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My husband has been an episodic sufferer for over 35 years. Almost every year a black cloud hovered over our house for 9-10 weeks at a time. The cloud would follow us whenever we’d try to venture out so my husband had to up trying to leave. Our house would be filled with prescriptions, ice packs, energy drinks, and once, a giant oxygen tank. Every year would differ in treatment but that stubborn cloud remained. The only meds that worked well a few times were starting to have very bad side effects and had to be given up due to his high blood pressure.

The recent appearance of the black cloud made me come back to this site. After reading your post I raced to the stores. That very 1st day the black cloud started moving away. Instantly he was able to sleep through the night. The next day dropped to a  K4, the next a K2, then came about 7 days of K1. Today there is not even a sign of the cloud. My skeptical husband who didn’t want to waste more money on “herbs” is now shaking his head in disbelief. He’ll stay on them for a while, just to be sure. Hard to believe he was entering a full blown cycle just 11 days ago.

My whole family thanks you kilowatt3!!!!

Here is his recipe. You should look up his post……I’m sure glad I found it.

Kudzu - 1000 mg, 2x per day (morning & night)  
Magnesium - 250 mg, 2x per day (morning & night)  
St. John's Wort - 300 mg, 2x per day (morning & night)  
Skullcap - 425 mg at bedtime  
Melatonin - 10 mg at bedtime  

Looks like your hubby has a lot to be thankful for. What a beautiful family.

Glad to hear he is PF!

You guys are danged near a mirror image of my family!!! My girls are 24 and 22, they've endured the beast with me for all their lives. So damned glad you found something that worked. Hoping and praying it holds for you, it's nice not to have your life dictated by the beast!!!

Guiseppi

Hi Cyndi!

Thanks for the update, and what great news!  It's a shame more people won't give it a try.

I think I mentioned to you that I continued on the regimen for a week after it aborted my cycle the first time.  The choice of a week was pretty arbitrary - I just didn't want to stop too soon, but didn't think I'd need to stay on it year-round!

On my next cycle, I started back on the formula after my first real HA, although I'd had shadows for a week or so so I was expecting it.  It was about a K4, but once I started back on the herbs, that was it - No more HA's at all, so I stayed on the program for a week again.

I'm probably due for another cycle about now - I seem to usually have them in September and March.  I'm pretty confident I'll knock 'em down again ;-)  I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for posting, and please stay in touch to let us know how things work out for your hub.

Best regards,
Jim

Cyndi - Has anyone ever told your husband he looks a little like Graham Nash?

No, lol. No one ever said Lorne looks like Graham Nash! But I can kinda see the resemblance now that you mention it.

I agree, everyone should consider trying it. I feel like shouting it from my rooftop but I've never met a cluster sufferer around here to benefit from it. Today was a great day as he felt confident enough to venture out of the house. We went to dinner with the youngest daughter and it was so nice to see him smiling again. My daughter is so relieved that she doesn't have to "babysit" him for what's left of the summer. I know it's very scary for her to be around him but we did have an emergency when he needed to be hospitalized during a cycle. His heart had gone into atrial fib. The doctors speculated it was due to the extreme stress his body was going through from pain. Anyway, we got the skullcap in capsule form today. He doesn't want it because he likes his skullcap tincture.......has a wee bit of alcohol in it, hee hee. I tasted it.......it tastes a bit like bad tequila. I thought the pill form would be easier since he wouldn't have to count out drops but he can have his small thrills since it's working. Hooray!!!! Life is good again.

We are wondering when everyone usually has their cycle. His is usually in the winter when it's cold. We live in CA but it does get into the 30's at night. This is the only the 2nd time he's gone out of season. Summer always seemed so safe.

If there is such a thing as "common" with this thing, it seems common start times are spring and fall around the time changes. That being said it's not unusual to start or end a cycle at any time of the year. I was spring and fall, 8-12 week cycles, like clockwork until my 40's, now it's all over the place. The most important thing to remember is to always be ready for a cycle to start so you're never caught "naked" without any meds. Hoping the remission lasts a life time!!!

Guiseppi

I'm glad to hear your success story! I hope that your husband stays PF for a long, long time, Cyndi! :)

What comes to cycles; mine used to begin at Fall, now they arrive at Spring. I used to know what time they'll begin, now they arrive anytime. Now I take it day and a cycle at the time.

All the best,
Sanna

Well, if I should ever go into cycle again (see? I try to remain optimistic) I'll give it a try.

Of all the herbal preparations here, I'm least familiar with skullcap--I suspect that's the case for most of us.

A quick look around shows several different species of of the 300 or so species of Scuttellaria being used in herbal preparations.  I don't know, but I suspect that the constituent components vary quite widely, depending upon the species used.  That may make a difference.

If we're talking about American, or Marsh skullcap, here's a link showing a bit of the pharmacology and action of this plant:

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Wish Flo was around--we could really use his insight on this...

Best wishes,

George

Marsh Skullcap is Scutellaria galericulata
American Skullcap is Scutellaria laterifolia

The capsules and tincture I have are both laterifolia. The capsules have nothing in them other than skullcap L. and gelatin. The bottle says it's used by Indian tribes for its soothing properties. The tincture contains skullcap L. and grain alcohol.

It would be nice to have input from an herbal pharmacologist.

Wow!  What a great success story.  Do any of these herbs have side effects?  Where do you buy them?  Are they expensive?

My cycles are usually in the spring from early March to late June.  This year I went till mid July.  Occasionally I'll get a visit from our mutual tormentor in Nov.  

PF wishes and thanks for sharing your story!

Jeannie

cool beans. PF is a wonderful thing.
thebb

The only side effect that he is aware of is some fatigue, mostly at night after the PM doses so he takes those just before hitting the sack. The first few mornings of treatment he was very tired but that wore off pretty quickly. Those first few days he could have also been just wiped out due to the K7-8s he had the day before starting.

Kilowatt3 got everything locally very cheap. I bought everything at a natural foods store and it was quite pricey but I was in a panic at the time and didn't want to shop around as we wanted to start this RIGHT AWAY. I see that everything except for kudzu and skullcap is sold at local pharmacies and WalMart and are lots cheaper. I ordered more skullcap and kudzu from Lucky Vitamin.com because the savings was tremendous.  I guess it just depends where you live. If I ventured into Los Angeles I'll bet I'd find lots of herb stores but I don't like to venture into the city alone.

If there is a vitamin world near you, they have a sleep aid that contains skullcap and melatonin, It's called "Super Snooze".


Quote:

This natural nighttime sleep aid contains valerian root, hops, scullcap, chamomile, passion flower, calcium carbonate, magnesium oxide, phosphorus, inositol, L-taurine and melatonin, in capsule form.

By the way, special thanks to you and your 2 daughters, without my supporters I'd have lost my mind decades ago. You go way above and beyond, we don't always thank our supporters enough! [smiley=hug.gif]

Guiseppi

Hello all who belong to this wonderful site!
An update on Lorne:
Off all the herbs and is still CH free. If it weren't for Kilowatt's regimen he would still have about 4 CH weeks to go. Truly a miracle. I'm still going to hang around these boards. This community is awesome.
Cyndi

Hi Cyndi!

I can't tell you how great it is to hear your update!  I was about to PM you to check Lorne's progress.  He's sure lucky to have a tenacious supporter like you.  At least he and you now know that the recipe works! ;-)  That makes three of us, and maybe someone else will be emboldened by your success!

I'm due for a cycle to start any day now.  I might have already had a very mild shadow or 2, but I'm not actually sure yet - might've been very minor HA discomfort not related to CH.  I started to reach for the herbs to start back on the regimen, but then I decided to wait and see for sure if I really have a cycle starting up.  I'll probably get hit with a nice K7 one day soon right after work.  At that point, I'll start back on the stuff.  I'm betting I can abort the cycle within 3 days :-)

Please hang around, and help spread the word!

Very best regards to you & the family,
Jim



Cyndi Leier wrote on Aug 26^th, 2008 at 10:28am:

Hello all who belong to this wonderful site! An update on Lorne: Off all the herbs and is still CH free. If it weren't for Kilowatt's regimen he would still have about 4 CH weeks to go. Truly a miracle. I'm still going to hang around these boards. This community is awesome. Cyndi

Cyndi and other Kudzu users,

I am just curious on why start at such high doses and also with the additional stuff tacked on?  What if 150 Mg of Kudzu twice a day does the exact same?  I know everyone is different but why not start with as little as possible?  I happen to be lucky with the 150 Mg of Solaray brand Kudzu that contains 2% Daidzin taken twice daily and I am 99% PF.

Just curious and wishing PF days!

What an awesome feeling.  Going out to dinner and leaving the beast at home.  Sounds like a simple pleasure but we know how valuable something like that is.

Jim.....not wishing you pain but interested to see how things go your next go around.  Its nice to have something in my back pocket  when things get rough ....god luck

Just a little background with my Kudzu experience:

My first cycle of using it, I was a week into having 4-5 Kip 5+'s a day most were probably Kip 8's.  I was going to do the cycle with just using cold rags and cold water ritual at the sink.  During this time I was watching this site and looking for a non prescribed successful remedy.  Nanni was talking about the effects of Kudzu and was taking polls on results peeps had.

