Oxygen really is a magic bullet. There is no fix-it-all pill.

                  Potter

Number one, if you are expecting your Dr to be able to prescribe for you the magic pill you will be very sadly disappointed.  Very little is still known among the medical community about CH, so unless you get an headache specialist that KNOWS CH you are in for the same old same old.

Number two, there are no magic pills.  About the only things in pill form for Ch are preventatives such as Verap, Topomax, Depakote, etc.  Or you can go the alternative route and use Kudzu.  I've found Kudzu to be helpful.  Imitrex is till in fairly wide use, and if you don't want to use injectables you can get the nasal spray.  The pills take to long.

Oxygen is becoming the abortive of choice, but has changed quite a bit over the last few years.  I suggest you read the oxygen info button on the left.  If you go that route I would suggest you get a script for at least 25 lpm rather than just 15 as it works so much faster.

Number three, go to Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or and check out other alternatives.  There have been some tremendous successes over there.

Number four,  stay around during the break times, even if it is only checking in now and then.  That allows you to keep up with what is happening and you don't have to come in here when the beast is knocking on the door trying to find the magic bullet to put him down.  You will have your arsenal at the ready and won't have th panic.  Besides that, you might be able to help another in return.

Jerry

Okay that's all great info, but what's the name of the magic pill that automatically cures cluster headaches instantly?

Kidding...

It's really a danger to your own health (physical and mental) to assume your dr, or any dr or neuro who is not a headche specialist, knows anything about chs and preventatives or abortives. You must become your own best advocate and the best way to do that is research this site thoroughly, taking notes of what makes sense (or even doesn't make sense yet) and become as thoroughly informed as you can. Really, man, this is the magic pill if there ever was one. Blessings. lance

I don't know - I find this latest treatment (i.e., busting) pretty f'n magic.

Brew wrote on Nov 29^th, 2010 at 3:31pm:

Yep worked for me.

             Potter

I had no preconceived notions considering shrooms as a prevent.  I ate them purely for academic reasons.  2200 days later and I'm still pain free.

               Potter

Quote:


Shroomies work for me. Not a magic bullit but a magic fungus.

That's great news, verapamil didn't work for me, Lithium turned out to be my magic pill. You hit the nail on the head, finding an open minded doctor that's not afraid to look outside the box, can sure change the quality of your life!

Joe

After 30 years of CH that wound up in 2007 into a 5-a-night frequency that O2 aborted less and less, I finally agreed to prophylaxis with verapamil. The 80 mg twice a day dose worked. My plan is if CH surfaces, I start the verapamil prophylaxis until two weeks after they stop (which is usually within days). So I consider myself very very lucky. The only downside is that verapamil turns me into a brick factory (hard stool). So lots of water.

Rather than get into a cat fight, let me suggest looking over these two articles for they fairly represent current practice.
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Cluster headache.
From: Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or (Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases)
[Easy to read; one of the better overview articles I've seen. Suggest printing the full length article--link, line above--if you are serious about keeping a good medical library on the subject.]

Leroux E, Ducros A.

ABSTRACT: Cluster headache (CH) is a primary headache disease characterized by recurrent short-lasting attacks (15 to 180 minutes) of excruciating unilateral periorbital pain accompanied by ipsilateral autonomic signs (lacrimation, nasal congestion, ptosis, miosis, lid edema, redness of the eye). It affects young adults, predominantly males. Prevalence is estimated at 0.5-1.0/1,000. CH has a circannual and circadian periodicity, attacks being clustered (hence the name) in bouts that can occur during specific months of the year. ALCOHOL IS THE ONLY DIETARY TRIGGER OF CH, STRONG ODORS (MAINLY SOLVENTS AND CIGARETTE SMOKE) AND NAPPING MAY ALSO TRIGGER CH ATTACKS. During bouts, attacks may happen at precise hours, especially during the night. During the attacks, patients tend to be restless. CH may be episodic or chronic, depending on the presence of remission periods. CH IS ASSOCIATED WITH TRIGEMINOVASCULAR ACTIVATION AND NEUROENDOCRINE AND VEGETATIVE DISTURBANCES, HOWEVER, THE PRECISE CAUSATIVE MECHANISMS REMAIN UNKNOWN. Involvement of the hypothalamus (a structure regulating endocrine function and sleep-wake rhythms) has been confirmed, explaining, at least in part, the cyclic aspects of CH. The disease is familial in about 10% of cases. Genetic factors play a role in CH susceptibility, and a causative role has been suggested for the hypocretin receptor gene. Diagnosis is clinical. Differential diagnoses include other primary headache diseases such as migraine, paroxysmal hemicrania and SUNCT syndrome. At present, there is no curative treatment. There are efficient treatments to shorten the painful attacks (acute treatments) and to reduce the number of daily attacks (prophylactic treatments). Acute treatment is based on subcutaneous administration of sumatriptan and high-flow oxygen. Verapamil, lithium, methysergide, prednisone, greater occipital nerve blocks and topiramate may be used for prophylaxis. In refractory cases, deep-brain stimulation of the hypothalamus and greater occipital nerve stimulators have been tried in experimental settings.THE DISEASE COURSE OVER A LIFETIME IS UNPREDICTABLE. Some patients have only one period of attacks, while in others the disease evolves from episodic to chronic form.

PMID: 18651939 [PubMed]
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See the PDF file, below.
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I believe one of the two items mentions olanzapine. It's just starting to get attention in some articles which recommend treatments. But see,

Headache 2001 Sep;41(8):813-6 

Olanzapine as an Abortive Agent for Cluster Headache.

Rozen TD.

Department of Neurology, Jefferson Headache Center/Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate olanzapine as a cluster headache abortive agent in an open-label trial. BACKGROUND: Cluster headache is the most painful headache syndrome known. There are very few recognized abortive therapies for cluster headache and fewer for patients who have contraindications to vasoconstrictive drugs. METHODS: Olanzapine was given as an abortive agent to five patients with cluster headache in an open-label trial. THE INITIAL OLANZAPINE DOSE WAS 5 MG, AND THE DOSE WAS INCREASED TO 10 MG IF THERE WAS NO PAIN RELIEF. THE DOSAGE WAS DECREASED TO 2.5 MG IF THE 5-MG DOSE WAS EFFECTIVE BUT CAUSED ADVERSE EFFECTS. To be included in the study, each patient had to treat at least two attacks with either an effective dose or the highest tolerated dose. RESULTS: Five patients completed the investigation (four men, one woman; four with chronic cluster, one with episodic cluster). Olanzapine reduced cluster pain by at least 80% in four of five patients, and TWO PATIENTS BECAME HEADACHE-FREE AFTER TAKING THE DRUG. Olanzapine typically alleviated pain within 20 minutes after oral dosing and treatment response was consistent across multiple treated attacks. The only adverse event was sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: Olanzapine appears to be a good abortive agent for cluster headache. IT ALLEVIATES PAIN QUICKLY AND HAS A CONSISTENT RESPONSE ACROSS MULTIPLE TREATED ATTACKS. IT APPEARS TO WORK IN BOTH EPISODIC AND CHRONIC CLUSTER HEADACHE.

PMID 11576207 PubMed

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Olanzapine has a brand name of "Zyprexa" and is a antipsychotic. Don't be put off by this primary usage. Several of the drugs used to treat CH are cross over applications, that is, drugs approved by the FDA for one purpose which are found to be effective with unrelated conditions--BJ.

Quote:

If it works, it works. Not worried about what it is pharma or alternative. I worry about what would happen if I dont get the ice pick out of my head.
You rock Bob.
the bb