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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> Imitrex & Mushroom questions
        
(Message started by: slhaas on Dec 27^th, 2005, 5:35pm)

Title: Imitrex & Mushroom questions
Post by slhaas on Dec 27^th, 2005, 5:35pm

Hi,

I've recently started another cycle of cluster headaches. I've been desperately searching for a better way to fight them this time around. Per the suggestion of people on this board I've found mild help in the form of Melatonin & Benadryl. I tried Kudzu and it didn't help, but found out it may be due to me buying the starch and not the full root. I attempted to try mushrooms, and took a dose of 2.3g, but didn't feel a thing & had a nasty attack that night. I still hold hope that mushrooms may be a less harsh way to ease my cycles and possibly kill them for weeks at a time. The mushrooms I took were very old (8+ months) and dried out to an extreme. I've read up on this and found that they may have lost most of their potency. Do any of you know enough about them to confirm this? I assume that since there wasn't enough in the mushrooms to make a 1st time user feel even a tiny bit of an effect, that there would then also not be enough to render the cluster headache relief effects. Is this a safe assumption? If so, I am trying to find a fresher, more potent, yet still safe and reliable source for another experiment. Until then I have found a new source of relief. My CHs became a topic of conversation at my family Christmas gathering. It was at the end of the evening when everyone was heading home when I received my best present of the year... and for that matter for many years past. Someone at the gathering told me that they took Imatrex pills for migraine headaches. She can't take them anymore because she's pregnant, so they're just sitting there. She also gets all of her meds for free... so she refille them instantly and let me have them as a temporary solution to my troubles and possibly to arm me with information I can present to a doctor. I popped an Imitrex before bed and had a wondeful pain free night of sleep. Ive now done this 3 nights in a row, and all 3 nights... wonderful pain free sleep! My only concern is that this pill is not intended to be a preventative, but rather an abortive. I am of the mindset that seeing as I get a CH like clockwork every night about 90 minutes into my sleep, that waitint to pop the pill after that happens (ruining about 45min of my sleep) is a waste of time. If I take it just before bed I am good to go. I figure on days that I dont have anything pressing to do I can skip the pill the night before to see if Im out of a cycle or whatnot... and if it hits, take one then. Is this Ok for me to be doing, or am I asking for trouble? Will taking the imitex daily cause me harm or lead to a tolerance where it doesn't help me at all? Is it possible that taking less pills (say one every couple days or one every week) will kill the headaches for that period as opposed to a daily dose? Any help will be greatly appreciated as it'll help me to decide how eagerly I will hunt for another CB source.

Title: Re: Imitrex & Mushroom questions
Post by BMoneeTheMoneeMan on Dec 27^th, 2005, 8:06pm

Greetings haas.
It sounds to me like if you didnt feel anything on that large of a dose, they probably lost their potency.
You didnt get the giggles or feel weird at all?

You are right, trex is not supposed to be used as a preventative. It is pretty hard on the heart.

I took the CB treatment for my last cycle which is ending right now. It did wonders. It didnt kill the cycle completely, but it reduced the frequency by more than 75% and reduced the intensity by 50%.........which in my book is a big fat W
Somebody else might be able to better expand on this, but i hear it is not good to use triptans and other cluster meds while also using the CB treatment. If you can, get off of all meds and detox for at least a week to get best potential results from the shrooms. do NOT use trex while on the shrooms unless its an emergency....i have heard it hinders the effectiveness.
PF wishes
BMonee

Title: Re: Imitrex & Mushroom questions
Post by slhaas on Dec 27^th, 2005, 8:34pm

Yeah I will, but it looks like Im not going to find any mushrooms for a CB treatment, so it may not matter :(

Title: Re: Imitrex & Mushroom questions
Post by BikerBob on Dec 27^th, 2005, 9:12pm

Quote:

I attempted to try mushrooms, and took a dose of 2.3g, but didn't feel a thing & had a nasty attack that night. I still hold hope that mushrooms may be a less harsh way to ease my cycles and possibly kill them for weeks at a time. The mushrooms I took were very old (8+ months) and dried out to an extreme. I've read up on this and found that they may have lost most of their potency. Do any of you know enough about them to confirm this?

