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Is chocolate a trigger for you? (Read 15626 times)
Red Dog
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Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Nov 19th, 2012 at 1:53pm
 
I have had clusters for 20 years and learned quickly that alcohol was a trigger. This past weekend I had 2 that I think were brought on by chocolate bars. Does anybody else avoid chocolate while in a cycle?
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MattyAA
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #1 - Nov 19th, 2012 at 4:26pm
 
When in cycle the fear is so strong I just can't be assed to do the triggers/ doesnt trigger test on all foods, I just live by water and bread literaly, and chicken/beef, very careful with veggies/spices and so on, not even touching ice creams/chocolate and pre-made products from shop, all I eat is raw and made by myself.

I know that ale is trigger for me, not sure about anything else.
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #2 - Nov 19th, 2012 at 4:53pm
 
Not for me, just alcohol, sleep cycle disruptions, extreme hunger and sustained stress.

Joe
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CH Keith
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #3 - Nov 19th, 2012 at 6:29pm
 
In general I don't drink, smoke, and I avoid caffeine.  The only thing that seems to be a trigger for me is lack of sleep.  I've never felt that there was any food that was linked or anything that I could avoid to keep it from happening or reduce it.

I would be happy to eat your share of chocolate bars so the industry doesn't feel the impact while you're cycling.  1 a day is it?  I'm on it.
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Red Dog
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #4 - Nov 20th, 2012 at 8:25am
 
I am am not sure if it was the chocolate or not. It could just be a coincidence. I am getting hit between 4 and 8 times a day. I have only been getting hit at night till yesterday when I had 3 at work. I will vouch that slugging down a monster drink knocked out one ch.

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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #5 - Dec 6th, 2012 at 10:27am
 
chocolate is most certainly a trigger for me.
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #6 - Dec 6th, 2012 at 11:03am
 
My triggers are: cigarettes or smoke or sleeping disorder. But lately i did ate some chocolate and the i got the attacks, but i'm not sure that the choc. is the cause.
As i wrote in my msg i have 3 month old baby so i don't sleep enough.
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #7 - Dec 6th, 2012 at 9:56pm
 
Heck yes it is for me too. And i struggle hard with this one.
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Mike NZ
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #8 - Dec 6th, 2012 at 10:18pm
 
For CH chocolate has zero impact, but for migraines it's a different story.
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #9 - Dec 7th, 2012 at 9:58am
 
Nope.  Just alcohol for me.
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #10 - Dec 8th, 2012 at 12:49pm
 
Never paid attention to this as a trigger as I rarely eat chocolate.

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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #11 - Dec 9th, 2012 at 7:17am
 
I really dislike chocolate, so I can't say for sure. (I always get sh*t for hating chocolate. It's not socially acceptable. LOL.) But choc has a lot of interesting compounds that could affect CH regardless of the caffeine content. Theobromine comes to mind.
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #12 - Dec 11th, 2012 at 9:51am
 
chocolate is certainly one of my triggers
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #13 - Dec 11th, 2012 at 1:59pm
 
I would say chocolate is a trigger for me, although I have eaten some this cycle and was not hit one time but was another.
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #14 - Jan 13th, 2013 at 11:11am
 
My son, who is 40, has had CH's for the last 7 years. His CH's start in Jan and end in April. He has discovered that dark chocolate helps stop his pain. He now makes a strong cup of dark roasted coffee mixed in with double mocha cappuccino and sugar. He takes this when he feels a Ch coming on and this mixture either reduces or stops the pain. So I researched what is in common between coffee and chocolate and found that both have high concentrations of caffeine and theobromine. Theobromine is a natural stimulant and does not stimulate the central nervous system. So he gets a double dose of stimulant without the nervous effect. If you can take chocolate use dark chocolate only.
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #15 - Feb 6th, 2013 at 9:16am
 
chocolates are a trigger for me. But I can eat the ultra dark 70%+ chocolate without any problems. I try to avoid all chocolate during cycles, but mine usually last 3 months and that is tooooo long to go without chocolate. So I make do with dark....
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #16 - Feb 6th, 2013 at 6:32pm
 
clusterica wrote on Dec 6th, 2012 at 11:03am:
My triggers are: cigarettes or smoke or sleeping disorder. But lately i did ate some chocolate and the i got the attacks, but i'm not sure that the choc. is the cause.
As i wrote in my msg i have 3 month old baby so i don't sleep enough. 


