Posted by Q (198.64.206.92) on February 23, 2000 at 02:09:10:
Almost every evening I stop and get a late night snack, usually between 9 and 10 P.M. and usually at Wendy’s. You know ... hamburger, fries, Frosty (milk shake) and chili. For the past 6 months I've been having a very predictable CH attack exactly 1 1/2 hours after I go to sleep, almost every evening. I've tried going to sleep early, late, and not at all -- but no particular variation in the CH pattern during the past two months.
About a month ago, I started going to Burger King, where they have vanilla shakes instead of the chocolate ones like at Wendy's. After several days with the vanilla shake substituted for the Frosty, my evening attacks started to diminish and for the last two weeks only had two evening attacks. What was different on those two nights? Of course, I went to Wendy's and had the Frosty rather than the vanilla shake at Burger King. Last night I went to Wendy's, had the Frosty, and WHAMO, an attack exactly 1 1/2 hour after I went to sleep.
Now I'm a firm believer that chocolate is a trigger for me. Two weeks ago I went to this mega-buck fund-raiser dinner where they served a great chocolate desert. Guess what? That night I had not one, but two attacks during the night. There were none the week before and none the week after. And the first one 1 1/2 hours after I went to sleep. The second was about 4 hours after the first, which is very unusual in my CH pattern.
BUT NOW THE QUESTION IS ... why is chocolate a trigger? Does anybody remember the chemical in chocolate that affects the mind? Is it in any way related to serotonin or the Indio-ring compounds we have been discussing of late?
Just thought I'd pass that information along for what ever its worth. HEY DAVE, when are you going to put vanilla milk shakes in Wendy's?
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P.S. -- Sorry I haven't been posting much lately (well maybe you are) but I've been trying to scare up some project work to keep me busy. Any leads would be appreciated. Thanks.
P.S.S. -- I have been on this diet supplement regimen the past month, which seems to have coincided with the lowering of frequency and duration of the attack pattern. Multi-vitamin, B-complex, 5HDT supplement, Wellbutrin (150 mg/day) and vitamin e. I went off the Wellbutrin from mid-December to mid-January. Big mistake in the depression department. When I went back on the Wellbutrin I also started the vitamin supplements and have been very diligent in taking these over the past month.