After a weeks worth of suffering I said "screw it I do not need to go through this anymore!"  I may be mistaken but I think people were saying to get the Nature's way 750 Mg Kudzu.  After a very high Kip at work (well actually in my car because I had to leave my desk) that lasted 30+ minutes, I called my wife and asked her to please get me Kudzu but get the lowest capsules they have.  I hate taking anything and even in my misery I was still apprehensive of loading up on this stuff called Kudzu.

My wife called later that day and said she had just got the Kudzu (it was Solaray 150 Mg caps with 2% Diadzen).  I went home that night and took it around 9 pm that night because it was the hits at 9 in the morning while I was at work that I wanted to avoid or minimize.  I much prefer being woke up at home where I can deal with it than at work any given time.  Within 2 days of taking it, I was amazed to say the least.  It worked and got me out of that cycle with very minimal hits and basically just heavy shadows at times.

This is only my 2nd cycle with Kudzu and it started with having one kip 2 on 08/04.  I did not immediately start the Kudzu because I wanted to be sure this is actually a cycle.  It has been 2 years since last cycle.  Well on 08/14 I was tore up with 3 Kip 8's from sometime after 2 am to 5:30 am.  I frickin started Kudzu in the middle of the Kip 8 at 5:30 that morning.  I didn't have another CH until 8/20 and I must admit that was because of drinking 3 beers as I felt the Kudzu had my back.  I had a Kip 2-3 on 08/21 and a Kip 3 on 08/25.  I really hate counting my chickens before they hatch but damn I think I am going to get through this cycle with no more than 10 CH's and a handfull of them being above Kip 3.

I am a 36 year old male, 5' 10" and weighing 150-155 lbs. and no other medical conditions besides a heart murmur.  I live in Illinois and I am a pack a day smoker and if any of that matters to why Kudzu works, then I will do my damn best to stay in Illinois at the height of 5' 10 and weighing 150-155 pounds and smoking 1 pack of Salem Ultra Lights a day and with a heart murmur for the rest of my life!

You see, now THIS is what this site is all about. It makes me happy to see PF results!! Cyndi - glad to hear you're sticking around. Hopefully you can pass what you've learned on to someone who needs it one day.

I'm going to try some of the Super Snooze if I can find an equivalent here.

Any ideas?

Em

wrote on Aug 27^th, 2008 at 4:48pm:

Cyndi and other Kudzu users, I am just curious on why start at such high doses and also with the additional stuff tacked on?  What if 150 Mg of Kudzu twice a day does the exact same?  I know everyone is different but why not start with as little as possible?  I happen to be lucky with the 150 Mg of Solaray brand Kudzu that contains 2% Daidzin taken twice daily and I am 99% PF. Just curious and wishing PF days!

In the future IF Ch starts again, Lorne may or may not adjust doses. The point is simply that it worked and completely aborted the cycle for at least 2 people these boards know of. Lorne is convinced it was the skullcap is what sealed the whole deal because he felt almost instant relief afterward.

Em wrote on Aug 28^th, 2008 at 8:02am:

I'm going to try some of the Super Snooze if I can find an equivalent here. Any ideas? Em

Try START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE  See if they ship to UK.

wrote on Aug 27^th, 2008 at 4:48pm:

Cyndi and other Kudzu users, I am just curious on why start at such high doses and also with the additional stuff tacked on?  What if 150 Mg of Kudzu twice a day does the exact same?  I know everyone is different but why not start with as little as possible?  I happen to be lucky with the 150 Mg of Solaray brand Kudzu that contains 2% Daidzin taken twice daily and I am 99% PF. Just curious and wishing PF days!

Hello, Geewilly, and thanks for joining the discussion.

Well, you ask why I start at such high doses, and with "additional stuff tacked on"...  You obviously assume that the Kudzu is the treatment, with "additional stuff tacked on".  I'm not sure where that idea came from.

I don't claim a rigorous scientific process for deriving the ingredients, or the dosages, of this treatment, but here are a few of the factors that influenced it:

For starters, the "high doses" of Kudzu are down right miniscule - many Chinese routinely consume kudzu root about like we eat potatoes.  A serving of a couple or three ounces (84,000 mg) would not be an unusual side dish to a meal.  I can' get too concerned about 1000 mg vs. 150 mg.  The real reason I chose 1000 mg for my formula is that when I first found kudzu in the store, it was 1000 mg capsules that I found.  I says to myself, "Self, that sounds about right..."

The "additional stuff" was not tacked on, it was part of my holistic (using the term loosely) approach to fighting CH.  I did a pretty good bit of research on anecdotal evidence about sucesses that people had reported.  A couple of the ingredients, I already had some experience with - I have learned that my body, for whatever reason, has some difficulty assimilating calcium properly.  There's considerable evidence that a lack of magnesium will interfere with calcium absorption so, when I saw that some folks had reported that magnesium helped prevent or abort CH, I says to myself, "Self, put some magnesium in the formula..."

You might recall a few years ago melatonin hit the news as a sort of miracle dietary supplement.  All kinds of claims were made for it, including that it would prevent cancer and heart disease, lower blood pressure, reverse aging, etc., etc., etc.  It was also touted as a very effective sleep aid.  I tried it back then and sure enough, it really is a very effective sleep aid!  When I saw that there seemed to be a connection between sleep disturbances and CH, I says to myself, "Self, you oughtta put some melatonin in the formula."  Several people had reported sucess with about 10 mg or so at bedtime, so even though that is many times more than I had ever tried before, I figured it was a good number to go with.  That was reinforced by the fact that I found 5 mg tablets in the store, making a 10 mg dose pretty simple! ;-)  Some interesting trivia about melatonin - Believe it or not, a tiny dose (say, 1/2 mg or so) will actually help you sleep better than a large dose, like the 10 mg in my formula.  I dunno why - I just know it's so.

As for the other ingredients, the St. John's Wort and the Skullcap - These are both recognized as anti-anxiety or antidepressent herbs.  It became obvious to me while reading up on CH that stress plays a part in CH.  Some report that stress triggers a cycle.  Others report that the removal, or sudden reduction in stress triggers a cycle.  We all know that a CH, a shadow, an impending cycle, or fear of CH can sure contribute to stress.  These two ingredients (according to the prevailing 'wisdom') seem to "level out" the body/mind stress mechanism, and help people deal better with stress.  So, I says to myself, "Self, you oughtta put some of this stuff in there, too."  The dosages I arrived at were based more on what was commercially available in capsules or tablets than anything else.

After I pulled all this info together, and bought all the stuff at the store(s), I took my first dose one night just before bed, a couple of weeks into a cycle, and continued the morning / night doses as Cyndi described.  I had about three more HA's over the next week, then was pf for six months.  The next time I had a CH, I went back on the regimen for a week, and had NO more headaches.

One detail I probably should reiterate - I am a pretty big guy, at about 215 pounds.  Someone of average or smaller size might do just fine with smaller amounts of the ingredients.  Ask me why I don't try smaller dosages, or see if I can eliminate some of the ingredients from the treatment, and I'm just going to say, "WTF - I beat the !#@#% HA's, why should I change anything??? After 16 years, I'm pf and loving it!!!  Don't just take my word for it - ask Cyndi and Lorne ;-)

Just as an aside, the "Super Snooze" has three of my ingredients in it - the melatonin, skullcap, and magnesium, although all of these are in considerably smaller doses that I'm using.  A "Super Snooze" along with a little St. John's Wort and some kudzu just might do the trick for some people - who knows?

Anyway, there's a little insight into my thought processes, and how I came up with the formula - FWIW!!!

Best of luck to all!

Regards,
Jim

Kilowatt3,

Thank you very much for the very well explained answer to my curiosity!  I was just curious mainly because the 150 Mg I take twice a day pretty much makes me 99% PF after 2 days on it.  I know our weight is a little different though.  I also know that Kudzu does not work for everyone.

Your explanation to why you have the recipe you have makes very good sense.  I am right on with you about "WTF - I beat the !#@#% HA's, why should I change anything??? "  I was just looking at it from my own personal response to Kudzu.

It would still be nice to know that if someone such as yourself just used Kudzu would have the same benefit and then we could look harder at one thing instead of 4 or 5.

Could you please post the contents of ingredients from your bottle of Kudzu?  Mine reads as:
Amount per Capsule
Kudzu(Pueraria lobata) (root)  165 mg
Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) (root extract)  150 mg
  (Guranteed 2% [3 mg] daidzin)


Thank you and PF days!

I find Daidzin a very interesting ingredient as alcohol is a universal trigger to ClusterHeads.

"Chinese researchers have been able to show that daidzin can lessen the intoxicating effects of alcohol. When laboratory rats recently imbibed a fixed quantity of 80-proof alcohol while lounging around in their cages, rats given daidzin along with their booze had 33-per cent lower blood-alcohol levels and took three times as long to reach peak blood-alcohol amounts, compared to daidzin-free drinkers. Amazingly enough, daidzin controlled drunkenness, even if it was ingested during the week leading up to - but not the day of - alcohol ingestion. Daidzin also decreased the amount of time rats required to 'sleep off' an over-consumption of booze ('Daidzin, an Antioxidant Isoflavonoid, Decreases Blood Alcohol Levels and Shortens Sleep Time Induced by Ethanol Intoxication,' Alcohol Clin Exp Res, vol. 18(6), pp. 1443-1447, 1994). "

There is something in us that alcohol brings to the forefront and Diadzin tends to kill it.  I am very optimistic that it will be discovered where one chemical is our pain and one chemical will fix it!