I did the cluster cycle with pregnancy/newborns not fun at all.  I found that stress and lack of sleep were big triggers for me.  In cycle I don't touch any alcohol not that I'm a big drinker and cigarette smoke.  After I go a few months without hits I will then maybe have a glass of wine.
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Mike NZ
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #17 - Feb 7th, 2013 at 1:49am
 
Have your son try energy drinks too, like Red Bull or Monster. Anything with both caffeine and taurine can help cut the duration and intensity of a CH for most of us. Just drink it rapidly at the start of a CH.
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #18 - Feb 7th, 2013 at 5:34am
 
Hard to say for me.  Lack of sleep for sure, stress, and oddly enough, I think peanut butter.
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #19 - Feb 22nd, 2013 at 4:31am
 
Thankfully not a trigger for me. I love chocolate once in a while.

I had this crazy theory a couple of weeks back that everything that would dial down your senses can be a cluster headache trigger.

For example sharp smells or bright light are triggers for me, and I figured that when you perceive such hyper stimuli there is some system in your brain that dials down the amount you perceive so that you don't get overstimulated.

That dialling down triggers a headache Smiley
Alcohol impairs your senses, going to sleep too...

I know, way too general and crazy.
Just throwing it out there Smiley
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« Last Edit: Feb 22nd, 2013 at 4:36am by yelsew »  
 
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #20 - Feb 22nd, 2013 at 7:37am
 
chocolate a trigger???...and i LOVE my chocolate... if had to guess,i eat it 5-6 days of the week on average...kinda sounds like a MIGRAINE thing
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Bob P
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #21 - Feb 22nd, 2013 at 8:10am
 
Chocolate triggers my waist to grow.
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #22 - Feb 22nd, 2013 at 12:48pm
 
Samiam wrote on Feb 6th, 2013 at 6:32pm:
clusterica wrote on Dec 6th, 2012 at 11:03am:
My triggers are: cigarettes or smoke or sleeping disorder. But lately i did ate some chocolate and the i got the attacks, but i'm not sure that the choc. is the cause.
As i wrote in my msg i have 3 month old baby so i don't sleep enough. 


I did the cluster cycle with pregnancy/newborns not fun at all.  I found that stress and lack of sleep were big triggers for me.  In cycle I don't touch any alcohol not that I'm a big drinker and cigarette smoke.  After I go a few months without hits I will then maybe have a glass of wine.


I got cycles with newborns as well. With both my kids, I had a cycle due during pregnancy that did not come, only to have it appear on the day I gave birth (yes, both times). Not fun. As lack of sleep seems to be one  of my worst triggers, both the "newborn cycles" were the worst I ever had.
Alcohol is another big trigger for me. I stopped drinking completely, even out of cycle, since I figured it out. The fear of what might happen is too intense to enjoy a drink anyway.
Thank heaveans I can eat chocolate though...!
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #23 - Apr 28th, 2018 at 6:44pm
 
Chocolate has been shown to cause vasodilation so i'd say yes.

And i'd guess it can take up to many hours for this effect to start working (depending on how fast it is digested/absorbed)
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« Last Edit: Apr 28th, 2018 at 6:48pm by randomdude »  
 
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Re: Is chocolate a trigger for you?
Reply #24 - Dec 2nd, 2018 at 9:08pm
 
Wine is a big trigger for me.   I am not really a drinker at all. In a blue moon I have a glass of wine when out with friends.   The vit D kept my cycle away this year but I had half a glass of wine one night when out and had a headache all night.   Enough to ruin my night but thankfully not a full on cluster.  I am a chocoholic and thankfully not a trigger.
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