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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2005 >> Still going on Kudzu..........
        
(Message started by: ozzy on Aug 29^th, 2005, 8:12am)

Title: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by ozzy on Aug 29^th, 2005, 8:12am

I've been taking Kudzu as my one and only preventative since February 05.

As Nani found out, tapering is not an option for me (a chronic).

Just this past weekend I had 2 full blown hits like in the old days (pre-meds). This all to missed doses and messy sleep schedule (But the Gigantour was awesome!!!!)

About those hits, after all these years of RX preventatives and abortives, my hits became less predictable, longer in duration and just different.

These two hits were the good all classics: 0-Full blown pain in 2-5 mins. Then 20 mins of pain and suddenly gone. Pure unadulterated CH.

I'm back to two pills three times a day. It works for me. And of course, I can drink if I want to.

So all in all in tese past seven months I can see that I've been 90% pain free.

Life is good.

Ozzy

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by nani on Aug 29^th, 2005, 8:18am

I was just wondering how you were doing, ozzy. I'm thrilled that it's still working for you!!!
Don't take any chances, now. Stay with what works.
hugs and continued PF wishes, nani

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by E-Double on Aug 29^th, 2005, 9:02am

That is awesome!

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by Frank_W on Aug 29^th, 2005, 9:19am

Oz-meister, that's fantastic!!! When I was in cycle, I tried to taper it like prednisone, and that was a mistake. I also tried only taking two doses per day, and that didn't work out so hot, either. Two tablets, three times a day, with each dose taken roughly at the same time each day, is what did the trick for me. Continued PFDAN's, bro'.
[smiley=headbanger.gif]

-Frank

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by Sandy_C on Aug 29^th, 2005, 11:14am

You go, Ozzy! My Kudzu experience had mixed results. I'm out of cycle now, but I definitely plan to try it again at the first sign of my next one. It had enough good benefits for me to give it another try.

Sandy

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by Pinkfloyd on Aug 29^th, 2005, 12:18pm

;;D
Great News Oz. Very happy for you!

Bobw

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by ozzy on Aug 29^th, 2005, 1:41pm

Thank you all for your support. Kudzu is a worthy alternative to try. Like I said before, not 100% PF but damn close to it.

Thanks

Ozzy

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by brainfreeze on Aug 29^th, 2005, 2:09pm

Good news!!! Seems kudzu is looking like a medication of choice on the boards. Like I said, if my cycles quit responding to the treatments I use then I'll definitely consider kudzu.

PFDANS everyone. And thanks for the update Ozzy!

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by lionsound on Aug 29^th, 2005, 3:59pm

Wow, Ozzy! That's great! :)

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by ozzy on Aug 31^st, 2005, 8:24am

Me and my big mouth. Sure enough the jinx is in, I got hit five times yesterday. Oh well...Time to add more Kudzu. I think it is just the aftermath of some crappy sleep schedules from last week. Just need the balance to be restored....

Will wait and see....

Ozzy

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by Frank_W on Aug 31^st, 2005, 8:37am

I'm not sure of all of the chemistry involved, but I read an interesting article a few weeks ago, that talked about the role of sunlight (daylight, flourescent light, and television/computers) in the body's levels of seratonin and melatonin production. Since melatonin works for a lot of clusterheads, and so many of us smoke, (dopamine/seratonin?) and the fact that kudzu and psilocybin work on the HTP-5 receptors in the brain, do you think it could all be related? Most prominently, to sleeping patterns, perhaps...

I wonder how many clusterheads consider(ed) themselves to be night-owls, or worked jobs that involved shift-work. In my own case, especially when I was younger and long before the onset of CH, I considered myself a night-owl, and worked in the ER on the graveyard shift for a few years.

I feel like I have a handful of loose ends, but I don't know enough about brain chemistry to tie it all together... Any thoughts?

Dunce-Cap,
-Frank

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by floridian on Aug 31^st, 2005, 3:11pm

on 08/31/05 at 08:37:25, Frank_W wrote:

I wonder how many clusterheads consider(ed) themselves to be night-owls, or worked jobs that involved shift-work. In my own case, especially when I was younger and long before the onset of CH, I considered myself a night-owl, and worked in the ER on the graveyard shift for a few years.

