This is my first post... first off want to say how great it is to continue learning about my CHs and that is thanks to all of you. I will try to sum up as quickly as i can.  I am 37 yrs old, CHs for about 18 yrs, every late spring/early summer, although when much younger they were earlier in the year.  about every 4th yr it seems, i manage to skip them. currently 6.5 weeks into cycle now, 1st 6 wks normal, with 3-6 attacks a day, predominently waking from sleep. introduced to Oxygen as abortive (what a blessing) about 4 years ago.  years before that tried many migraine drugs including botox injects, never landed on anything better than the oxygen works by itself now, with ice, and the use of sumatriptan injects when i need it.  this is my first year at trying a new recipe, which i actually started two days ago, and just found the info/threads on this antiinflamitory/"Batch's" deal. It began after i noticed in my notes, that the only 2 nights this cycle that i got more than two hours of sleep without waking 2 or 3 times with an attack, were the 2 separate nights after i drank this "Natural CALM" drink that was sampled to me at work, and only because my close co-workers know i live with shoulder and neck pain, actually had nothing to do with the CH thing (the pain is same side as my CHs and always intensify during a cycle, begins behind left shoulder blade and up to base of skull, moves from there as attacks hit). I eagerly went to work, the next day after realizing this, and bought a few more packets...that was thursday. I went headache free that whole day and evening just using ice on my neck, then they picked up again late that night. so Friday it was suggested to me by someone else at work to begin to take D3 because he knew that i had been calling in sick and leaving early many times the past 6 weeks, he knew i was not feeling well, he had no idea about my headaches. I noticed that my attacks became more frequent on friday (yesterday), but was able to abort much sooner with oxygen, and the severity was cut in half, although the droopy eye and sinuses also got worse before the attacks. so... i came home and began to read up on the D3 and the drink, which is Ionic Magnesium Citrate.  After finding all the posts on these topics, I also went and bought the omega 3 and feverfew (which supports blood vessel tone).  My attacks have doubled in fequency, have dropped in intesity from pain levels of 6-9, down to 2-5, and have been able to abort them much quicker with oxygen and ice, from lasting 30 min-2 hrs, down to 5-15 minutes.  I have had a pretty bad 'regular' headache for a change, i believe due to dehydration from the new stuff and bit of diarrhea. i began yesterday, per day: 12000 iu D3 , 800 mg Ionic magnesium citrate (Natural CALM drink), 760 mg Feverfew, 2000 mg Omega3 FishOil. started yesterday with 1200 mg of the magnesium drink and dropped it to 800 today. This is the first time using anything ASIDE from migraine medicine in the past and/or just using oxygen, ice , & sumatriptan. I have yet to talk to my doctor about this, and begin having some tests done.  At this point, 6.5 weeks into my cycle, if the attacks stop, I willnot know if the cycle was just ending, or if this new recipe has ended them...but i do know that it has changed what has been the norm for my cycle. I began this post to ask if anyone has used this Natural CALM drink as their magnesium supplement??, and add that it was "ionic" magnesium citrate. Thank you for reading!! I did searches for 'ionic magnesium citrate' and for 'Natural CALM' before beginning this post and found nothing.

Thank you Hoppy! I just got up from an entire night without an attack! woke every few hours to replace ice rags on neck and side of face, had droopy eye and stuffy all night, but no pain! I am on day 3 of my new supplement intake.  I am hopeful. Feel I may get one soon, but felt that way all day yesterday as well and nothing over a 2 hit, havent even used oxygen in 24 hours! I am in tears writing this

well...more to say since waking this morning. First off, thank you for the replies...and Batch, and anyone else who's contributed to this regiment, I cannot say thank you enough for getting the info out there for us! now...after a fantastic night lastnight, I decided to take a nap before going to work this afternoon. I have always woken up with at least a level 5 if i ever go back to sleep after waking up for the day, so I wanted to see what would happen.  I slept for about an hr and a half, woke up with all signs of attack, except pain level was only at about a 2, eye almost shut, very red, sinus completely blocked. I used ice and no improvement. i needed to go almost 7 hrs without an attack this evening, so i took 50 mg sumatriptan pill form, but before that even had a chance to work, i also had a starbucks doubleshot, and about 5 minutes later, completely gone. I ended up taking another 50 mg sumatriptan in the evening as i was working on a houseboat without access to oxygen, but i know i didnt need it. this concludes day 3 for me of an amazing improvement on my CH's, i know without a doubt that the new regiment has GREATLY decreased the intensity of my attacks, but still all the same signs that go along with them are present. The 1st day of new regiment, I had many attacks, but pain level down and aborted much quicker than ever before. As for the last two days, its been almost 40 hours straight now, with only two little bumps that kept at bay with minimal attention. Now begins day 4. Until I see my PCP, I am continuing daily with 11000 iu D3, 1000 mg Omega3, and 500 mg magnesium citrate.  (since i dropped from 1200 to 800 on the magnesium, Ive had no issues with diarrhea or feeling dehydrated, but I then dropped to 500 quickly after Hoppy's post. I will drop back to 200/300 if any signs of that again).
Here we go day 4! so exciting!

just killed that one with ice only, and a touch of caffeine...took almost 20 min or so...haven't used oxygen in over 50 hrs!! this is crazy to me right now.

