

2. Sometimes using melatonin in combination with meds is very effective. I've been able to prevent nocturnal attacks completely using 5 mg Melatonin + 25mg Amitryptaline + 25mg oral Imitrex. Sometime only two of the three are enough (either Melatonin+Amitryptaline or 25mg Amitryptaline + 25mg oral Imitrex).

3. Contrary to common belief, Melatonin does have adverse effects, including things like inhibition of insulin production. The more common side effect is drowsiness during the day. In my opinion, this is usually a sign of using a dosage that is too large.

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