I feel like I have a handful of loose ends, but I don't know enough about brain chemistry to tie it all together... Any thoughts?

Dunce-Cap,
-Frank

Night Owl Disease - its officially called delayed phase sleep syndrome. I bet its real common among clusterheads. Melatonin helps some people with this. I had more problems when I was in grad school, and then working a job that let me night owl.

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by ozzy on Sep 1^st, 2005, 9:18am

Still got hit three times yesterday, not as bad as the previous day. I may be going back to stability.

Night Owl Disease....sounds like a plan. I have a hard time going to bed early. Grammar School, High School, College, and now, just can't go to bed early.
Granted Melatonin helps.

I exclusively work out at night, eight or ninish...much more productive workouts that way...

Now getting up in the morning...that's a whole different story

Ozzy

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by Frank_W on Sep 1^st, 2005, 9:48am

Ozzy, I know that when I was working out at night, it was amping me up so that I couldn't sleep. Another thing that helped, was to really regulate my schedule so that a half hour before going to bed, I turn off the TV, computer, and any bright overhead lights. In the morning, I get as much sunlight as I can get. Sort of the same things people do to beat jet-lag... This is how we call the body's natural melatonin/seratonin schedule into play. It may improve the effectiveness of the melatonin. Glad to hear that you are getting hit less. Hopefully, you won't get hit at all. Good luck!

-Frank

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by nani on Sep 1^st, 2005, 11:31am

I'm glad you had a better day and I hope you're back to "normal" soon, oz.
hugs, nani

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by TxBasslady on Sep 5^th, 2005, 12:42am

Ozzy,

It's still working for me.

There are times when the CH breaks thru....and I too, have noticed that the CH has changed some. The hits I get only last a few minutes...the pain level is higher on the Kip scale compared to pre-Kudzu. But all in all, it has been successful.

I still take the B-Complex, multivitamin, and C0Q10.

PF vibes,

Jean

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by kayarr on Sep 7^th, 2005, 10:30am

on 08/31/05 at 08:37:25, Frank_W wrote:

Artificial light therapy is used in seasonal mood disorder also. It would make sense that it may stir things up a bit in a cluster cycle.

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by ozzy on Sep 7^th, 2005, 3:32pm

Sorry to report that. There is no change.

I have decided to quit taking Kudzu for the time being.

My theory is that for long term use, as many of the medications we are prescribed, it stops working.

I need a break from the fantastic 'Zu. It really works, and I think it is excellent for episodics.

Chronics, the jury is still out.

Will keep on searching new avenues. and report back. "til then I'll just weather the storm, take my 4 hits a day and wait the 10-20 mins to pain free time.

No worries mate!

Ozzy

PS. Don't get me wrong the hits suck, they are violent, but they are thankfully short. 20 mins max

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by nani on Sep 7^th, 2005, 7:57pm

[smiley=bigcry.gif]

Aw, ozzy...
I was hoping it was just that I screwed it up. Of course neither of us has minimized the PF months we did have. :) I figure that I'll hold on to what I have left, and should my current treatment plan fail, I can try the 'zu again. It's possible that given enough time, our bodies might see it as something new again, no?
One thing I noticed was, while my hits increased in intensity while coming off kudzu, they stayed very short. 20 minutes were the long ones for me. Most were about 10 minutes.
I am currently encouraging others to try my new plan...actually more effective than even kudzu...
I'll be sending tons of PF vibes and prayers, sweetie. Keep us posted, OK? hugs, nani

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by Leggs on Sep 7^th, 2005, 8:07pm

Ozzy,

What brand were you using? I was always puzzled why my Solaray said 165mg root, and 150mg root extract 2% daidzin, and the dosage said one twice a day, while the others had higher miligrams and higher dosages. The lady at the healthfood store said Solaray was standardized, meaning the more pure form was extracted from just the ground up kudzu stuff, which is what the other brand was.

Anyway, last week, I lost my damned kudzu, come to find out, it got stuck inside a blasted kiddie cup, and the lid matched the color, BUT NO KUDZU!!! I freaked! I also got a blasted kip 8 "I would rather die than be alive" headache. Ran to the healthfood store, they were out of the Solaray, and I bought the Kudzu Recovery. I noted it had all kinds of other stuff in it, and I took the maximum doze. It did absolutely jack squat after taking it for a day and a half, the day after that, I found the kudzu, praised the Lord, and took two right then; it blasted out the headahce, and I have been fine since.