Modified at 9:27 p.m. In regards to Melotonin effect

Maybe this effect "Daidzin also decreased the amount of time rats required to 'sleep off' an over-consumption of booze "  has something to do with the melotonin aspect of CH's.

Hello Geewilly,

I'd be glad to post the info from my Kudzu bottle, but it's likely to be a few days or so before I can do it.  I'm away from home on business at the moment, and don't have it with me.  I do recall that the contents were 1000 mg of Kudzu, but I don't know if there was a breakdown into more detail; root vs. root extract, etc...  I think it was just "Kudzu root".  Looking at those ingredients from yours leads me to wonder if perhaps the 150 mg of "root extract" might contain a lot more of the active principle(s) that make the kudzu work, so the dosages might actually be closer than they appear.  As I understand it, daidzin is one of the compounds in Kudzu that appear to have medicinal properties - sort of a naturally occurring organic NSAID.

I'll be heading home tomorrow (Saturday), but it looks like as soon as I get home, we'll be preparing to flee our second major hurricane in three years :-P  We got slammed by Rita in '05, and the forcasts have Gustav running right up our a$$ sometime around Tuesday evening.  We've got a lot of preparation to do, and have to evacuate a lot of pets plus a horse.  I dunno if I'll be able to do much online posting until we've gotten this behind us.

Thanks again for joining the discussion!  I'll follow up here ASAP.

Regards,
Jim

Kilowatt3,

You just stay safe and take care of everything you can and don't worry about posting anything until all is good!

Geewilly,

My Kudzu is "Good'N Natural" brand.
Contents are listed as :
"Kudzu Blend 1000 mg.
Kudzu Extract (Pueraria lobata) (root)
Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) (root)
(Standardized to contain 1% Daidzein)"

So, looks like the same ingredients, but in unknown proportions and with only half the Diadzein content of yours.

Stay in touch!

Regards,
Jim


wrote on Aug 29^th, 2008 at 9:41pm:

Kilowatt3, Thank you very much for the very well explained answer to my curiosity!  I was just curious mainly because the 150 Mg I take twice a day pretty much makes me 99% PF after 2 days on it.  I know our weight is a little different though.  I also know that Kudzu does not work for everyone. Your explanation to why you have the recipe you have makes very good sense.  I am right on with you about "WTF - I beat the !#@#% HA's, why should I change anything??? "  I was just looking at it from my own personal response to Kudzu. Could you please post the contents of ingredients from your bottle of Kudzu?  Mine reads as: Amount per Capsule Kudzu(Pueraria lobata) (root)  165 mg Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) (root extract)  150 mg   (Guranteed 2% [3 mg] daidzin)

Thanks man that is pretty interesting on the differences.  Glad you were able to post.

Stay safe,
Greg

Quote:

The tincture contains skullcap L. and grain alcohol.

Wow.  I guess it makes one sleepy because of the alcohol in it.  Cyndi, you DO realize that alcohol is an almost universal trigger. Right?

Yes, is most certainly does contain grain alcohol and yes, we're aware that alcohol is a trigger for most. It's a very small dosage - 30 tiny drops. I didn't have a choice as far as the type of skullcap when I ran out to buy it. Tincture was all they had, so that's what we started him on and he felt almost immediate relief. I did find the capsules the next week but Lorne wasn't as impressed with them and says he'll only use the tincture in the future. Miracle, nothing short of a miracle for us.


Linda_Howell wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2008 at 9:59pm:

Quote: The tincture contains skullcap L. and grain alcohol. Wow.  I guess it makes one sleepy because of the alcohol in it.  Cyndi, you DO realize that alcohol is an almost universal trigger. Right?

This a perfectly good post.  But damn Linda_Howell you are like a bad penny.

wrote on Sep 3^rd, 2008 at 1:28am:

This a perfectly good post.  But damn Linda_Howell you are like a bad penny.

   No superirish it's you that keeps coming back like the Troll you are.

               Potter

Potter,

I will keep to my Trollish confines and don't expand them please.

Greg

P.S.  Just because Linda wanted to bedazzle this post with her sparkles does not mean we have to have your one sentence flames.  We can work on you and the challenge of paragraphs back in the other posts.

Thank you Cyndi,

Thanks for bringing Kudzu as a topic and for sharing in the relief it has given to your family.

Greg

P.S. <kicking> A few Alumni away! </kick ended>

Greg,

I'm going to stay clear of the flame war, as I really haven't been a party to any of that conversation, but I have to say that so far as this topic is concerned, you really "don't get it".  Even after a few attempts at explanation.

Good luck!
Jim


wrote on Sep 3^rd, 2008 at 3:14am:

Thank you Cyndi, Thanks for bringing Kudzu as a topic and for sharing in the relief it has given to your family. Greg P.S. <kicking> A few Alumni away! </kick ended>

It would be real sad if this thread of pain free goodness turned into a flame war.

Watch it, folks......I will be! >:(

Good for you and your husband, Cindy!  [smiley=headbanger.gif]

And big ups to you, Kilo!  [smiley=thumb.gif]

................................Jonny 8-)

Quote:

but I have to say that so far as this topic is concerned, you really "don't get it".  Even after a few attempts at explanation.

That you are right I don't get.  I do get that Kudzu has worked for well...atleast 3 of us.  I do believe that you explained your recipe very nicely and I am glad it has worked for not just you but also Cyndi's husband.

My question on the dosage was just out of complete curiosity and nothing else.  I was and still am very curious if you used the different brand and none of the other items if it works just as good.  I also understand that if something is working then why change it.

Kudzu may or may not be the answer. Lorne adamantly feels the skullcap played a huge role, maybe more so than the Kudzu. (Mostly because any remaining shadows over the first few days were killed with the nighttime dose of Skullcap until total remission.) Maybe there is someone brave enough out there to mess with trying one of the herbs per week and keeping a journal. Lorne will not be that person. He is insistent that the recipe stays as is for the next cycle, if there is one. What we really need is some feedback from whoever else tries Kilowatt's regimen.  I can't wait for that to happen. I got a few PMs from people wanting to know the exact brands of what I bought.  I imagine there are a few clusterheads trying Kilowatt's "recipe" now. Here's to hoping that they'll post their experiences with it soon.

Cyndi

Thinking about the skullcap, two pharmacological effects come to attention. Taken from Wikipedia:

Virginian skullcap contains the flavonoid glycosides baicalin, dihydrobaicalin and chrysin glucuronide. Baicalin is known to be anti-inflammatory and analgesic[9][10]. Chrysin is found naturally in various plants including wild carrot, the Pelargonium species, which are germanium-like plants; the Passiflora or passion flower species, which include tropical passion fruit; and the Pinaceae species, including pine trees. Chrysin is sold as a nutritional supplement for male body builders because of its possible action in inhibiting the conversions of androgens to estrogens[11].

Some CH sufferers get help from anti-inflammatory drugs. E.g. steroids have a powerful effect on reducing inflammation and "calming down" the immune system. Probably the analgesic effect doesn't hurt either, since it reduces pain.

Chrysin might have an effect as well. I read somewhere that some CH sufferers have reduced amounts of testosterone. If chrysin inhibits the conversion of androgens to estrogens, that might be something worth considering.

Kudzu didn't work for me when I tried it. Neither did melatonin. I think I'll try and get some skullcap, though :)

- Best regards and PFDAN,
Rosa

Hi Cyndi,

I hope everything continues to go well for Lorne!

I'm been PM'ing with a fellow from Pittsburgh who's in cycle, has bought everything, and is planning to start on the stuff this evening.  I've asked him to post progress reports, so we'll cross fingers and hope for another success!

Regards,
Jim


Cyndi Leier wrote on Sep 5^th, 2008 at 12:37am:

What we really need is some feedback from whoever else tries Kilowatt's regimen.  I can't wait for that to happen. I got a few PMs from people wanting to know the exact brands of what I bought.  I imagine there are a few clusterheads trying Kilowatt's "recipe" now. Here's to hoping that they'll post their experiences with it soon. Cyndi

I started this last night and I can report my FIRST ATTACK FREE NIGHT IN ALMOST 5 WEEKS!!!!   :) :) :)    I am not going to make any other claims about success, but I had a full, beautiful, restful night of sleep for the first time in a long time.  Even if that's all this does for me, I can't thank Kilowatt3 enough for this!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

For the purposes of helping others, let me explain what exactly I took (as I had to modify Kilowatt3's original mixture/amounts due to what was available at the health food store I went to purchase all of the supplements/herbs.  Here's what I took last night:

- Kudzu (900 mg - 2 pills)
- Magnesium (200 mg - 1 pill)
- St John's Wort (300 mg - 1 pill) -- The pharmacist recommended a pill that also contained 80 mg of Rosemary (leaf) and 40 mg of Spirulina (algae).  It's also worth noting that the St John's Wort was standardized to .3% dianthrones measured as hypericin.  This has to do with the accuracy of the potency of the herb in pill.
- Skullcap (.5 ml liquid drop) -- They only had skullcap in liquid form, and this amount equals 500 mg
- Melatonin (5 mg - 2 pills) -- The pharmacist (and others here on this board) recommended going easy on this for my first night to see how it goes.  I'm going to see my Naturopath MD and get her advice about the 10 mg dose.

