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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> Taurine - when do you take it?
        
(Message started by: Garys_Girl on Apr 13^th, 2006, 12:57pm)

Title: Taurine - when do you take it?
Post by Garys_Girl on Apr 13^th, 2006, 12:57pm

We just received the 1000mg supplements I'd orderd. I read that Red Bull has 1000mg in it, so - do you just not worry about when or how much you take?

I know Melatonin you take at night about 20 min or so before what would normally be bed-time. But the Taurine doesn't say when to take it. Should it be taken with food? Inbetween meals? Just the 1000mg dose (as recommended on the bottle?) Or 3 or 4 doses a day, as suggested here

http://www.med-owl.com/clusterheadaches/tiki-index.php?page=Taurine

?????????????

I'm starting to feel like a pain always asking questions, but searches on the site aren't turning up answers. :-[

Laurie

Title: Re: Taurine - when do you take it?
Post by marlinsfan on Apr 13^th, 2006, 1:30pm

I can't help with your Taurine question.....

[quote author=Garys_Girl link=board=meds;num=1144951038;start=0#0 date=04/13/06 at 12:57:17]I'm starting to feel like a pain always asking questions, but searches on the site aren't turning up answers. :-[/quote]

DO NOT FEEL LIKE A PAIN! You are here doing research to support your husband. We should all be so lucky! Plus, you also ANSWER a lot of questions, I've caught you doing it ;)

Title: Re: Taurine - when do you take it?
Post by nani on Apr 13^th, 2006, 1:47pm

Never feel like a pain, Laurie!
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the taurine (and caffeine) in a Red Bull will abort a hit. In that scenario, my guess would be that popping one at the onset of an attack would be the best time. Of course, your hubby could beta test whether it would work as a prevent, too. I know the kudzu isn't helping completely, so maybe adding taurine (washed down with a cola?) will increase it's effectiveness? We don't know. There's one way to find out... ;;D
[beta testing involves somes record keeping. ie: a headache diary]

Title: Re: Taurine - when do you take it?
Post by Garys_Girl on Apr 13^th, 2006, 3:33pm

THANK YOU for your kind words. I needed them just then. :D

Nani, Gary and I already spent all our time together, so I've started keeping his headache journal. The only thing I'm not logging is when he smokes cigarettes. Otherwise anything that goes into that body is noted, and with an exact time.

Poor thing has been having serious sinus issues the past few days, and the meds he's been attempting to use for that seem to have really screwed us up. :(

From the reading I've done, it seems that perhaps the Taurine enhances the effect of the coffee (caffeine) as an abortive, like you were pointing out Nani. But I think we'll give it a go as a preventative - maybe it enhances the effect of the Kudzu root. So for now, I think I'll have him take it with the Kudzu and see if we see any change in his pain index. If, over the next few days, without the sinus meds, his pain index doesn't drop below where it was with just the Kudzu, then we'll try it with the caffeine as a preventative.

Thanks for the words of support and encouragement. They are GREATLY appreciated!

Laurie

Title: Re: Taurine - when do you take it?
Post by MJ on Apr 13^th, 2006, 8:31pm

If it can abort most likely it may prevent.

Since relaxation is a trigger for many of us, I dont know about taurine alone, but I would take the drinks early in the day to be at max alert.

I believe its the stimulating effect that does the job. But thats just me.

Title: Re: Taurine - when do you take it?
Post by Tom K on Apr 13^th, 2006, 10:05pm

I don't know when to take the taurine on it's own, I always felt that an ICE COLD Amp or RB worked better than a warm one, so I thought the cold had something to do with it...maybe it is the cold combined with the taurine...

Title: Re: Taurine - when do you take it?
Post by Garys_Girl on Apr 14^th, 2006, 9:41pm

I've been doing online research of Taurine. After all I've read, I think I'm going to start taking it as a supplement!

A number of clinical studies have been done using Taurine for various things. It's been shown to lower blood pressure, strengthen the heart muscle, improve the absorption of bile, lower the risk of gallstones, improve the ratio of LDL/HDL cholestorol, lower cholesterol, relieves "arterial spasms," helps prevent macular degeneration, and the list goes on.

A concise discussion of the benefits of Taurine is here:

http://www.wellfx.com/InfoBase/vitamin_taurine_.htm

For those of you more scientifically oriented, this is a useful link:

http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/fulltext/taurine3-2.html

Dosage seems to be in the 3g to 6g range (some studies are using much higher doses, but it seems like something you wouldn't want to try unless under supervision of a Doctor).

Taurine apparently helps optimize the metabolism of magnesium. In fact, many people get diarrhea from magnesium supplements because of the absorption/metabolism problem. Many magnesium supplements are now sold in combination with Taurine to prevent this problem.

I'm sure many of you are already aware that both Cluster Headache sufferers and Migraine sufferers in many instances have been shown to have lower-than-normal levels of magnesium in their brains. This relationship between Taurine and Magnesium and the benefits some clusterheads have experienced from using Taurine is probably not a coincidence, especially as it helps improve your body's ability to "use" magnesium even if you don't take a mag supplement.

In fact, a clinical trial of just magnesium as a "treatment" for cluster headaches was conducted:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=8550360&dopt=Abstract

Results were seen only in people with significantly lower than normal levels of magnesium, but results were enough to merit further study.

There is a site dedicated entirely to magnesium hosted by the New York Weill Cornell Medical Center:

http://www.mgwater.com/

Interestingly, if you click on their "magnesium website page 2," you'll find they're looking for people with Migraines who have tried or are using magnesium to help.

Gary, for now, is using 4g of Taurine as a supplement (along with the Kudzu, magnesium, calcium and tumeric).

Title: Re: Taurine - when do you take it?
Post by mynm156 on Apr 16^th, 2006, 1:53am

Laurie,

Trust me you are just getting stared with the questions. I have been here for a while andI ask questions all the time! Good Luck!

Good VIbes and keep the questions coming!

your Brother in Pain

MYNM156