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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> Smoking-advice for CH needed
        
(Message started by: MorePower on Jul 17^th, 2006, 10:10am)

Title: Smoking-advice for CH needed
Post by MorePower on Jul 17^th, 2006, 10:10am

Hi, I tried fliping through the site and fining information regarding smoking. I have some questions regarding smoking and being a CH sufferer.
I am a pack a day smoker, and fairly healthy, my neaurologist suggested that it contributes to CH attacks as it constricks the blood vesels.
Is this true?
She also suggested that if quiting smoking that my attacks would decrease. IS there any evidence to support this? I know smoking is bad for you, so I am not really looking to discuss cancer and so on but more so how it effects CH patients. If this is a repeat thread , my apology.
I have tried in the past....
Cold turkey,Zyban,the patch,laser therapy,the gum,hypnosis,acupuncture,herbal versions, and so on. I have tried. Unfortunately I do enjoy it. I did quit once 7 years ago for 1 yr and put in 70 lbs, joined a gym, rode 10km a day on a bike and couldn't shake the weight with proper dieting. Doctor said it was metabolism. I started smoking again 1 yr later due to stress and dropped the weight immediatelty within 2 months.
So what are your thoughts and any medical info on smoking and CH attacks and suffers???
Thanks for the tips...
I am willing to try to quit if there is proof that it will reduce my attacks by .0001%.

Title: Re: Smoking-advice for CH needed
Post by BarbaraD on Jul 17^th, 2006, 11:23am

If it's a constrictor (as your doc says) and is bad for you - then why the heck do neuros prescribe vasoCONSTRICTORS for CH [smiley=huh.gif]

Smoking may be bad for you (the jury is still out as far as I'm concerned) and it IS an expensive nasty habit, but as far as causing CH - nothing is proven to that theory.

Frankly, I smoke more when I'm getting hit (along with coffee and other "constrictors"). Sounds like your doc needs to brush up on CH.

My theory (and I'm OLD so I have a theory on everything) - if you smoke and don't want to quit - Don't! If you do then you will. It's a choice for YOU to make. I have no desire to quit right now so I'm not going to worry about it.

Good luck on whatever you decide.

Hugs BD

Title: Re: Smoking-advice for CH needed
Post by CHvsTN on Jul 17^th, 2006, 11:32am

Hi MorePower,

I also was advised by the neuro to quit smoking as "it has been relate to CH". Like you, I would try to stop if there was proof, otherwise, as it's one of the small enjoyments I get from life (because of CH >:(), I don't want to quit. Anyway, I thought vaso constriction was supposed to bea good thing for CH. [smiley=huh.gif].

Every time I go to the Doc's, with flu, a twisted ankle, or something, I'm told to quit smoking - so I must say I'm a bit sceptical about a link between smoking and CH.

Reading through this site, it seem non-smokers suffer from CH too.

Maybe there's been a poll done...

Good luck if you decide to quit.

Ritchie

Title: Re: Smoking-advice for CH needed
Post by Bob P on Jul 17^th, 2006, 12:34pm

Our own Ueli once explained that the CO in cig smoke binds to the red blood cells decreasing their ability to carry oxygen. As our brain senses this lack of O2 it dialates the blood vessels in the brain to try to get more O2. Therefore it would be a vasodialator not constrictor.

If I had the time I'd Google cig smoke to find out which is correct.

Title: Re: Smoking-advice for CH needed
Post by floridian on Jul 17^th, 2006, 12:36pm

on 07/17/06 at 10:10:44, MorePower wrote:

I am willing to try to quit if there is proof that it will reduce my attacks by .0001%.

Like most questions related to clusters, no studies have been conducted on this topic. But I am pretty sure that the odds are greater than 1 in one million that quitting might help.

Some people have quit and seen no change. Others have quit and reported improvement. All of this is anecdotal and difficult to draw any conclusions, but some people do feel that quitting has helped them.

Title: Re: Smoking-advice for CH needed
Post by floridian on Jul 17^th, 2006, 12:41pm

on 07/17/06 at 12:34:24, Bob P wrote:

Nicotine (first of the toxins in smoke) like most stimulants, is a vasoconstrictor. But as the amount in the body changes (reaching a low point just before awakening), there can be a rebound.

The effects from the carbon monoxide (second toxin) are independent of the nicotine. And there is no question that carbon monoxide reduces the ability of the blood to deliver oxygen.

A third class of toxins are the particulates, which interfere with lung function.

Fourth class - 'tar' which is a soup of petrocarbon-like compounds ... causes mutation, damages the lungs, triggers inflammation.

Switching to gum, lozenge, or patch for the long-term will eliminate 3 of the 4 classes of toxins and reduce many of the risks from smoking. Not safe, but much less dangerous.

Title: Re: Smoking-advice for CH needed
Post by sandie99 on Jul 17^th, 2006, 1:02pm

When I was diagnosed, my neuro said that the most clusterheads smoke. I however, don't and never have. Neuro also said that there is no evidence to prove that if one quits smoking ch would degrease/vanish.

Best wishes & PFtime,
Sanna

Title: Re: Smoking-advice for CH needed
Post by MorePower on Jul 17^th, 2006, 10:30pm

thanks for the posts. I am still undecided. You are right, doesn't matter what happens to you at the Doctors, you can tell them you have an itch, they will tell you its caused from smoking and quit.
Just wondering if anyone on here has quit and noticed a difference [smiley=huh.gif]

Title: Re: Smoking-advice for CH needed
Post by jmorgan52 on Jul 18^th, 2006, 9:35am

I quit smoking 25 years ago. I cut down from a pack a day to zero over a period of about a year. I stopped the first one in the morning, then slowly worked towards just smoking after dinner over a long period, then quit altogether. Cold turkey sucks.

Sure as hell didn't get rid of my CH, neither did it make it any worse.

But it sure helped my cough go away and reduced my risk of nasty lung cancer.

My advice - give up that dirty stinking habit. CH won't kill you but smoking all the fags might. :'(

Title: Re: Smoking-advice for CH needed
Post by chopmyheadoff on Jul 19^th, 2006, 9:24am

i am under dr silver who is friends with professor goadsby and is pretty dam clued up on ch.

He says that smoking could play a part in actually developing CH but giving up smoking will have NO AFFECT on the ch once you have the disease.

shame really !!

Title: Re: Smoking-advice for CH needed
Post by seasonalboomer on Jul 19^th, 2006, 9:31am

my life was changed by quitting smoking almost 10 years ago (for the better).
but my CH's stayed the same. I didn't expect the CH to change so I'm not disappointed.

scott

Title: Re: Smoking-advice for CH needed
Post by BarbaraD on Jul 19^th, 2006, 3:11pm

When I was first diagnosed, the resident put me on patches and told me to quit smoking. The head of the neuro dept came in, looked at my chart and d/ced the patches and told me this was NOT the time to quit. He actually got me a wheelchair and wheeled me outside to have a smoke.

I guess everyone has an opinion about smoking. I'm just not ready to quit - if I ever get ready I will....

Hugs BD

Title: Re: Smoking-advice for CH needed
Post by Charlotte on Jul 19^th, 2006, 3:24pm

I'm a non-smoker. One of my very bad docs in the past sniffed my hair and wrinkled his nose when I told him I didn't smoke, like I was lying.

I have only met 6 other clusterheads. Of the 7 of us, 4 of us were colorblind, 4 were male, don't remember who smoked.

If you guys would stop being male, maybe you would not have ch... If I give up being color blind, can I stop having ch?

Charlotte