I have no idea if this will or won't work for anyone else, and I have no idea what the next few days will look like, but I can absolutely attest that I was attack free last night.  I will continue to report back my progress.  I will also report back what my Naturopath MD has to say about all of this.  She has a double medical degree as a Naturopath and a Medical Doctorate, and I trust her opinion on these things a lot.   My biggest concern is just making sure that I am not solving one problem while causing others.

Thank you again, Kilowatt3 and thanks to everyone else who has contributed to this thread and shared their experiences!

-josh

Hooray Josh! Glad you got a good night's sleep. I can't wait to hear how Kilowatt3's recipe goes for you. He sure saved Lorne! It would be so wonderful to hear that you killed the beast too. We're holding our breath and sending our thoughts your way! Please keep updating.

LET'S ALL KILL THE BEAST!
Cyndi

Yet another PF night!!!   I upped the melatonin to 7.5 mg in last night's dose, but I think that may be a bit much for me.  I am still really drowsy this morning.  But hey, a small price to pay for a pain free 36 hours, so far!

-josh

wrote on Sep 3^rd, 2008 at 6:59pm:

Good for you and your husband, Cindy!  [smiley=headbanger.gif] And big ups to you, Kilo!  [smiley=thumb.gif] ................................Jonny 8-)

Hiya Jonny!

BTW, In case I forgot to tell you, thanks for your help!

About a year ago (last August) you helped me out quite a bit in getting set up with an O2 rig.  Your advice on selecting and hooking up the valves & regulator & stuff was very helpful, and I got my tank, regulator, NRB mask, & all set up.  Turns out I never needed it, though.  By sheer dumb luck, the very day I went and got my O2 tank filled was the same day I first tried my herbal/supplement mix that is the topic of this thread.

After that fateful day, I had about three K2-3's, then my cycle was over.  I had one K4 or so - in April, I think it was, and started on the mix again.  No more HA's at all.  So, with the exception of that April HA, I've been better than a year PF and the O2 tank has just sat in the closet gathering dust!  But I thank you for your help, anyway!  It's comforting to have the O2 in reserve just in case I should need it.  Hope maybe you'll give my recipe a try, and find that you can retire your O2 tank too!

GL & Best regards,
Jim

I've found this thread really interesting. I'm all for the herbal supplements (I already take 3 - 6mg melatonin every night) and I've read about magnesium helping too.

My question is about the St John's Wort. What part does that play? The only reason I ask is because I know here in the UK, medical advice suggests the St. John's Wort reduces the effectiveness of the contraceptive pill.

I am considering trying out the herbal concoction providing I can find the right stuff here but just wanted to find out a bit more first.

PS - For those already taking it, I seem to remember Giuseppi mentioning that magnesium saps the calcium out of your system, so a supplement should be introduced. It may be worth thinking about.

Em

I've always heard the opposite about magnesium and calcium. Years ago, my doc advised a magnesium supplement  to help with my migraines. Magnesium allows our bodies to metabolize calcium. Without magnesium, our bodies cannot absorb or make use of calcium as well as Vitamin C.  But I think the thing to remember is that you're not on this herbal regimen for more than a week or two anyway. I don't think harm could be done in such a short period of time.

Just started this (sort of, had to order skull cap, be here on Monday).  I had to try it, due to the success of the other posters, plus the demon is kicking my a$$ right now :'(  I'm not sure if it'll be as effective w\o the skull cap, I'll see I guess.. Plus I'm already on allot of Melatonin, 27mg suggested by my Nuro, which I'm going to keep the same.

I'll update ya Kilowatt3 on progress, PF days to all and thanks for the advice, hope this work for me as well as it did for the others...

TJ

Hi TJ!

Sorry to hear you're getting hit so badly.  I'm glad you're giving the recipe a try!

I'd go ahead & start with what you've got, and just add the skullcap in when you get it.  I don't think there's a single ingredient that's key to making the recipe work - I just think it's better to have everything.  I've got a sort of unconventional theory as to why the stuff works that I'll try and post some time soon so everybody can tear it apart <G>.

You probably read that Cyndi's hub, Lorne, felt very strongly that the skullcap made a big difference, so maybe you'll want to start taking it as soon as you can.

Please do keep us updated as much as you can - hopefully daily.  Another success story would be great!  Bet you'll kick Beast a$$!

Good luck and best regards!
Jim

P.S.  Wow - 27 mg of melatonin is a ton!  I thought 10 mg was a lot!


teajay wrote on Sep 13^th, 2008 at 6:57pm:

Just started this (sort of, had to order skull cap, be here on Monday).  I had to try it, due to the success of the other posters, plus the demon is kicking my a$$ right now :'(  I'm not sure if it'll be as effective w\o the skull cap, I'll see I guess.. Plus I'm already on allot of Melatonin, 27mg suggested by my Nuro, which I'm going to keep the same. I'll update ya Kilowatt3 on progress, PF days to all and thanks for the advice, hope this work for me as well as it did for the others... TJ

That was the first night of real sleep I've had in weeks! :) :D ;D
No sucking O2, no sticking a trex needle in my arm, I only woke up to pee...  I had some K1 type CH's the couple hours before bedtime, but they were killed easy with O2 and coffee.
Good combo I'm sticking with it.... Thanks Kilowatt3 and thanks to all the other posters for the info! 8-)
TJ

Hot Damn, TJ!

Great to hear that you're off to a good start!  Please post often to keep us up to date on your progress!  Hope it continues to go well for you.

Regards & GL,
Jim


teajay wrote on Sep 14^th, 2008 at 8:40am:

That was the first night of real sleep I've had in weeks! :) :D ;D No sucking O2, no sticking a trex needle in my arm, I only woke up to pee...  I had some K1 type CH's the couple hours before bedtime, but they were killed easy with O2 and coffee. Good combo I'm sticking with it.... Thanks Kilowatt3 and thanks to all the other posters for the info! 8-) TJ

I wanted to make sure to report back that I'm still PF!  I had one little blip of a problem on Friday, when I forgot to take the morning dose (I had an early meeting and ran out of the house without taking it) and then I had a K2 on Sat early morning, but now that I'm back on, I'm completely PF again.

I'm going to keep it going until Tuesday morning (a full week) and then drop it and hope for the best!

-josh

PF night 2! :)  I got a small K2-K3 around dinner time yesterday evening, didn't have any coffee made so it took the o2 longer to kill it.  I'm also making sure I drink allot of water, haven't got the skull cap yet, can't wait to see what that does....

TJ

Josh & TJ,

Great to hear from both of you!  Thanks for posting the progress reports.  Here's hoping that you've both just about got the Beast knocked out cold!  It seems to take a few days for the stuff to come up to its full effect, then you'll want to give it a week or so longer.

Please keep posting daily for a while so we can all follow up on your progress.

Best regards & GL,
Jim

Another PF day.  I'm going to keep going on the doses through tomorrow evening and then stop on Wed am if all stays well.  I have to admit, I'm nervous about stopping.

hayduke wrote on Sep 15^th, 2008 at 8:22pm:

Another PF day.  I'm going to keep going on the doses through tomorrow evening and then stop on Wed am if all stays well.  I have to admit, I'm nervous about stopping.

I don't blame you - I know exactly how you feel!  Just do what feels right for you.  You might want to give it another couple of days, since you had a HA as recently as Saturday, but on the other hand, I know you REALLY want to find out if your cycle's broken.  Hopefully, you're in for a real nice surprise!

Keep posting, and let us know how it goes.  Even if your cycle's not quite stopped, another few days might be all it takes.  I'm very optimistic for ya!

Regards,
Jim

Got hit last night  :(, but I'm not losing hope in the combo.  It was my first day back at work, my h2o intake was not that great, and I think I really need to get ahold of the skull cap tonight...  I got my usual K2-3 around dinner, but I got hit with a K-7-8 right about an hour after I went to bed, I hit the 02 hard, avoided the trex for fear of a rebound, which I've been getting. I had some other small hits through out the night but they were little K1s... I'm going to stick with it, hit the water hard and make sure I get that skull cap today.

T

Teajay-  Do get the skullcap.  It has tension/muscle relaxing properties and also is a sleep aid.  I think it is an essential part of this mixture, so do get it asap.  I had to get it in liquid form and take it that way, which should be fine.

Good luck and I wish you PF days and nights like I have been having after taking this mixture.

-josh

TJ,

Don't be discouraged - You've only been on the mix for a couple of days, and without the skullcap.  The first time I tried it, it took 4 or 5 days to break my cycle completely.  For Lorne, it was about a week or so.  Stay with it and see what happens!

Regards,
Jim

Got the bed time hit and I figured out by reloading my pill counter that I wasn't taking St John's wart at bed time.  I got the Skull Kap last evening and yesterday makes the first day I did the combo right.  I've still been having PF mornings and days, which means allot b\c my job gets on my nerves enough w\o a CH hit!!! The Kilowatt3 combo take 2, it's been helping already.....

