I thought I was alone but now I know I'm not!  It's a great feeling but also horrible, wouldn't wish these on my worst enemies.  Just diagnosed a year ago but have had them since I was 18.  It was sinus infections, allergies, brain trauma, asthma, migraines.  Finally a doctor listened to me.  I am on verapamil, melatonin, magnesium.  Abortives are sumatriptan and oxygen.  Also prn tramadol and lorazepam.  Still getting headaches.  Just did prednisone and worked for 2 weeks.  Any suggestions?  Afraid to go to sleep [smiley=cry.gif]

Hey Heather,

Welcome to CH.com.  You've come to the right place.  We know what you're going through and the good news is it doesn't need to be that way.

Check your email.  I've sent some info you'll need to discuss with your PCP or neurologist.

Sleep is a problem and major source of angst for CHers.  We know the CH beast will start jumping ugly after an hour of sleep so many of us avoid sleeping as much as possible... and usually fall asleep sitting in a chair.

Not surprisingly, sleeping semi-reclined actually helps reduce the frequency of CH.  The reason is simple. Elevating the head above the heart when semi-reclined requires a higher heart beat to lift the blood to the brain than it would if sleeping supine where the brain and heart are at the same level.  This also requires additional respiration to maintain oxygen levels.  The net result for CHers is a drop in the frequency of CH while sleeping.

A baking soda tonic can also help.  It's made with a half teaspoon of good old Arm & Hammer Baking Soda in a half glass of water.  Drinking one of these prior to sleeping semi-reclined will help elevate systemic pH which also lowers the frequency of CH.

The most reliable way of getting a good night's sleep as a CHer is to start the anti-inflammatory regimen with 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 plus the cofactors.

Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch

Heather - Several of us here on the site have gotten substantial relief from CH by treatment for Sleep Apnea.  The science is not terribly well-developed but the link between Sleep Apnea and low blood oxygen levels is clear, and we know that oxygen is the most effective abortive we have against CH.  I was diagnosed nearly two years ago with Sleep Apnea and put on a CPAP machine in June of 2015.  Since that night I have not had one single CH attack.  If your hits are primarily at nighttime it is something worth discussing with your neurologist.  It was a life changer for me.  PM me if you have any questions.

HeatherDubya wrote on Feb 22^nd, 2017 at 2:44am:

Also prn tramadol

Be very careful with pain killers. They don't really touch the pain of a CH and can lead to rebound CHs plus issues including dependency.