There is not disadvantage to staying on Verap for 2-3 weeks post last attack.

Personsally, I'd rater go into the holidays dry vs. finding that your cycle isn't ove yet. But in the end, it's your head! <bg>

My standard was always 2 weeks pain free and I'd start to wean off my prevent, lithium. By the time I hit 600 I'd know if beasty was gone. I say power down a cold, tall, frosty mug......but have the 02 primed and ready!!!

Joe

I wish I had a guaranteed right answer for you on this one.... ...CH is so freaking personal in how it treats each person. I wouldn't think just taking a single drink would launch you back into a high cycle, neither can I guarantee you it won't. Still so danged much we just don't know.

Joe

If I was in your shoes I would wait it out. I love a good beer and a good whisky as much as the next person (I recommend a good trappist ale or Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout and/or Bushmill's 16yr old single malt during this time of year). That being said, I have done a couple new years's and Christmas's completely sober because of shadows or the last attack being too recent.

Cycles fade out for different people in different ways. For some the frequency just drops off over time, for others the intensity just drops off and others go out with one last major CH. It even can vary between cycles for some people.

So, like so much with CH, what is normal is very much subjective.

Mine go out with such a bang I'm left face-down on the deck almost afloat in tears of joy.

There's a word that describes it perfectly but a moderator says I can't use it.

AussieBrian wrote on Jan 7^th, 2014 at 7:14pm:



Golly AB...that describes this jonboy exactly....and I hope that forbidden word is not "exquisite"...which I either stole from you, someone else, or myself...dunno...getting old.

That final, fearsome, scorching hit marked my freedom for the next 2-3 months ....and was always desperately longed for.  The perfect description...in my mind.... has always been a hit of "exquisite pain". Seems an odd description for 'evil" pain...nez pas? Consider: def. 3 marked by flawless craftsmanship or by beautiful, ingenious, delicate, or elaborate execution

The beast at his WORST most demonically evil...but damned if it wasn't goodbye...

Best

Jon

I think mine is a fade in and out type - don't really know what to do about tapering off verapamil though. Really want to do it because the peak stage was mid november (cycle started in mid october).

If i am a fade out type, does anyone know what i can expect tapering off now with the symptoms i list above?

I would be fine one day, then not the next, Spring & Autumn
Then after 3mths of getting hit twice a day, they would just
disappear overnight. I was once told by a Professor back in Oxford. That i was a classic case suffering from CH's.

Hoppy.

My last beer test was a miserable failure.  I'd been pain-free and alcohol-free for about a year when I decided to experiment.  Drank 5 or 6 beers over the course of about that many hours and enjoyed them immensely.  That was a Saturday.  On the following Tuesday the headaches returned with a vengeance and were a daily nightmare for about 2 months.  That was about 6 months ago, and I'm still having the occasional attack. 

Each case is highly individualized, but I know in my heart that those beers were the source of my relapse.  I did find it hard to believe that there was about a 3 day delay in the attacks beginning again, but I'm still sure beer was the culprit.  I'd always been an enthusiastic beer drinker (also a bit of Scotch and vodka) - drank enough of the stuff in my 40s alone to float a battleship.  My clusters didn't really start 'til I was in my 50s, but there were omens of bad things to come (unilateral pain in healthy teeth, etc) I didn't recognize at the time.  Anyway, I've had to swear off my beloved beer and would recommend that anyone who suspects it as a trigger do so immediately, at least on a trial basis.

I've had good results with the D3 regimen and also take 20 mg melatonin daily.  And energy drinks (which I learned about on this site - THANK YOU!) can be lifesavers.  Limited resources, no insurance have prevented me from trying O2 and or prescription medications, but my beast seems to be mostly under control for the time being.

I'm sorry to have rambled on here, but if anything I've mentioned is of help to someone then I won't feel too bad about it.  I do have a few questions of my own and would greatly appreciate any input.  I'm not sure I'm posting in the right place, but here I go:

Is it alcohol alone or other ingredients specific to beer that cause the problem?  Never been much of a wine drinker (and I know reds have a bad reputation with headache sufferers of all varieties), but I might try some vodka if I thought it was relatively safe.

Is there a list of suspected triggers posted anywhere?  I think I've identified a problem with MSG in my case (and that damn stuff can be lurking anywhere in processed foods) and am beginning to suspect that eating liver may be problematic.

Thanks for bearing with me.  Happy new year, and good luck to you all in getting your beasts under control.

fstub wrote on Jan 16^th, 2014 at 12:03pm:


For me, when in a cycle any alcohol is a trigger, it doesn't matter the type or quantity.  I can't even do an ounce of NyQuil  .

I don't know of any specific list of triggers but I can tell you my biggies:  Alcohol, Stress (bad or good), and sleep (in cycle it seems every time I go to sleep I get a CH, even mid day naps).  Foods I have learned to avoid during cycles are hot dogs, nuts and nut butters, and chocolate.