TJ

teajay wrote on Sep 17^th, 2008 at 5:48pm:

I figured out by reloading my pill counter that I wasn't taking St John's wart at bed time.  I got the Skull Kap last evening and yesterday makes the first day I did the combo right.  I've still been having PF mornings and days, which means allot b\c my job gets on my nerves enough w\o a CH hit!!! The Kilowatt3 combo take 2, it's been helping already..... TJ

Hi TJ,

Glad it's helping!  I bet that now that you've got everything, and got the schedule in place, it'll get better still over the next few days!  Please keep posting with your progress reports!

Best regards,
Jim

Em wrote on Sep 12^th, 2008 at 6:56am:

My question is about the St John's Wort. What part does that play? The only reason I ask is because I know here in the UK, medical advice suggests the St. John's Wort reduces the effectiveness of the contraceptive pill. I am considering trying out the herbal concoction providing I can find the right stuff here but just wanted to find out a bit more first.

Hi EM!

Sorry for being a little slow to respond to you!

I can't really say "what part" any of the ingredients play.  I feel very strongly, though, that they all contribute.  One person on the board insisted that the regimen was kudzu "with other stuff tacked on", and someone else referred to it as the "skullcap mixture".  I believe that both of them missed the point.  I think there's a lot of synergy between the components, and that the mix will work best with all of the ingredients in it.  I'm sure that it might do some good with one, or even two of the ingredients missing, but I've had great success with it as-is, and I'm not going to start leaving anything out just to see if it still works!  ;)

From what I've read, I believe you're right about the possibility of St. John's Wort interfering with birth control pills.  Keep in mind, though, that you're probably only talking about a couple of weeks at a time, a couple of times a year.  Seems like it would be worth it to use another contraceptive method for those few weeks.  Heck, maybe you could just go bowling or something instead of having sex...  ;D

Anyway, I hope you'll give the recipe a try, and have great success with it!  Please post again to let us know if you try it.

Very best regards & GL,
Jim

i just wanted to say that i so much enjoyed reading your first post and the beutifal family pic, it brought tears (not the pain kind)
this beast is caused me so much loss and now my marriage and possibly my job. i am glad you were able to have some joy and it sounds well deserved.

Karl,

I have to agree with you - Cyndi's first post is a nice read with a great pic!

Sorry to hear you're having such a hard time.  So, what are you waiting for?  Try out the recipe that Cyndi described!  No guarantees, of course, but it just might do you a lot of good!

Regards,
Jim

Josh???  TJ???

What's up, guys?  Please post a progress report!

Regards,
Jim

Whether it's the end of my 4 mos. episode or not , I'll take it!.
My story goes like this. I'm 60 yrs old and live near Peterborough Ontario. I've been in my 3rd episode(and longest) over the past 3 years. Thanks to this board, I found out about O2 in my 2nd cycle last year and it literally saved my life. (I use the clustermask with the mouthpiece only at 12-15 lpm-normally aborts in 3-7 mins.-most have been at the kip 6-8 level) ( 5-8 CH's/day and night)
Since this last episode has been the longest I was starting to really be concerned that I was starting to flirt with being chronic.
I decided to try RC seeds about 6 weeks ago. Started with 10 seeds/day and after 3 weeks had worked up to 100 seeds. No side effects at all but there was no change at al to my hits and I finally gave up.
Lurking on the board every day, I came across the first Kilowatt3 post and have been following it ever since. Two weeks ago I figured(being very skeptical) that I'd try it out anyways.
Got all the pills off the shelf at my local health food store and followed the mixture exactly as posted. It was on a Friday night nearly 2 weeks ago that I started and that was the first night I slept through the night in 4 mos. Now it's either a coincidence that I was going out of cycle that exact night or the formula really works(at least for me) as I HAVE NOT HAD ONE HEADEACHE SINCE. Belive me I've got my fingers crossed but so far so good and I am going to keep up the Kilowatt3(Jim) daily regimen for at least another few weeks. Thank-you JIM.
This is kind of freeking me out that it could actually work but I'll take it.

What a great board/resource for us CH'rs. I'll try and give you an update as time goes on. Thanks, Rocky

rocky wrote on Sep 24^th, 2008 at 7:19pm:

Whether it's the end of my 4 mos. episode or not , I'll take it!. Lurking on the board every day, I came across the first Kilowatt3 post and have been following it ever since. Two weeks ago I figured(being very skeptical) that I'd try it out anyways. Got all the pills off the shelf at my local health food store and followed the mixture exactly as posted. It was on a Friday night nearly 2 weeks ago that I started and that was the first night I slept through the night in 4 mos. Now it's either a coincidence that I was going out of cycle that exact night or the formula really works(at least for me) as I HAVE NOT HAD ONE HEADEACHE SINCE. Belive me I've got my fingers crossed but so far so good and I am going to keep up the Kilowatt3(Jim) daily regimen for at least another few weeks. Thank-you JIM. This is kind of freeking me out that it could actually work but I'll take it. What a great board/resource for us CH'rs. I'll try and give you an update as time goes on. Thanks, Rocky

Hi Rocky!

Great to hear that you're having success with the mix!  So far, everyone who has tried it has had similar results, but it seems pretty hard to convince folks to try it  :P

Please keep us updated on your progress as often as possible!  Thanks very much for posting about your success so far!

Very best regards,
Jim

Sorry got Busy....  After more than a week, I'm still getting hit in the middle of the night.  It did have a strong effect the first couple days, plus I'm not getting any day time hits.  I have only been using O2 to abort, which wasn't as successful before this, I was using lots of Trex.
I'm on Topamax, which may be messing with the effects of this combo also, my cycles tend to be stubborn.  I visit the Nuro Monday, going to ween off the T-max, I've had my fill after 14 months.  After the d-tox, strongly thinking of treating CH all natural.  Going to keep taking this combo till 2 weeks is up to see what happens, and I'm going to use it after I detox from T-max, for future cycles.  It did help! :)

rocky wrote on Sep 24^th, 2008 at 7:19pm:

Lurking on the board every day, I came across the first Kilowatt3 post and have been following it ever since. Two weeks ago I figured(being very skeptical) that I'd try it out anyways. Got all the pills off the shelf at my local health food store and followed the mixture exactly as posted. It was on a Friday night nearly 2 weeks ago that I started and that was the first night I slept through the night in 4 mos. Now it's either a coincidence that I was going out of cycle that exact night or the formula really works(at least for me) as I HAVE NOT HAD ONE HEADEACHE SINCE. Belive me I've got my fingers crossed but so far so good and I am going to keep up the Kilowatt3(Jim) daily regimen for at least another few weeks. Thank-you JIM. This is kind of freeking me out that it could actually work but I'll take it. What a great board/resource for us CH'rs. I'll try and give you an update as time goes on. Thanks, Rocky

Hooray!! That's exactly what we call the regimen! THE KILOWATT3! LOL, it's become a household name! So happy to hear you are pain free. I cannot imagine Lorne's cycle going strong for 4 months. The longest he's had is 12 weeks and that's more than anyone should have to bear. I'm so delighted you tried it and can't wait for updates. We're going to be following this until everyone tries it, or it ends up in a magazine. Guess what? Lorne and his entire family here is from Canada also and he is especially excited to hear from you.
Cyndi

I just posted this in my intro thread, but I think I will just switch over to this one for good.  I am still completely pain free! since staying on The Kilowatt3 Treatment Plan!  I'm going to stay on it until next week and then hope for the best.  It is so wonderful to hear that others are being helped by this treatment as well.  If you are lurking and reading about this and are experiencing CH, please try it... what could be the harm in at least trying?

-josh

Teajay-

I'm not any sort of medical expert, but I've been doing a bit of research on all of the ingredients in Kilowatt3's mixture, and something you said has been bothering me.  You said your neurologist prescribed 27mg of melatonin.  That is an off the charts amount of melatonin!  I would strongly, strongly recommend that you check with another doctor that has experience with supplements like melatonin and get a second opinion.  

One of the widely reported side effects of large doses of melatonin is headaches.  When I discussed this mixture with my Naturopath/MD, she said she frequently prescribes super high doses of melatonin (10-20mg) for people with cancer, but she also usually has to include other things for the side effects (including headaches).  Her thought was that 10mg of melatonin was more than enough to help with the mixture of other ingredients that Kilowatt3 has posted.  I actually started (and have stayed with) 5mg of melatonin and it has been really successful so far.

I hope this info helps, and more importantly I hope you finally are able to get rid of those night headaches!

-josh

Thanks Josh, I really need to ask the Dr about the melatonin, I'm way too tired in the morning, more so now with the addition of the Kilowatt3 Treatment combo, which is helping.  I'm still getting my night time hits (1\2 to 1 hour after falling asleep and repeating) through out the night, so I'm hoping taking this for another 2-3 weeks knocks them out.  The last 2 nights I've taken five 3mg Melatonin pills, instead of the usual 7seven, haven't noticed a difference, maybe I'll take away one more and see if that does anything.  I was afraid to adjust the melatonin from the start b\c I've been taking that amount for the better part of a year.  When I would forget to take melatonin out of cycle, I would get a CH, I never triggered a cycle, but everytime I forgot to take it I got a headache in the past.

hayduke wrote on Sep 26^th, 2008 at 5:36am:

Teajay- I'm not any sort of medical expert, but I've been doing a bit of research on all of the ingredients in Kilowatt3's mixture, and something you said has been bothering me.  You said your neurologist prescribed 27mg of melatonin.  That is an off the charts amount of melatonin!  I would strongly, strongly recommend that you check with another doctor that has experience with supplements like melatonin and get a second opinion.   One of the widely reported side effects of large doses of melatonin is headaches... -josh

TJ,

Let me add that another side effect of too much melatonin is insomnia!  Given the connection between CH and sleep disturbances, it sure seems possible that excessive melatonin could have an effect opposite of what's intended!

