Posted by Don Fowler (24.92.1.168) on September 25, 2000 at 15:46:43:
I've suffered from cluster headaches since 1995. Been living with Imitrex injections during the cycles and my Dr. has been experimenting with Topamax these last six months.
My wife and I went to England on a three week vacation and upon return in late August I went into a CH cycle that was awful. Headaches hit at random times of the day. Each headache took 2 shots over three hours to completely eliminate the pain. Awful!
My doctor had me double the Topamax which caused god awful sid effects. Vision problems, cognition problems, bad ticking of facial muscles, etc... The double dosage did manage to put my headaches back on regularity (around noon and 5 PM).
The other day I went for a swim in our pool around 4:30 just as the symptoms were starting. I accidently took in a lot of water through my nose. Within 15 minutes the symptoms had diminished. Was this a fluke? Hmmmm.
I went out and bought a couple of bottles of HuMist, a moisturizing Nasal Mist. For the last four days I have been washing my nasal passage (on the side of the headaches) with this stuff. I shouldn't say "washing" - I should say drenching. I'll squeeze this stuff in until I just about gag. I do this every 60 to 90 minutes all day. I'll irrigate myself with about six heavy squeezes each time I do the irrigation. Enough that it is literally running down the back of my throat.
Since I have started doing this, I have had one very mild headache.
Now, I don't know if I am just coming to the normal end of cycle or if this irrigation thing is actually doing something. I don't think the cycle has ended. I still feel that tightness over my eye that signals the cycle is in full swing. All I know right now is that I have had no headaches.
I went to the Doc today. He looked at this HuMist bottle and just shrugged his shoulders. He said, "it can't hurt you'.
I tried another brand of this moisterizing mist but found this brand the best because it can be squeezed in more as a stream instead of a mist.
If anyone else wants to try it, let me know your results. It does NOT stop a headache in progress. But give it a try if you are in a cycle.