Hey Jeannie,

Joe has it spot on.  I ran into the same problem a few years ago... and that was quite embarrassing as I hold a patent on the demand valve method of oxygen therapy... 

My average 3 to 4 minute aborts with the demand valve or O2PTIMASK™ kit with a 0-60 liter/minute InGage™ regulator shot up to 17 minutes... and a couple to 20...

My reasoning for this increase in abort times was my arterial pH was likely too low (too much acid) so I took two, and then four of the calcium citrate tablets and washed them down with home did lemonade... This combination of calcium citrate and the citric acid in lemon juice forms a buffer that elevates arterial pH.

It worked... my abort times dropped back down to 4 to 5 minutes...  A few months later in October of 2010, when I was going over my headache logs that I found my one and two week cluster headache remissions also coincided with a lot of exposure to summer sun without any sun block...

Connecting the dots... it was clearly possible that cutaneous vitamin D3, generated in the skin when exposed to the UV-B in direct sunlight without sunblock, was also likely responsible for the drop in my abort times.

I was already taking Omega-3 Fish Oil and calcium citrate tablets, so when i added 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 I expected a drop in my abort times...

They dropped alright... to zero by the second night on this regimen...  I was pain free and talk about a surprise...

A few months later after a lot of reading... and still pain free, I started the 123 days pain free post here on CH.com...

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I named this clutch of over the counter vitamins and minerals the anti-inflammatory regimen as both vitamin D3 and Omega-3 Fish Oil have been recognized as anti-inflammatory agents for many years...  The rest is history...

Soooo...  If you follow my drift, see your PCP for the lab test for 25(OH)D.  This is the serum level metabolite of vitamin D3 that's used to measure its status.

The normal reference range for the 25(OH)D lab test is 30 to 100 ng/mL...  If you're 25(OH)D is less than 30 ng/mL... and the odds are it will be, you need to start the anti-inflammatory regimen with 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3.

You can find the complete list of supplements, dosing guide and the "How to" including the accelerated vitamin D3 dosing strategy of 20,000 IU/day vitamin D3 and a once a week 50,000 IU loading dose of vitamin D3 to get you pain free as fast as possible.

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Take care and please keep us posted...

V/R, Batch

Hey Jeannie,

I've gone over your last posts and I can't see where or if you've gone in for the 25(OH)D lab test.  This is a must, particularly in your case with no significant response. 

The normal reference range for the 25(OH)D lab test results is 30 to 100 ng/mL.  As cluster headache sufferers we need to have our 25(OH)D serum concentration up in a range of 60 to 110 ng/mL to have the best chance of going pain free.

I also see where your doctor wrote you a script for a prednisone taper.  Prednisone slows vitamin D3 metabolism.

If you haven't tried the accelerated vitamin D3 dosing schedule, you might want to give that a try.  Up your daily vitamin D3 intake to 20,000 IU/day and add a 50,000 IU loading dose of vitamin D3 once a week on top of the 20,000 IU/day. 

Make sure you're taking magnesium up to the 400 mg/day RDA. You also might want to up your Omega-3 Fish Oil intake to 2000 mg/day.

Be sure to take all the anti-inflammatory regimen supplements with the largest meal of the day with the most fats.  This can increase vitamin D3 absorption by as much as 50%.

Taking a baking soda tonic (half teaspoon of Arm & Hammer baking soda in 4 ounces of water) 4 times a day, an hour after each meal and right before bed should work if your arterial pH is low...  Alka-Seltzer will also work.  If either of these alkalizing methods work, you need a lasting alkalizing diet.

The GOMBS diet is usually effective... GOMBS=Greens, Mushrooms, Onions, Beans-Berries and Seeds including nuts.  A handful of each a day will work for starters.  You can find out more about the GOMBS diet at the following link:

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Take care, get the 25(OH)D lab test and please keep us posted...

V/R, Batch.