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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2005 >> Nitrous Oxide - Laughing Gas...  Anyone tried
        
(Message started by: dwaters118 on Apr 29^th, 2005, 10:17pm)

Title: Nitrous Oxide - Laughing Gas... Anyone tried
Post by dwaters118 on Apr 29^th, 2005, 10:17pm

Okay......

I learned that O2 works about 80% of the time, but I don't have any breathing problems and my insurance company says that cluster headaches do not warrant oxygen therapy.

Magic mushrooms work at least 75% of the time, but they are DEA schedule 1 and I am afraid of stupid legal problems trying to beat these headaches.

I currently have a preventative regimen that is working, but I am taking enough pills to be a grandfather and who knows if they will continue to work when the next cycle comes, not to mention side effects and building medication toxicity.

Years ago, in college, I remember doing balloons of nitrous, recreationally. It didn't hurt hurt us, and dentists use it, so how bad could it be for you.... I was wonder if anyone had tried nitrous for clusters or knew anything about it's mechanism of action.

The only mention I have found anywhere is one experience from a high school student in Oregon that didn't seem to go well from a legal standpoint but he reported good headache relief.

Title: Re: Nitrous Oxide - Laughing Gas... Anyone t
Post by BikerBob on Apr 29^th, 2005, 10:34pm

N2O doesn't do shit for CH, but my Harley loves it as an auxiliary fuel.

Title: Re: Nitrous Oxide - Laughing Gas... Anyone t
Post by E-Double on Apr 29^th, 2005, 10:38pm

on 04/29/05 at 22:34:09, BikerBob wrote:

N2O doesn't do shit for CH, but my Harley loves it as an auxiliary fuel.

If you are in cycle I am willing to bet that Nitrous will trigger a not so fun massive HIT for you,,,,hello
vaso- dilation

Title: Re: Nitrous Oxide - Laughing Gas... Anyone tried
Post by dwaters118 on Apr 30^th, 2005, 3:15am

I didn't know how nitrous worked on the brain, and the sites I found about it were not much help. Certainly, the recreational dosing method must change things from how the dentist applies it as an anaesthetic, but I also saw where it is used to help women through labor and have seen these headaches compared to labor pain.

What I have not found is how N2O works as vasoconstriction/vasodilation, etc.... I just know it kills pain.

Title: Re: Nitrous Oxide - Laughing Gas... Anyone tried
Post by E-Double on Apr 30^th, 2005, 11:09am

It doesn't kill pain .it "relaxes" you.
Taking up the space that O2 would and getting you really light headed to the point of silly......(VERY LOOSLEY SPEAKING)

I used to love whip-its my friend, but just like you can trigger an attack with Nitroglyceron.....guess what???

Sorry dude!

If you are out of cycle enjoy. If not... well, I guess enjoy the risk.....that's all I could tell ya.

E

Title: Re: Nitrous Oxide - Laughing Gas... Anyone t
Post by pattik on Apr 30^th, 2005, 3:38pm

I found an article last year when I was researching any connection between anemia and headaches. It describes how the body produces its own nitrous oxide as a response to low O2, and how this response can cause headaches. Here is some of what it said:

A recent article in Science News (NO says yes to breathing fast, October 13, 2001) may help shed light on headaches that many thyroid patients experience. From my previous studies I've found that nitrous oxide (NO) has been implicated as the main cause of headaches. NO is a normal chemical in the body which stimulates the dilation of blood vessels, and in the brain this results in an increase in pressure which causes headaches.In the Science News article, new research shows that NO production is stimulated when blood levels of oxygen in the body fall. This is a compensatory mechanism to ensure that adequate amounts of oxygen get to cells throughout the body. However, the immediate negative effect for the person can be excruciating headaches as the blood vessels in the brain expand to get oxygen to the brain cells. It may not be much solace at the time, but these headaches are an inevitable part of the process to keep brain cells alive.

I don't plan to use nitrous oxide anytime soon at the dentist. ;;D

Title: Re: Nitrous Oxide - Laughing Gas... Anyone tried
Post by vig on May 2^nd, 2005, 2:02pm

The one time I used 'the gas' at the dentist....
It triggered an attack.
never again, while 'in season'.

Title: Re: Nitrous Oxide - Laughing Gas... Anyone tried
Post by JJA on May 2^nd, 2005, 3:47pm

I don't want to be a stickler, but...

NO is Nitric Oxide. N₂O is Nitrous Oxide. Pattik is correct, but slightly misaligned.

Jesse

Title: Re: Nitrous Oxide - Laughing Gas... Anyone tried
Post by Bob P on May 2^nd, 2005, 3:56pm

review: Nitric oxide: emerging implications for headache mechanics
Alessandra Zicari (1), Mario Giacovazzo (2), Paolo Martelletti (2)

(1) Department of Experimental, Medicine and Pathology, 1st Faculty of Medicine of Rome, "La Sapienza" University, "Azienda Policlinico Umberto I" Rome, Italy
(2) Headache Center, Institute of Internal Medicine, 2nd Faculty of Medicine of Rome "La Sapienza" University, Azienda Policlinico S. Andrea, Via di Grottarossa 1035-1039-I-00189, Rome, Italy, e-mail: paolo.martelletti@uniromal.it, Tel: +39-06-80345250, Fax: +39-06-80345323

Received: 30 Devember 2000 / Accepted in revised form: 9 April 2001

Abstract The involvement of nitric oxide (NO) in the pathophysiology of primary headaches was suggested by several authors during the last decade. Migraine, cluster headache, tension headache, and cervicogenic headache have been extensively studied on the basis of NO donor headache pain. Different mechanisms seem to be involved in the generation of pain in these clearly different clinical head pain disorders. NO could control all the mechanisms leading to head pain. In migraine NO is correlated with endothelial activation, in cluster headache with a brainstem unravelling of the on/off regulatory clocks, in cervicogenic headache with a cytokine-dependent pain, and in tension-type headache with a sensitization of pain pathways at the spinal/trigeminal level. The next natural frontier in the study of pain in primary headaches seems to be the functional study of the relationship between NO and the immune regulatory system.