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Title: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by jmc on Feb 14th, 2007, 10:22am Happy to report that I successfully aborted what was shaping up to be a real bastard with a quickly slammed can of Red Bull. I couldn't believe it worked, after about 15 to 20 minutes (all the while cursing Red Bull for a variety of reasons) it evaporated completely. It was my first time to try it and i was shocked, what a freakin' relief... I'm so glad I found this site. Just wanted to tell someone. |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by Guiseppi on Feb 14th, 2007, 10:30am I love the feeling of power every time I discover a new way to kick his ass! Congrats and heres hoping to continued success! Guiseppi |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by LeLimey on Feb 14th, 2007, 10:34am It's quite a shock when it works and you just couldn't believe it could isn't it?! I can still remember aborting my first hit with O2 (well not my FIRST hit but you know what I mean!) I wanted to rush out nd stop people in the street and tell them, it was such a - miracle. Simply no other way to describe it and Red Bull was the same although I have to say, it tastes like sheet! The key for me is to chug it as fast as I can as early as I can. For those who find gallumphing fizzy drinks fast you can leave it open in the fridge to go flat. Still tastes vile but it does the trick and you don't get that gassy pain! I'm really pleased for you Helen |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by Redd715 on Feb 14th, 2007, 11:10am I keep one or two 4 packs in my desk at the office at all times. Just this morning, I had to chug one, because a co-worker used a hand lotion that for some reason the scent was starting to trigger me. I can still feel a slight shadow lingering in there, but thats much preferable to hiding in the conferance room with a full blown hit. I find the taste easier to deal with when the Red Bull is room temp. and easier to chug faster as well. YMMV |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by Brewcrew on Feb 14th, 2007, 11:41am Soft drinks as medicine. Who'd a thunk it? ;;D |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by midwestbeth on Feb 14th, 2007, 2:42pm If one can doesn't kill the beast, chug one more. I'm never with out red bull or the many variations (cheaper) there are out there. Glad to hear it helped you. Beth |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by thebbz on Feb 14th, 2007, 2:52pm I like the Mountian Dew, I can slam one 16 oz in about 5 seconds. First choice for success and best in show for economy is coffee. Cheap and fast. jb |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by froggy on Feb 14th, 2007, 4:39pm Tony uses Monster Khaos, the taste is so much better than Red Bull. So glad that this works for anyone. |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by Barry_T_Coles on Feb 14th, 2007, 4:55pm http://bestsmileys.com/happy/3.gif I would guess its only people like us who can appreciate that something so simple can be such a powerful weapon and not break the bank. http://bestsmileys.com/happy/7.gif http://bestsmileys.com/happy/7.gif |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by duckie on Feb 15th, 2007, 3:36am New to the red bull & love the red bull but have a question. I sculled it this morning, empty stomach, and it shortened the CH but left me feeling absolutely horrid and shakey. Anyone else have this? Do i have to try and eat something before the red bull? :-/ Lii |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by jmc on Feb 15th, 2007, 10:37am I sometimes get jittery when I drink coffee or eat vitamins on an empty stomach so I would guess the caffiene and B vitamins in RB could do the same. Last night, the RB knocked down my CH but it never fully went away for approx. 5 or 6 hours when I slammed another one in aggrevation. Still an unbelievable success, but not as good as the night before. It got me thinking, will we build a tolerance to the effects of RB and eventually it will lose some of it's effectiveness? Thanks again for the support guys. |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by froggy on Feb 15th, 2007, 10:52am JMC, you stole the words right from me :P Tony feels funky if he does have to take it on an empty stomach. I would imagine it's real comprable to drinking a few cups of coffee with vitamins first thing in the morning. Duckie, great to hear it worked! Hopefully you'll be able to "tweak" the system so you can get the drink down with no problems. Have you read the thread "2 Red Bulls"? |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by Brewcrew on Feb 15th, 2007, 12:32pm on 02/15/07 at 03:36:48, duckie wrote:
It works faster on an empty stomach, but will still work if you've eaten something. When I get hit, it happens fast. Like within 5 minutes fast. I'm usually not thinking about whether or not I should have something to eat. Horrid and shakey with no CH is better than a delightfully calm body and a head full of raging fire. One other thing - some people, myself included, actually like the taste of Red Bull. Many of the other energy drinks taste sickeningly sweet to me. Red Bull, Red Thunder, and Rockstar all taste drier and more refreshing to me. Taste is a subjective thing. |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by TonyG1 on Feb 15th, 2007, 7:05pm on 02/14/07 at 11:41:01, Brewcrew wrote:
Don't tell the drug companies.... the price will skyrocket... http://www.websmileys.com/sm/drink/trink38.gif I'm a fan of Mt. Dew... |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by duckie on Feb 16th, 2007, 7:17am Thanks guys, just wanted to make sure i wasn't going nuts. I was told to give up coffee when they were trying to diagnose me 5 years ago and I think that must of contributed to the shakes. To froggy - yep checked the 2 red bulls thread, but with a very low tolerance to caffeine at the moment, one seems to do fine. No doubt i'll be chugging 2 in no time ;;D To brewcrew - I agree, I can handle shakey and horrid if it means the beast retreats back into his cave faster. Who really has time when the beast is knocking to think 1. I must eat, 2. Then scull Red Bull, 3. Assume the position and wait for the beast to leave. PF vibes to you all. Lii |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by jmc on Feb 16th, 2007, 10:55am [smiley=huh.gif] Well, the other foot dropped last night. 2 red bulls back to back couldn't abort it and it turned into an agonizing kip 9 that lasted for about 3 hours. Nearly went to the ER, but was able to ride it out. I really need to get Imitrex and some O2 ASAP. Sorry if you guys are already sick of reading me bitch and moan. I wish you all PFDANs. |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by thebbz on Feb 16th, 2007, 2:49pm By all means bitch and moan. It is known by some that caffeine is a double edged sword. It sometimes simply delays the inevitable. Use the imitrex,o2 and other abortives in the evening and night. Save the caffeine and others for the day. Evenually you will increase your daily intake of caffeine to a level that does no good. It will actually make the HA worse, and some believe begin a cycle of rebounds. So mix it up. all the best jb |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by froggy on Feb 16th, 2007, 3:53pm At only "8" posts to your name, we ain't heard nothin' yet [smiley=laugh.gif] Hang in there |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by Russ_T on Feb 17th, 2007, 3:34am I have found that Rock Star works for me but as it has been said, probably not the choice of drinks for the evening. It is 3:30 a.m., the beast came knocking early and I slammed a 16 oz. Rockstar. Now I fear I am up for the day. Oh well it beats walking the beast around the house. I am glad that I found this site, using the soft drink as an abortive med works for me and I don't have to plead with my neurologist and fight with the insurance comapnies to get prescription abortives. Thanks to all you CH'ers, I have found someone who understands. |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by Ob1kanobee on Feb 17th, 2007, 7:28pm I drink Red Bull when a hit comes on and thought I would try the Diet version to avoid the sugar rush as well. I hate diet anything but the Diet Red Bull was not bad. I will drink the Diet version from now on to avoid a full blown hit or a hit altogether if I'm lucky. The secret is drinking it before the beast even gets a chance to put his claws into you, You have to be fast, real fast! |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by mac194 on Feb 19th, 2007, 3:57pm I am a newbie to this board, and it is great to learn new ways to try and squash the beast. I too tried the red bull when I saw the post, and IT WORKED! I only try it one to two times a day (or night), and is has about a 50% sucess rate for me. 50% is better than nothing! Thanks for the info. |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by LeLimey on Feb 20th, 2007, 4:24am Mac and everyone else - the key to making red bull work is to take it at the first hint of trouble. The longer you delay the less it will work so chug it as fast as you can people! |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by stressedchef on Feb 27th, 2007, 1:49am HI everyone I just wanted to say this worked for me as well I was awokin by the beast, a building K6 I ran to refrigitor a slammed the red bull for complete relief in about 10 min......couldnt sleep......but very happy never the less...... ..........Wishing you all the best...Isaac |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by Mac_Muz on Feb 27th, 2007, 12:55pm I'm game.... What the heck is Red Bull, and where do I find it? O2 for me works the same way, get on it at the very first instant or dance.... |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by froggy on Feb 27th, 2007, 1:45pm Red Bull/Monster Khaos drinks are still working great BUT the thing I've noticed with Tony is he has to dry out every couple of days or so. The tolerance seems to build up. Believe me, if O2 did it for him, he'd go for that first. I suppose Red Bull is easier to transport than an oxygen set up. |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by KillerQueen on Mar 8th, 2007, 12:25pm I have a stupid