Hello Deazle, You're experiencing identical symptoms to me when I went on D3 therapy. I reached a similar conclusion also, that D3 hasn't cause my cycle to end even a little bit, but somehow suppresses  the pain. I still have the mild symptoms that are consistent with my clusters but none of the pain so I know my episode isn't over yet. I can even drink alcohol as long as I don't over do it. Had a nice hit the other night after tipping one too many after 4 weeks of total pain free life. Been PF since.
  Keep it up, you're almost there.
      
      Good luck,   Sean

Day 8... more pain than Ive had since started D3 regiment.  lastnight was difficult to get rid of one attack for almost 2 hrs before I took Sumatript pill, and woke several times in the night unable to breath through sinuses. woke for the morning at 6:15 am with about a 3 on pain scale, got to work, now at 7am its trying to get worse, but staying where it is for now.  trying some caffeine. no oxygen yet.  still worlds away from what was before, and i am so grateful to be dealing with pain at this level.

I will do that, thank you! Just got thru about 4th attack of the day, since morning...used bit o'oxygen today. Tired of Eyes and brain feel like hooked up to burning car battery,
but i was able to make it through work with the attacks...thats amazing.

Day 12... Up until this morning, I was at about 37 hours without any signs of an attack....amazing. Back at it when I woke today.  I am going to let this post die out, and I will research all of what's already here for continuing the path I am on. I want to say a few things: Thank you for sharing, everyone, ive made more progress this year than all the years combined, hands down, not even comparable. Also, I know things could be So much worse for me, i feel blessed to be cyclical, and not chronic at this point....my heart goes out to all who deal with this, and to the chronics, i am welled up with tears of compassion. I hope to be more active on this site, but trust that i will be taking in as much info as i can and helping if possible.

deazle,
             you are mirroring exactly what happened to me on the regime ! whilst I had a bad dose of the flu and took 5 weeks to get to the green zone, everthing your experiencing I experienced as well.
don't stop.
my cycle started 9 weeks ago, and I still feel it, I have 2 or three shadows a week, some have lasted all day, but we forget easily what it was like.  sometimes I just get real hot like I did when I was having kip 10 attacks, so I know my cycle is still there. whether by chance or because of the regime, this is the longest cycle ive ever had.
last nite shadows went on all nite, woke me up at 2.00 am so I swallowed a red bull and went back to bed, it was still there in the morning, but went soon after.
deazle, getting the test done is imperative, as soon as I got to 194 nmol I reduced down to 10,000iu per day, im getting another test in a month to see if that is enough to maintain the level.  im still having weird things happen, but, I haven't taken an imagran in 3 weeks and I know its because of the regime.   so hang in there, get a test done and join the ride !!!!!
regards
colin

hi deazle,
              that's good news your sticking with it.
im getting shadows every 3 or 4 days, they start at 4.oo in the afternoon and can hang round till the morning, even wake me up in the middle of the nite.  a dull type headache, which I do get the ache behind the eye and runny nose symptom, but ive not needed an imagran, just a red bull.   ive been on the regime for about 8 or 9 weeks and have gone into the green zone so I know im right with my d3 levels.
its interesting hearing how your going deazle, as you too are not far off,time wise where I am on the regime, so It is with interest that I read how your travelling.....
good luck and I hope you get more progress...
colin

hi deazle,
                yep, I think you'll find the calcium is an important part of the regime, re absorbtion....
   try and get calcium citrate
the test is real important too, lets you know what your levels are so you can make any suitable decisions. im getting my third test in a month or so.
goodluck
colin

Tammy wrote,

Infla-Heal Plus from New roots herbal.

Not convinced. this product would help in CHs
by itself. .

Hoppy.

Tammy wrote,

It's wonderful to have my life back.

Hi Tammy,
After 43yrs suffering from CHs in the spring and fall my last
episode being spring 2012 hopefully i have my life back
owing it all to the vitamin D3 regime. I had no CHs this
past fall here down under, i'm on vacation in Europe at
present and it's approaching there fall so i have my fingers
crossed.So i'm baffled how Infla Heal Plus being an
anti-inflammatory, as fish oil, krill oil, glucosamine, can
work without other cofactors.The enzymes in this vitamin
have no mention of pain relief in headaches. So i'm hoping
it keeps working for you, and it's just not a fluke. 

Good Luck, Hoppy.