I'm also inclined to think that you're right about the Topamax interfering with the mix.  I'll post in more detail about that later.

Glad to hear that the mix is helping at least to some extent.  Don't give up just yet - Like you said, maybe your cycles are just stubborn and will take a little longer to break.  Please keep posting your progress, and let us know how it goes as you get off the Topamax.

GL & Best regards,
Jim

Josh and Jim

Thank for the in-put on the Melotonin, I'm going to inquire with my Nuro and do some more research myself....

TEAJAY

teajay wrote on Sep 25^th, 2008 at 3:16pm:

Going to keep taking this combo till 2 weeks is up to see what happens, and I'm going to use it after I detox from T-max, for future cycles.  It did help! :)

TJ,

How's it going?

Regards,
Jim

FYI... I'm off of the herbal supplement mix and no headaches at all.  I think I'm through my cluster now.  I'm stocking up on the ingredients for the mixture for the next time it strikes.

Jim... I can't thank you enough for posting your mix and for how much it has helped me over the past few weeks!

-josh

hayduke wrote on Sep 30^th, 2008 at 9:29am:

FYI... I'm off of the herbal supplement mix and no headaches at all.  I think I'm through my cluster now.  I'm stocking up on the ingredients for the mixture for the next time it strikes. -josh

Hi Josh,

Great news!  I'm sure glad it worked, and hope you'll stick around the boards to encourage other folks to try it out.  Per George's suggestion, I'm going to start another thread on the topic - just not sure when I'll get around to it.  I work a pretty hectic schedule.

Thanks for sharing your success story, and please stay in touch!

Best regards,
Jim

GREAT SO FAR!!!

I started this two days ago. I'm one week in a cycle and normally would be havin bettween a k5 to k8's about three to four times a day with constant shadows. I woke with a k7 the first night, and nothing since, but very minor shadows.

Kilowatt3 - I could kiss you... a... I mean shake your hand in a very platonic sort of way  8-)

Thanks brother
JOHN

Indestructible wrote on Sep 30^th, 2008 at 3:25pm:

GREAT SO FAR!!! I started this two days ago. I'm one week in a cycle and normally would be havin bettween a k5 to k8's about three to four times a day with constant shadows. I woke with a k7 the first night, and nothing since, but very minor shadows... Thanks brother JOHN

Hi John,

Great to hear it's working!  I'm not going to make any grand claims, but it's sure racking up a good track record!  8-)

Please post as often as you can for a while, to keep us updated on progress.  I'll be particularly interested to learn how soon you determine you're 100% PF, and then how long you choose to keep taking the regimen afterwards.  I had been suggesting that people stay on it for a week after they're PF, but from Josh's posts, it sounded like that might not be quite long enough for some.  Might give it two weeks(?).

No kisses necessary - a firm handshake will do just fine!  ;D

Best regards & GL!
Jim

I got CRUSHED last night, sort of my fault, I have a bunch of Topamax b\c I planned on moving up the doseage to try and break this cycle, instead took it down 25 mg last night to see if it would do any thing, IT DID.....K-10  indeed and a long f-er...

I didn't take the morning dose of the Kilowatt this morning, I wasn't really there, didn't think about it till tonight, and I got my dinner time hit back,, so I have both factors going on.

Not sure what I'm going to do tonight or tomorrow, going to stay on 100mg of t-max, thinking of rising. The k-watt combo is helping some how or I wouldn't of got the day time hit back, after forgetting to take it today.  I may start experimenting with my self and the contents of the Kilowatt combo.  Since I have this condition, I have to learn how my body reacts to different methods of treatment.

I am going to go off the Topimax after this cycle, or the winter time cycle, if I get a break, I'll have to see.  I really want to try this combe w\o the t-max factor.

teajay wrote on Sep 30^th, 2008 at 6:16pm:

I got CRUSHED last night, sort of my fault, I have a bunch of Topamax b\c I planned on moving up the doseage to try and break this cycle, instead took it down 25 mg last night to see if it would do any thing, IT DID.....K-10  indeed and a long f-er... I didn't take the morning dose of the Kilowatt this morning, I wasn't really there, didn't think about it till tonight, and I got my dinner time hit back, so I have both factors going on. Not sure what I'm going to do tonight or tomorrow, going to stay on 100mg of t-max, thinking of rising. The k-watt combo is helping some how or I wouldn't of got the day time hit back, after forgetting to take it today.  I may start experimenting with my self and the contents of the Kilowatt combo.  Since I have this condition, I have to learn how my body reacts to different methods of treatment. I am going to go off the Topimax after this cycle, or the winter time cycle, if I get a break, I'll have to see.  I really want to try this combe w\o the t-max factor.

Hang in there, TJ!

Sorry you're getting hit, but I'm glad you think that the combo is at least helping.  So far as I know, you're the ONLY person so far who has not been able to break a cycle with the stuff, and I think you're also the only one on Topamax.  No idea if there's a connection, but I'm very suspicious!

You sure don't want to "experiment with yourself" without keeping your doctor in the loop, at least with respect to the prescription med(s) you're taking!  When you do get completely off the T-Max, I'll be real curious to see whether the combo works better for you.

Please stay in touch, and GL!

Regards,
Jim

Quote:

So far as I know, you're the ONLY person so far who has not been able to break a cycle with the stuff,

Tried it, didn't work for me. Now you know. Dont mean it wont work for someone else. Dont mean it will.
all the best
the bb

To the TheBBZ,

I'm very confused. Just five days ago you said you were PF for the last 3 years so how could you have tried it?

Cyndi Leier wrote on Oct 1^st, 2008 at 9:58pm:

To the TheBBZ, I'm very confused. Just five days ago you said you were PF for the last 3 years so how could you have tried it?

...and two days ago said that you were on maintenance doses of RC seeds.  Plenty of opportunity for negative interactions there.  Even if you HAD really tried it, not exactly a fair trial.

I cannot, for the life of me, fathom why someone would get on here and post a misleading story about the mix not working, when all that that might serve to do is discourage someone from trying it who might otherwise benefit from it.

[Edited to tone it down a little and remove rude comment] - Jim

Whoa!    lets stop here for a second...shall we?

   John BBz is a MOST(No...a VERY MOST)  respected member of this community.  he is a trusted friend of mine.  Whatever he may have said...lets give him some time to respond, can we?


   Sheesh.  :(


 

Linda_Howell wrote on Oct 2^nd, 2008 at 2:12am:

Whoa!    lets stop here for a second...shall we?    John BBz is a MOST(No...a VERY MOST)  respected member of this community.  he is a trusted friend of mine.  Whatever he may have said...lets give him some time to respond, can we?    Sheesh.  :(

Agreed.  John's a valued friend, and well-known to many of us here.  Not to mention that he's my future fishing buddy.

Let's regroup, eh?

Best,

George

George wrote on Oct 2^nd, 2008 at 2:53am:

Linda_Howell wrote on Oct 2nd, 2008 at 2:12am: Whoa!    lets stop here for a second...shall we?    John BBz is a MOST(No...a VERY MOST)  respected member of this community.  he is a trusted friend of mine.  Whatever he may have said...lets give him some time to respond, can we?    Sheesh.  :(   Agreed.  John's a valued friend, and well-known to many of us here.  Not to mention that he's my future fishing buddy. Let's regroup, eh? Best, George

Agreed.  I overreacted.

I'm probably pretty defensive right about now as I am shadowing pretty heavily and expecting to get hit hard pretty soon now.  I do not want to hear anything that suggests that my mix won't work. :(

My apologies.

Regards,
Jim

I dont advocate the use or non use of anything, lets all get that straight. I dont fabricate stories either, thank you very much. You are assuming way too much and it does not help anyone to start flaming me and being defensive. All I stated were facts as I know them. Three years relatively pain free for sure. I have had these for thirty years. I have been given all common pharmaceuticals over the years. I used your combination around 7 to 8 years ago, at first to replace calcium depleted from predinisone and then at the suggestion of a GP I began using magnesium and B2 to supplement the supplement. Your combination is not new and has not worked for many. I just stated my experience.
It does work for some and not for some. That needs to be stated as it is a fact.
all the best to all the best
thebb
Quit being defensive. All is good. 8-)

Quote:

I do not want to hear anything that suggests that my mix won't work.

It's not your mix but you can claim it. It doesn't work for all. That is a fact, accept it or not.
Jeeze, I give you a positive rep point and you flame me. :-/

wrote on Oct 2^nd, 2008 at 2:43pm:

All I stated were facts as I know them. Three years relatively pain free for sure. I used your combination around 7 to 8 years ago, at first to replace calcium depleted from predinisone and then at the suggestion of a GP I began using magnesium and B2 to supplement the supplement. Your combination is not new and has not worked for many. I just stated my experience. It does work for some and not for some. That needs to be stated as it is a fact. all the best to all the best thebb It's not your mix but you can claim it. It doesn't work for all. That is a fact, accept it or not.