newbie question...Can chugging it before I go to bed (I get my first exactly one hour after going to sleep and at one-hour intervals all night until 6AM) prevent the onset, or will it reduce the duration and severity once it hits? |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by LeLimey on Mar 8th, 2007, 3:41pm Hello! The simple answer is - I don't know! I doubt it though in all honesty. What meds are you taking for CH? Melatonin might be worth reading up on - there are many posts about it here. Are you using any triptans? If so which ones? What other meds are you using? We'll help you find something to help! Helen |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by KillerQueen on Mar 8th, 2007, 3:59pm Thanks, Helen, for the reply. I've had them before (this pain is hard to forget) but was told it was a sinus infection (that lasted 4 months, apparently). Recently, I finished a dose of antibiotics for a sinus infection and was still waking up in pain. I did a little online research and figured out on my own what the problem was. Then, my GP backed my findings with a diagnosis 2 weeks ago. Honestly, when I read your stories, I feel almost hopeless. They've been going on only two weeks so far and I'm tired, terrified to go to bed, and have asked my husband to please kill me (during an attack, because I'm obviously not thinking clearly) and I can't imagine living with this for any longer. The doc started me on prednisone (thought she'd try that, along with vicodin, before she referred me to a neurologist). I took my first half-dose of prednisone, and the first headache came an hour after falling asleep, but it wasn't as severe. The next day, I took a full dose of prednisone, and that night I was headache free. Of course, it could have been just that they were in remission, and this episode only lasted 2 weeks, which is what I assumed, so I stopped the steroids. Well, that was Saturday...I had 4 last night. They came back. I took a full dose of prednisone today, and I'm going to see if it is helping, or if I got lucky over the weekend. The vicodins are a joke; however, they do seem to help with the shadow pain a little, or at least they make me feel a little better emotionally. Happy pills, I call them... Okay, enough rambling from me...It's just nice to be able to talk with people who understand... |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by LeLimey on Mar 8th, 2007, 4:29pm Pred is usually used as a shoer term med whilst tapering up on another med - such as verapamil for instance. When used on its own its a bit of a disaster really as onceyou come off it the HA's just come back. You can't take it for too long either so it really is only to be used as a short term therapy. Vicodin is not and never will be a CH med. It just doesn't work in the right way to abort pain. In a hit the blood vessels in your head expand by up to 20x their normal size (which is why it hurts so much!) What we need are vaso constrictors to reduce those veins ASAP. Triptans are vaso constricting drugs and the most common and effective one is Imitrex (Sumatriptan) injections. They will abort a hit in 5-10 minutes. Don't be put off by "injection" - its an auto injector pen which goes just below the surface so it really IS only a little prick! (Well worth it for that lovely pain relief too!) Frovatriptan is one which is all but useless used to abort a hit as it takes too long to kick in but it can be used as a preventative. If you are getting one an hour after bed take it an hour before going to bed (they can take up to 2 hours to kick in) they have a half life of up to 26 hours so you should be guaranteed a pretty decent nights sleep. The reason coffee, redbull and O2 work is they are all vaso constrictors too - caffeine is and O2 at a high flow rate will constrict your veins too however that is the "kindest" treatment as O2 is the only one of the group that only constricts the veins in your head. It needs to be used with a non rebreather mask at 15 LPM for optimum effect. Please bear in mind that although I have mentioned various meds on here I am not a doctor (just an expert patient ;) ) and I have no idea of your medical history. Any drugs can be potentially lethal if used incorrectly or for people with disqualifying conditions so its very important you go with your doctors advice. I've given you the information so you have options to discuss with him! I hope it helps, we WILL help and support you all we can so hang in there! Helen |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by KillerQueen on Mar 8th, 2007, 4:47pm Thanks, Helen. That does explain why, when I stopped the prednisone, they came back only a few days later. I think I'm going to take this one step at a time, which is all I can do. I don't want to mix & match my remedies. I'm going to take the prednisone until Sunday. I return to the doctor Monday, and will get my neuro referral. I also plan to try the redbull, melatonin, and oxygen before I resort to any other prescription meds (and, how did you know the word "injection" would send chills up my spine? I have always said the worst part of childbirth for me was the IV!)