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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2004 >> melatonin & 5-htp
        
(Message started by: EL on Feb 29^th, 2004, 5:12pm)

Title: melatonin & 5-htp
Post by EL on Feb 29^th, 2004, 5:12pm

Hello all, i recently took some advice on using melatonin.. I have been pf for 2 weeks now on verapamil but still getting some shadows.. Some bigger that others. Now i took 3 mg and woke up the next day with a headache which then turned into a major shadow to even a kip 2..i drank about 3 glasses of water and jumped in the shower and thankfully it went away very quickly..Has this happened to anyone else out there? Some reason it made me worse..
Another thing ive seen doing research is this talk of serotonin and how it effects clusters. Has anyone heard of 5htp (l-5-hydroxytryptophan) helping anyone?This pill helps in the building and releasing of serotonin..Helps with mood also..I used to take it a while ago before i ever had cluster to begin with. I just found a bottle and thought how this might help. Any input will due. Thank you.

Title: Re: melatonin & 5-htp
Post by Giovanni on Feb 29^th, 2004, 5:23pm

Yes, 5HTP is used by some of us in combination with melatonin. A couple of 50mg a day, one in the morning another in the PM. Make sure you research 5HTP and determine that it is not indicated with any of your current medications (ie Zolof, etc.). Also, try some B-complex 50s a couple times a day. This helps the serotonin work better.

Good luck,

John

Title: Re: melatonin & 5-htp
Post by Kevin_M on Feb 29^th, 2004, 6:12pm

on 02/29/04 at 17:12:29, EL wrote:

using melatonin.. I have been pf for 2 weeks now on verapamil but still getting some shadows.. Some bigger that others. Now i took 3 mg and woke up the next day with a headache which then turned into a major shadow to even a kip 2

This portion I can identify with. I just did a prednisone taper while increasing the verap. While on the pred, the doc gave me ambien to knock me out at night. I skimped on the ambien and took melatonin instead. The "don't stop abruptly" warning on ambien turned me off.
Yes, pretty much daily I get where it feels like the cluster is trying to break through. After I got down to just the verap there's still some uneasiness as to whether I should grab a imitrex because the damn shadow lingers. They go away, but then later another seems like it wants to start. I'm at the ready with the abortives so I see what happens. It's bothersome but I am gaining confidence that things are ok, although I ALWAYS carry imitrex. I don't trust the beast.
It's been several weeks and I still get what feels like some eye pressure and temple throb but it has weakened. Even in its lesser form, the areas of bothersome pain is exactly in the area of my cluster pain.
I started this treatment recently at the end of a vicious bout that would not go away. It was on its way out though, so what I am feeling now is a great improvement. It's still trying, but I think this cycle has lost its strength.
Mostly waking up is when it introduces me to my new day. That is just before I take my verap, so I figure the CH is trying to get a foothold before I take verap. I think I need to talk to doc about adjusting time I take meds so there is no weak links in the 24 clock that it can break through. Either better time release or taking a percentage of the dose twice a day. I'm not the doc though.
Yeah, I'm getting what it sounds like you're describing, maybe I need more verap or a better cocktail, again, I'm not the doc. For now though I'm putting up with it because I can ACTUALLY SLEEP. I'm going to relay about the same message to my doc this Friday and we'll see how it goes.

PF --- GETTING THERE!!

Kevin M

Title: Re: melatonin & 5-htp
Post by EL on Feb 29^th, 2004, 7:21pm

Thanx for the reply all. Im going to try the 5-htp and see how it goes..My thoughts werent that off. Glad i asked..And kevin, sorry you feel the same way but thanx for giving me your input.Im pretty new with all this being diagnosed only a couple of weeks ago after the second cycle which started last year. Now that I know what i have im doing my best to nip this before it becomes chronic.At this point im only on verm and i have no abortives. Thats something i have to think about and talk to my specialist about when i fing one better suited to clusters. Is there any small o2 sprays out there or is the only o2 you can have the large bottles you keep in your house?

I get worried about going somewhere far and not having an effectative enough abortive to help me. Its really frustrating since Im going to europe some months from now.Any advice?