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



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

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

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!!!

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.

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

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