John,

Again, I apologize for my knee-jerk reaction to your post, but there is clearly some misunderstanding of what mix we're talking about here.  No flame intended.

You say you used the mix 7 or 8 years ago, "at first to replace calcium depleted from predinisone and then at the suggestion of a GP I began using magnesium and B2 to supplement the supplement."  Why would you use the mix to replace calcium, considering that it does not contain calcium?  Nor does it include Vitamin B-2.  We're obviously not talking about the same thing here.  Is it possible that you're confusing this with Robert's Magnesium/B-2/Feverfew combination?

The recipe that is, and has been, the subject of this thread is:

Kudzu - 1000 mg, 2x per day (morning & night)  
Magnesium - 250 mg, 2x per day (morning & night)  
St. John's Wort - 300 mg, 2x per day (morning & night)  
Skullcap - 425 mg at bedtime  
Melatonin - 10 mg at bedtime  

If you tell me that you used all (not some) of these ingredients, in the portions listed above, taken at the times of day described, 7 or 8 years ago for at least a couple of weeks, and it had no effect on your CH, then I will duly note that it did not work for you.  You'd be the first to report no benefit.  I will also be totally astonished that we independently came up with the exact same dosages of five diffent components, as the odds against that are truly astronomical.

In the meantime, I continue to track the progress of a growing number of people who have reported that this stuff has worked miracles for them.  No one has told me they've followed this recipe to the letter and had absolutely no benefit from it.  There's no doubt that that will eventually happen, but it hasn't yet.  I just hope that the mix can benefit many others.

Thanks for your input, and please stay in touch.

Regards,
Jim

I believe that one takes extra calcium to help replace what the Mag. depletes. This formula has a lot of things going for it, but many some of the formula is doing all the work and some might not be needed. I understand that it would be scary to start dropping anything in fear of getting hit. Another one of those, "do what works for you" things.   Sophie

Quote:

No one has told me they've followed this recipe to the letter and had absolutely no benefit from it.

No I did not follow your recipe to the letter. I have used all of the ingredients in different combinations.  Suppliments as well ,different episode. I do want to try it though.
I am sure I can get some coaching ;) I dont have to look at my diary to see that my seed consumption is up. The shadows are here and I am currently of the mind I would drive a spike in my ear before I eat another pred taper. Should the seeds and shrooms not have their desired effect I hope you would humble me with some tips.
 I have always had the opinion that CH is different for each individual to some extent, and I can only hope your particular treatment has more sucess. I was wrong saying your treatment wasn't new. Maybe it is. I also believe PF is a metaphor for one step ahead of the demon. PF or not I still have CH. PF means I haven't dialed 911 yet :D
all the best
thebb

Update:

It'll be 3 weeks tomorrow since I started and am continuing to take the formula and not one CH yet. Unbelievable!
More to follow in another week or so. Regards, Rocky

I took some sick time from work or I would never of been able to handle this.... test.
I backed of the kilowatt to see if my Topamax taper would do anything... it did, it caused alot more CH in the night and day with more intense pain.
I'm going to go back on the kilowatt today for the duration of this cycle weather it ends or not, it dampens the pain and lessens amount of CHs.
I was only off it for a couple days and I'm not going to go higher on the T-max, had a similar experience in the past with it making CH worse.  When I'm outta cycle, T-max is going with it.
enough of my :'(
PFD&N to all

T

wrote on Oct 2^nd, 2008 at 7:40pm:

No I did not follow your recipe to the letter. I have used all of the ingredients in different combinations.  Suppliments as well ,different episode. I do want to try it though...  I dont have to look at my diary to see that my seed consumption is up. The shadows are here and I am currently of the mind I would drive a spike in my ear before I eat another pred taper. Should the seeds and shrooms not have their desired effect I hope you would humble me with some tips...  I have always had the opinion that CH is different for each individual to some extent, and I can only hope your particular treatment has more sucess... all the best thebb

John,

Thanks for the follow-up.

To what do you attribute your 3 years PF?  Just the RC seeds, the seeds and shrooms, or was there anything additional?  Just curious - I am open to anything that will help us build up our arsenal against the Beast!

Regards,
Jim

P.S. - This morning I'm having the worst shadows yet this season.  Any worse and I'll be starting back on the "recipe" to see if I can head off a third consecutive cycle. - J.

rocky wrote on Oct 2^nd, 2008 at 7:44pm:

Update: It'll be 3 weeks tomorrow since I started and am continuing to take the formula and not one CH yet. Unbelievable! More to follow in another week or so. Regards, Rocky

Great news, Rocky - Thanks for the update!

Please keep posting your progress.  Let us know how long you decide to stay on it, and how it goes for you when you stop!

Best regards,
Jim

I quit using the full mix - been leaving out the magnesium and skullcap so I'll have to wait till next time to give accurate feedback.

My cycle is almost gone with 1 hit every other night so I'm not gonna mess with it - like walking on pins and needles at this point. I can say that this has been the lightest cycle I've ever had and hopefully the shortest.

Good Luck!

JOHN

Indestructible wrote on Oct 4^th, 2008 at 7:09pm:

I quit using the full mix - been leaving out the magnesium and skullcap so I'll have to wait till next time to give accurate feedback. My cycle is almost gone with 1 hit every other night so I'm not gonna mess with it...  I can say that this has been the lightest cycle I've ever had and hopefully the shortest. Good Luck! JOHN

OK John!

Thanks for the feedback!  Glad it's helped some.  Any particular reason you started leaving the mag and the skullcap out?

It sounded like you were pretty heavy into cycle when you started it (?)  Maybe an earlier start next time will help.  Thanks again, and stay in touch!

Regards,
Jim

I tool each individual dose with an hour inbetween to see how I felt. The magnesium always caused me to start shadowing. I felt the skullcap was making it harder to wake up with the night hits, in turn making them harder to get rid of.

JOHN

I quit my verapamil two days ago and decided to try the mix.  I hate the way the verap makes me feel.   Just took my first tonight. Wish me luck.
Hope it works.

Malcom

Good luck thoughts are heading your way! We're rooting for you!! Please keep us updated. We can't wait for another success story.
Cyndi and Lorne

I wish I could post another succuss story....  but, it was a disaster.  I took everything at around 10:00.  I got hit at 11:30,  2:00, 4:00 and 6:30.  Just hoping that I don't get another.  I'm not sure what caused all the hits.   In the past when I have quit the Verapmil, I usually get only one night sleeping hit.   I very rarely get hits as early as 6:30 in the morning.  I tend to only get hit from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm, with one that wakes me after sleep.  Also, This is the first time that I have tried melatonin.  I do not like to take any kind of sleep aid, but I thought that since the formula was working for so many folks, I would give it a try. I am also detoxing for a cluster buster treatment(hope it works), but I am now back to square one because of the imitrex last night.  Glad to hear that it has worked for so many folks, just not me.   The vitamins only cost 50 bucks, so it was worth a try considering imitrex is running me 80 bucks a shot.  

Regards,

Malcom    

hayduke wrote on Sep 26^th, 2008 at 5:36am:

One of the widely reported side effects of large doses of melatonin is headaches.

Yes, this is true.  But they are very mild HA's that can be cured with a large cup of coffee.

MPMIII wrote on Oct 8^th, 2008 at 9:17am:

I wish I could post another succuss story....  but, it was a disaster.  I took everything at around 10:00.  I got hit at 11:30,  2:00, 4:00 and 6:30... ...I thought that since the formula was working for so many folks, I would give it a try... ...I am now back to square one because of the imitrex last night.  Glad to hear that it has worked for so many folks, just not me. Malcom

Malcom,

You took ONE dose of the mix last night and it didn't work, so you gave up???

Good Lord, man!  A couple of people have had dazzling overnight success with it, but for most (including me), it has taken from 2 or 3 days to a week or more on the regimen to kill a cycle.  Then you need to go a week or two longer to be sure it's gone for good.  Give it a chance to work!

It also seems that, similar to some people's experience with Clusterbusters, the Beast sometimes wants to unload on you real hard a last time or two before he's beaten!  :o

Don't give up!

Regards,
Jim

Hi all,

I bought all the ingredients and I am going to start today.  I am excited!  I will keep you all posted.  I usually get at least two headaches a day.

~ Michele in Georgia

P.S. who all smokes in the group?  

Jim,

It's not that I am giving up. I believe that, based on my usual hits, the mix had an adverse effect on me.  For the last year and half my hits have been very consistent, almost like clockwork.   The only thing that I changed last night was to try the mix, so I have to attribute the increase in hits to the mix.  Has anyone had an increase in hits after trying the mix?  If it has been common to have an increase followed by a decrease in hits I will try it again for a sustained amount of time.   Any thoughts?

Regards,

Malcom  

Hi all.

Glad to hear of painless days.

The herbs mentioned here kilowatt, are not really anything new in clusterheads pursuits of relief.
Possibly the combined herbs as mentioned here have value beyond just Kudzu extracts and melatonin. Much ado has been made of these 2 items over recent years and many have found them to be a wonderfull addition to their tool chest. I dont discount there value to some.

After 107 postings on this thread only 3 say the results are good in removing CH. (wich is better than none)
2 people have said that an initial lessening of symptoms occured only to return. This happens for many C heads any time meds are changed up.