... ;) So, I guess from what I'm reading is that I just need to try what I can and see what works best for me. If the prednisone can get me through until I go back to the doctor, I'm going to stay on it. Then I can explore other treatment options. I think tonight, I'm going to stay awake all night, watch American Idol & House on my TiVO, and drink lots of coffee. Sometimes I think not going to sleep might be my best bet, since they hit exactly an hour & a half after I fall asleep, no matter if I go to bed at 8, 10, or midnight... Thanks so much for talking (and listening!) to me...This is new for me and I've been terrified for a month now, fearing a brain tumor, an aneurism, or worse. It was somewhat a relief to learn two weeks ago that it was none of those things, isn't fatal, and that I'm not the only one, but it's still scary that there's no cure, nor much explanation for why I'm getting them. Thanks again... |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by BikerBob on Mar 8th, 2007, 4:49pm KillerQueen, If you drink a Red Bull before going to bed the caffeine will probably keep you awake for at least an hour, then the CHs will start an hour after you eventually get to sleep. If you're getting hit every hour throughout the night try 6-9 mg melatonin before bed. Many have found prednisone to be an effective transitional therapy. You also need an abortive (oxygen) and a preventive like verapamil. Read this and show it to your doctor... http://www.brightok.net/~mnjday/chtherapy.pdf The general consensus of cluster headache sufferers is that this article is right (in terms of conventional medications) with 3 minor exceptions: 1) In the Oxygen section, 8-10 l/min should be 10-15 l/min 2) Some have found that Zomig (zolmitriptan) nasal spray is better than Imitrex injections due to its longer lasting results. 3) The Expert Opinion section says if melatonin fails then verapamil should be instituted. There is no reason to wait for melatonin to fail. melatonin and verapamil should both be started together. BB |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by KillerQueen on Mar 8th, 2007, 4:54pm Thanks, BB. I just emailed and asked someone to pick up the Red Bull (which I won't drink before bed) and melatonin on the way home...I'm a wreck and don't know what to think anymore (I guess I'm just too tired to think). I'll stop the pred, since it doesn't appear that it has any long-term effectiveness for anyone. My next appt. is Monday and I will be printing that article for my doc. |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by KillerQueen on Mar 9th, 2007, 8:41am Thanks to all of you for your responses. I learned more yesterday that I had previously in surfing the 'net trying to find answers. I know you aren't doctors, but you have the experience that I need to help me work with my doctors to find the stuff that works best for me. Yesterday, I took 30mg. of prednisone, and before I went to bed (thanks, BB), I took 9 mg. of melatonin. I slept through the night for the first time in weeks (which seemed like much longer). Understanding that y'all are "expert patients" (I love that term, Helen, by the way...it's perfect) and not docs, I wondered if I could ask one more question of you. At this point, do you feel it would be smart to stop the pred cold turkey and see if the melatonin prevented the attacks, or simply wean myself off the pred first (maybe 20mg. today, and 10mg. tomorrow) WITH taking the melatonin? I'm scared to do either, honestly. |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by georgej on Mar 9th, 2007, 9:09am KQ, do NOT alter your intake of pred or any other med without clearing it with your doctor first. Please. Best wishes, George |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by KillerQueen on Mar 9th, 2007, 9:13am on 03/09/07 at 09:09:38, georgej wrote:
Thanks, George...I'm currently just seeing a GP who readily admits that she knows nothing about these, but I can't get into a neuro for another 2 weeks, and my next appt. with her isn't until next Friday...But, I'll be patient... 8) |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by Gator on Mar 9th, 2007, 9:55am on 03/09/07 at 08:41:51, KillerQueen wrote:
What George said. Consult your doctor before making any med changes. That being said, of all the meds NOT to stop cold turkey, pred would be the one, especially if you are on a high dose and/or have been taking it for a long time. It has it's place and is great when used properly, but pred can be some nasty stuff when used willy nilly. Glad you got some sleep and hope you continue to do so whatever the reason. This time of year, I usually go several days with little to no sleep then crash hard then start the whole process over again. I'm working on day 2 with no sleep, now. When you finally do get that restful sleep it's like waking up to a whole new world. Your whole perspective changes for the better. Just curious, did you get your handle from the song by Queen? |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by KillerQueen on Mar 9th, 2007, 10:00am on 03/09/07 at 09:55:41, Gator wrote:
Thanks, George. I'll stick with the pred. I did stop taking it for a couple days where I was pain free, thinking the cycle ended and the CHs came back very shortly after with a vengance. I just hate the way the pred makes me feel and I hate to take it if it's not necessary... And, yes, that's where I got my handle. I consider myself one of the biggest Queen fans in the world...[smiley=jammin.gif] Hope you have a better night tonight! I'm feeling on top of the world to just have had one pain free night, and I'm hoping it continues... |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by LeLimey on Mar 9th, 2007, 11:47am Ooh KQ - I think you have a challenge for the greatest Queen fan LOL I love 'em to bits too (we'll have to have a huge conversation sometime!) and my now five year old son has been nuts over them since before he could talk - he used to get all excited listening to their songs when he was only 9-10 months old and if you could have seen him at 15 months clapping his hands over his head to "We will Wock you" ::) - I rest my case!! Pred suppresses your immune system and one of the reasons you cannot stop cold turkey is that weaning off it in 5mg increments every few days (your doctor will decide on your regime) is the only way to kick start your body producing its own defences again. You could really do yourself harm by quitting it without a planned tapering off it. Its a nasty old drug really so we all like to make sure you understand exactly what happens with it. Hope that helps a bit, we'll continue to help all we can just you keep asking all the questions you want okay? Helen |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by KillerQueen on Mar 9th, 2007, 11:55am This morning, I had to ask my 4 and 5 year olds to please not sing "Don't Try Suicide" at preschool anymore...You may have met your match! ;) I do have a question...what's your favourite Queen album (if it's not A Night at the Opera, well, I have to disagree with you)... :D Seriously, thanks for the advice, folks...I'm just soaking up all the info I can before I see my neuro in a couple weeks... |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by LeLimey on Mar 9th, 2007, 1:11pm I've always loved "A Night at the Opera" AND "A Day At The Races" - please don't make me choose! They just go together somehow for me. I have all three of their greatest hits albums in the car though as they are perfect for blasting along the motorway too (whilst observing all speed limits of course! ;) ) I love the Its a Kind of Magic album too and that song is at its best in the car where it just comes at you from every speaker - sends shivers down my spine every time! There isn't an album I don't like in fact (or a video for that matter!) I couldn't pick one song - I'd struggle to pick a top ten favourite songs in fact. |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by thebbz on Mar 9th, 2007, 1:39pm Fat bottom girls [smiley=jammin.gif] jb |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by KillerQueen on Mar 9th, 2007, 1:50pm Okay, I'm going to hijack this thread just one more time with Queen stuff...For me, Sheer Heart Attack and ANATO are my favourites, but I have trouble choosing, and it's dependent on my mood. My love and I have done so many Queen lists (favourite song from each album, best song from each album (not necessarily our favourites), best songs overall, worst song from each album, etc.) and we have a hard time choosing, too! I should forward you our emails. We've made quite a game of it, and I'm so happy that I finally found a partner with whom I can share my love of Queen...(He's a great guy, btw!)...I love A Kind of Magic, too (it makes me smile)...Right now, I'm on a streak where I listen to one Queen album in my car continually for a couple months. This month it's The Game...Just finished with Jazz...We'll have to talk Queen sometime soon! |
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Title: Re: Red Bull Actually Worked Post by Samiam on Mar 9th, 2007, 4:16pm Ok I'm going to jump in here to tell you a bit of what I know about predisone. I'm a adrenal patient which means my adrenals will not produce enough cortisol which is a stress hormone. By taking predisone, cortef and other steriods what happens is you adrenals stop making this chemical and relys on the pills to do this. When stopping the drug cold turkey you can put yourself in what is called Adrenal Crisis (you can google it) which can be fatal. Now I'm not sure how long you would have to be on the meds for this to happen but some believe as little as 5 days could produce this effect. And with the body being under termenous stress you wouldn't have enough cortisol to handle it. That is why Doctor's do what is call a rapid taper and only for short times. I myself have been on Cortef now for well over a year and it's not easy to wean down. I'm down from 20 mgs to 5 which have taken over 6 months to do this. You also have to learn how to stress dose for accidents, Illness, and other stressful things. You also can look up Addison's Disease. We are hoping that by giving my sick adrenals a rest and weaning down at a very slow rate my body will then begin to pick up at a healthy level. Sami |
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