I had tapered to 1 day, remember, my bottle is just two TOTAL, but after that, I went back to two. I have found if I have a goofy sleep night, and I am getting shadows, I will add the night one. I always start the day with one. I missed one, and had a bit of a ch, and I promised Nani I would not screw with my kudzu dosage until after my teacher certification tests Sept 17th ;;D. Also, it was really important for me to have them about the same time every morning, and about 12 hours later.

It's just a thought ozzy, but maybe a brand change could help you? Hugs, and thanks so much for getting me through a really tough time earlier in the summer.

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by Frank_W on Sep 8^th, 2005, 7:37am

Very sorry to hear that, Ozzy. :-/

I was wondering about the brand/dosage differences too...

When I was in cycle, I was taking Planetary Formulas, two 750mg tablets 3X/day. I don't know that one brand is any better than another, but it's what the local health food store had, so that's what I went with, I generally feel that with the herbal stuff, it's a crap-shoot. They don't have to get FDA approval of their statements, so any one of them can claim anything they want. Just like the bodybuilding supplement industry. ::)

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by ozzy on Sep 12^th, 2005, 1:02pm

Still getting hit quite a bit. The intensity is increasing as is the frequency.

Last night however, I had my first PF night. I slept for 8 hours without any disturbance. This a first in weeks (the amount of sleep, not the PF)

I may have found ~~the~~ a culprit. I began taking a supplement called:

Ashwagandha

Great for lots of things. However doing a Pubmed search I came upon one that said that it induces NO production in macrophages. I did not take Ashwagandha last night. Will try again tonight and see if it has any effects.

However, this morning I got hit with a major one that lasted an hour. What a pain in the a$$....well...rather head.

I'll keep anyone interested up to date.

Ozzy

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by floridian on Sep 12^th, 2005, 1:18pm

Yeah, Ashwaganda is similar to ginseng in many ways - sometimes called the 'Indian ginseng'. It could cause problems like alcohol, viagra and nitroglycerin when a person is susceptible.

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by Leggs on Sep 12^th, 2005, 2:00pm

Do keep us up to date. Hope you have found the culprit. Even if getting rid of the ashwahghanda (sp) out doesn't help immediately, maybe it just caused some temporary problems.

When I switched from Solaray/standardized, I had one hell of a headache after being painfree for months. It was just the one day, and then I got back on the Solaray and was fine, for the most part. There was all this other crap in the Kudzu Recovery/Planetary formula, made for alcohol addiction, and something in there could have triggered my headache, or it could have been the reduction in the quantity of the more pure kudzu I was taking.

I have been having some of the additional mystery pain (burning like fire all over my scalp) since missing the Solaray, and would have doubled up on the Solary when I found it, but I was running short. It is back ordered in a lot of places, so I have only been taking the one in the morning.....hopefully it will be here soon.

I have a couple different sources for the solaray, because the local store where I found it would run out, because I was buying it once a month, and they did not replenish their inventory.

I hope you can work through this, and I will be praying for you to have a pain free night. Are you totally off the kudzu now?

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by ozzy on Sep 14^th, 2005, 1:15pm

A couple more nights PF. Yesterday was basically PF, only got hit once.

Today I got hit in the morning and then before lunch. I had been waiting for this one. When I was episodic, at the peak of my cycle I would get the mother of all CHs.

A Kip 10 that lasted for over an hour. This was it. It made me cry, to have my kids kissing my "booboo" was too much.

I wonder if enough time has gone by to reset my body and try Kudzu again. I took a dose before lunch will wait a week to see if it works again. I hope it does.

Oh yeah, I quit smoking. Today is day 2.

Ozzy

Title: Re: Still going on Kudzu..........
Post by Frank_W on Sep 14^th, 2005, 1:39pm

Outstanding, Ozzy. Sorry to hear about the Kip-10... That really sucks. I hope the kudzu does the trick again. *crossing my fingers* Congrats on the smoking cessation. Keep going with it! One of the ideas I've been toying with, is that the body is like a little kid -- always craving what's not necessarily good for it -- and like a loving, but firm parent, I turn to whatever the desire happens to be, acknowledge it, but not indulge it. Hang tough!