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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> 7 years CH free.
        
(Message started by: Clusterama on Aug 27^th, 2006, 5:23am)

Title: 7 years CH free.
Post by Clusterama on Aug 27^th, 2006, 5:23am

Hello all,
I used to be a “regular” a few years ago and now -- 7 years since my last attack -- I figured I’d come back and tell my story.

Mine’s the usual tale of woe: intense headaches since childhood, countless doctors, all available medications and finally the Cluster Headache diagnosis at age 25. My CHs were seasonal, usually about a month a year with daily series of 5-8 attacks during the day and one every 40 minutes at night. During the CH month my employers (God bless them!) were usually kind enough to set an office aside for me to “hide” in whenever the attacks would become unbearable.
Needless to say, by the end of the CH month I was usually a wreck (mind and body) and on the verge of suicide… fortunately the CHs always went away right before I completely lost my mind.

At age 35 I began taking an antidepressant called Wellbutrin to help me with a slight case of depression and ADD… as some of you may know the active ingredient in Wellbutrin is exactly the same found in a product called Zyban, a medication used to help smokers quit their habit. Anyway, being a one-pack-a-day smoker myself I figured I’d jump on the opportunity to kill the proverbial “two birds with one stone”… and so I quit… and never had a cluster headache again. I still take the medication (low dosage) and continue to be smoke-free to this day.

I can’t say whether it was the Wellbutrin or the (lack of) cigarettes, or maybe the combination, but that was the solution to a nightmare I had carried with me since age 7. Obviously I didn’t smoke back then, but my father did and I received a hefty dosage of second-hand smoke on a regular basis. Coincidentally my father also suffered from CHs and he also got rid of them when he quit smoking at age 55.

That’s it. Draw your own conclusions and take from this what you may.

Take care and God bless you.

Title: Re: 7 years CH free.
Post by kevinpix on Aug 27^th, 2006, 8:01am

Congtats on your painfree treatment. Hopefully others will try this, because it does make sense to promote the exposure of clean lung surface to absorb oxygen.

Title: Re: 7 years CH free.
Post by LeLimey on Aug 27^th, 2006, 9:09am

Hi Clusterama
I'm very pleased to hear of your remission and l hope it lasts for you. Sadly, I'm not a smoker, I've never, ever smoked and I still have CH so your theory doesn't work for me at least. The majority of CH'ers ARE smokers though, I know I'm in a minority.
Everyone's general health would be improved by giving up smoking (if not their tempers!) so I think it would never be a bad thing to try!
Helen

Title: Re: 7 years CH free.
Post by Charlotte on Aug 27^th, 2006, 9:50am

I, too, am not a smoker and have never had the habit although as ayoungster I did try smoking & it didn't do anything for me so I didn't continue it.

When my mom took welbutrin, not only did she not quit smoking but her personality was still off. She only quit smoking on my birthday every year, in my honor, even when we were out of touch. I was so touched when I found out because ours was not an easy relationship. She had migraines and personality issues. She's gone now but made every effort to repair the damage with anyone who was willing to love her, during her last 6 months. We loved her.

Back to you, I digressed. I am so happy for you. I hope the pf time continues. I have my own theories and I may do research and talk to my doc about welbutrin, but I will currently stick to the med plan that is currently giving me some relief in getting hit every 2 hours.

Thank you for sharing. We love success stories.

Charlotte

Title: Re: 7 years CH free.
Post by sandie99 on Aug 27^th, 2006, 9:54am

Clusterama,

thanks for sharing your story. It's inspiring to hear that you've been PF for 7 years! I hope that it continues. :)

I'm part of the non-smoking minority here, so I cannot test your theory myself.

Best wishes & PFdays,
Sanna

Title: Re: 7 years CH free.
Post by Melissa on Aug 27^th, 2006, 9:59am

Like you, there have been a couple others here that went into remission after quitting smoking. It may be that you, and those people, had found their "trigger" for remission. I wish it was so for me too, but even after qutting myself I still get my cycles.

I am very happy that you're pain free, and you never know, there might be someone out there who it will also work for.

take care,
mel

Title: Re: 7 years CH free.
Post by bustedbrian on Sep 12^th, 2006, 10:03pm

Thanks for the info. My story is very simillar to yours. Father that smoked now I have smoked close to 20 years. 1 cycle a year. Just finished a cycle and looking for a cure. Plan to quit smoking in the next couple of weeks. Or once i feel normal.

Title: Re: 7 years CH free.
Post by Theresa on Sep 12^th, 2006, 10:15pm

Wow congrats on being PF for so long. I too was a smoker and I quit using Zyban. Unfortunately I had clusters before and after I quit smoking. My cycles actually started coming closer together after I quit smoking.

Title: Re: 7 years CH free.
Post by wam on Sep 12^th, 2006, 11:31pm

WOW....7 years CH free!!!Im very envious. :)Way to go.

Title: Re: 7 years CH free.
Post by Chonas on Sep 13^th, 2006, 4:54pm

Very interesting... Thanks for the information, and congratulations for such a long remission.

I've also quitted smoking a couple of years ago, but it didn't work for me.
I'm actually PF, the cycle is over, and now I'm planning to also quit breathing, so maybe this way I'll be able to skip the next cycle and a few more. ;;D

Congratulations again!.