Mushrooms that are properly dried and properly stored retain their potency for years.

Quote:

I assume that since there wasn't enough in the mushrooms to make a 1st time user feel even a tiny bit of an effect, that there would then also not be enough to render the cluster headache relief effects. Is this a safe assumption?

In my opinion, Yes.

Quote:

If so, I am trying to find a fresher, more potent, yet still safe and reliable source for another experiment.

a) Use RC seeds, you can get them in a few days.
b) Start growing your own shrooms. It may take 2 months but it's worth it long-term.

Quote:

I popped an Imitrex before bed and had a wondeful pain free night of sleep. Ive now done this 3 nights in a row, and all 3 nights... wonderful pain free sleep! My only concern is that this pill is not intended to be a preventative, but rather an abortive. I am of the mindset that seeing as I get a CH like clockwork every night about 90 minutes into my sleep, that waitint to pop the pill after that happens (ruining about 45min of my sleep) is a waste of time. If I take it just before bed I am good to go. I figure on days that I dont have anything pressing to do I can skip the pill the night before to see if Im out of a cycle or whatnot... and if it hits, take one then. Is this Ok for me to be doing, or am I asking for trouble?

I've done that before with 100mg Imitrex pills when I knew I was going to get hit 1-2 hours after going to bed, but only when I was desperate.

Quote:

Will taking the imitex daily cause me harm or lead to a tolerance where it doesn't help me at all?

It will more likely lead to lengthening your CH episode and causing cardiovascular damage long-term.

Quote:

Is it possible that taking less pills (say one every couple days or one every week) will kill the headaches for that period as opposed to a daily dose?

No, Imitrex won't have any effect after a few hours and you will likely get another CH attack in a few hours to several hours after taking the pill.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

You didn't mention O2 as an abortive or RC seeds to bust the cycle.
Here's what I would do:

- Get O2 immediately as an abortive. See the "Oxygen info" link on the left.

- Order RC seeds immediately. You can get them in a few days. See the LSA FAQ on clusterbusters.com

- As soon as you get O2 as an abortive, stop using Imitrex. You need to detox from Imitrex for at least 5 days before using the RC seeds and they should arrive by then.

- Start growing your own mushrooms.

PF wishes,
BB

Title: Re: Imitrex & Mushroom questions
Post by Beastfodder on Jan 5^th, 2006, 12:22pm

From what I've read the advice is 100% on the money.

Shrooms last for years if kept dry, whole, in the dark and away from excess heat (allegedly).

O2 works really well as an abortive. I'm lucky because that's all I need to stay on top of things. Imitrex and Frovatriptan will both get you sleeping nights and Frova has a longer half life in your system which may be useful for you in the future.

However don't mix the two - Triptans and Shrooms and detox thoroughly before re-visiting the Shrooms you have (and you're sure they aren't dried Porcini mushrooms).

Shame really 'coz Porcini shrooms might be a little more palatable.

Mind you IMHO anything is more palatable than the polypharmacy of dodgy triptans, Lithium, pizotifen that's the first port of call for GPs over here.

Title: Re: Imitrex & Mushroom questions
Post by Bob P on Jan 5^th, 2006, 4:21pm

Quote:

It will more likely lead to lengthening your CH episode and causing cardiovascular damage long-term.

Holy crap! How do they get away with prescribing this crud for us?

Title: Re: Imitrex & Mushroom questions
Post by zanychef on Jan 6^th, 2006, 3:26am

on 01/05/06 at 16:21:07, Bob P wrote:

Holy crap! How do they get away with prescribing this crud for us?

maybe has something to do with MONEY ;)