I and I'm sure others would like to see a description of the headaches, frequencies, intensities, how long the cycle etc.. This could help to provide a better understanding as to the benefit of your methods vs. because I stuck a bunch of stuff together and now I dont have a headache

It is not uncommon for a suspected cycle to begin and then vanish for some.
I am not discounting anything though its curious that all of you showed up at the same time. It is cause for thought. (no I'm not running for president)

I would hope that soon a known long timer would be able and willing to test this out. I would be willing were I sufferering.

I truly hope you have found something that will benefit many. If only one is helped though its worth it.

Sincerely

MJ wrote on Oct 8^th, 2008 at 10:19pm:

Hi all. It is not uncommon for a suspected cycle to begin and then vanish for some. I am not discounting anything though its curious that all of you showed up at the same time. It is cause for thought. (no I'm not running for president)

Out of almost 36 years of CH, Lorne has never started a cycle that 'vanished' until now. Uncommon or not.....who knows since only one of his doctors has ever had another cluster patient.  He's always been episodic with 9-10 week cycles. The only treatment that ever helped was a prednisone/ergomar/valium combo taken in  high dosages before tapering down. By the 3rd day taper the CHs would be back full force and the doc would start him on another round. After a few long cycles of this, his BP started skyrocketing and the combo had to be discontinued. The doc did keep him on valium, which was of no use whatsoever and I ended up taking it to calm MY nerves during Lorne's cycle. Oxygen did not help much, nor did Verapamil, Stadol, Imitrex or Maxalt. This has been an absolute miracle, coincidence or not, and right now we're counting 5 clusterheads total that have had success. I don't know what the above comment about us 'showing up at the same time' is supposed to mean and I hope I'm not taking it the wrong way. We are so happy to have found Kilowatt's post and hope that others continue to share their stories - with good results and the not so good results. That's why we're here - to find some kind of relief and share our experiences. Right?
Cyndi

Glad those helped and thank God for the combined knowledge of cluserheads brought to these boards.  Kudzu, Melatonin, Magnesium have been advocated here for years.  The initial excitement of kudzu seems to have died off, a few years back that's all people could talk about.   Now it's seeds.  After trying those, which actually helped in that I could catch almost every hit with O2- but did not kill my cycle, and then a miserable three days of pred-  I combined kudzu, magnesium/calcium and nightly melatonin with B2 and some taurine at bedtime.  Things have gone well.  Cycle seems to be over after 3.5 weeks.  Hopefully there won't be another for a while.    

Hi all,

I am here to announce another succes story.  I took all the herbs last night and no headaches.  I always have one at night.   I will keep taking them and update again on Monday.  I'm excited.  Wooo Hooo!

Michele

MJ wrote on Oct 8^th, 2008 at 10:19pm:

The herbs mentioned here kilowatt, are not really anything new in clusterheads pursuits of relief. Possibly the combined herbs as mentioned here have value beyond just Kudzu extracts and melatonin.

MJ,

Thank you for contributing to the discussion.

I do not claim that the herbs & supplements are anything new.  If you read my posts on the topic, you would see that most of the ingredients are included precisely BECAUSE I read that they have proven helpful to others.  I do believe that the particular combination I'm using, along with the dosing schedule, has been extraordinarily effective.  


Quote:

Much ado has been made of these 2 items over recent years and many have found them to be a wonderfull addition to their tool chest. I dont discount there [sic] value to some.

I'm glad you don't discount their value to some - I'm quite sure that those who have been helped by them don't discount them, either.


Quote:

After 107 postings on this thread only 3 say the results are good in removing CH. (wich [sic] is better than none) 2 people have said that an initial lessening of symptoms occured only to return. This happens for many C heads any time meds are changed up.

I don't know what significance the number of postings is supposed to have, since most of them have nothing whatsoever to do with the mix.  There's also some pertinent info in postings on a couple of other threads, as well as my PM and e-mail mailboxes.

I am now aware of nine people who have tried it.  Of these:

5 reported that their cycles were completely broken.  Most within a week; all within 12 days.

2 others reported that the mix helped them significantly.  One saying he had the "lightest and hopefully shortest" cycle ever.  The other said he's staying on it because it "dampens the pain and lessens the amount of CH's."

Of the other two, one tried it once, had a bad night, and quit.
The other reports that after a couple of days, it has cut her number of attacks in half.  It's too early to tell the ultimate outcome for her.


Quote:

I and I'm sure others would like to see a description of the headaches, frequencies, intensities, how long the cycle etc.. This could help to provide a better understanding as to the benefit of your methods vs. because I stuck a bunch of stuff together and now I dont have a headache

I am trying to post as much of value here as I can, but I don't have a whole lot of free time.  I am also trying to encourage the others to post their stories, but many just don't choose to.  I would like to post a much more exhaustive analysis of data pertaining to the mix, but I'm not able to, yet.  Besides, frankly, "I stuck a bunch of stuff together and now I don't have a headache" works fine for me, actually.  ;D


Quote:

It is not uncommon for a suspected cycle to begin and then vanish for some.

It's damned uncommon for me, and none of the other eight folks ever said they'd had it happen, either.

Quote:

I am not discounting anything though its curious that all of you showed up at the same time. It is cause for thought. (no I'm not running for president)

Your innuendo is uncalled for, and it's offensive.  It's also untrue.  While several of the active posters on the thread are brand new, I "showed up" a year ago.  TJ's been a member since early 2006, and Rocky's been around since 2004.

Quote:

I would hope that soon a known long timer would be able and willing to test this out. I would be willing were I sufferering.

I would hope so, too.  I think that John (thebbz) will give it an objective try if he's heading back into cycle (which it sounds like), and George has said he plans to try it next time around, although he does not anticipate a cycle until springtime.  The majority of the "long timers", though, seem content to take their Verapamil, stick themselves with Imitrex, and suck on oxygen.  Hey, whatever works - but I prefer my way.

Quote:

I truly hope you have found something that will benefit many. If only one is helped though its worth it.

I have, and it is.

Regards,
Jim

Hey All,

I started my mix last Thursday night.  I wenmt HA free that evening but had one headache each night on Saturday and Sunday.  I didn't have another HA till last night around 2:30 a.m.  I definitely know this mix of herbs has lessened my headaches because I usually always get 2 a day.  I keep hoping they will stop my cycle because this has been a longer than usual cycle.  I am pretty drained from it.  I am glad to report improvement though.

~ Michele

Quote:

I would hope so, too.  I think that John (thebbz) will give it an objective try if he's heading back into cycle (which it sounds like), and George has said he plans to try it next time around, although he does not anticipate a cycle until springtime.  The majority of the "long timers", though, seem content to take their Verapamil, stick themselves with Imitrex, and suck on oxygen.  Hey, whatever works - but I prefer my way.

 I got the ingredients the other day. Last night and the night before was a biotch. Still nothing above a 5. Caffeine in the day and 02 at night. I took 3 days to detox from the RC seeds.Yesterday was the first dose, exactly as described. Nothing yet. Most responses indicate quick results, so I intend on doing this for a week, unless all hell breaks loose. In which case I will do push-ups ;)
 I really wanted to try this as I am already detoxed and the body metabolizes these things quickly. I think that this will be like all the rest, works for some but not others. We shall see. Another beater in the tool box.
This CH thing really sucks. One step ahead of the demon. Considering all things, the alternatives and perhaps this as well ,will be better than the intense and crippling episodes of the past. The pharmacuticals are as bad as the CH in my opinion. I still have them ready though, any port in a storm. :-/
I'm still a big alternative believer. There's a reason I'm not having anything above a 5....02,02,02
the bb

Michele wrote on Oct 15^th, 2008 at 1:43pm:

I started my mix last Thursday night.  I went HA free that evening but had one headache each night on Saturday and Sunday.  I didn't have another HA till last night around 2:30 a.m.  I definitely know this mix of herbs has lessened my headaches because I usually always get 2 a day.  I keep hoping they will stop my cycle because this has been a longer than usual cycle.  I am pretty drained from it.  I am glad to report improvement though.

Hi Michele!

Great to hear that it's helping!  Hopefully, your cycle will be broken completely within another couple of days.  Please keep posting to let us know how it's going!   ;)

Best regards,
Jim

wrote on Oct 15^th, 2008 at 1:49pm:

I got the ingredients the other day. Last night and the night before was a biotch. Still nothing above a 5... Yesterday was the first dose, exactly as described. Nothing yet. Most responses indicate quick results, so I intend on doing this for a week, unless all hell breaks loose. In which case I will do push-ups ;) I think that this will be like all the rest, works for some but not others. We shall see. Another beater in the tool box.

Hello John,

It sounded like you were headed back into cycle, but I wasn't really sure if you'd actually been hit yet.  Guess you answered that!  :-/

Hope you'll have good luck with the combo.  I appreciate you're trying it out with an open mind.  I'm sure you're right about "works for some but not others", but so far we've got a very good "Some" to "Others" ratio!  Best of luck, and please stay in touch!

Regards,
Jim

I have suffered for 5 years starting early October until mid to late December with K9's or 10's nightly (only one a day for 2-3 hours. I have seen the best nuro's and doctors and have been a guinee pig for most of them. I started Kilowatt 3's fantastic herbal mix last Friday and my 9's or 10's  have dropped to 4's or 5's and they last for less than an hour. Last night I had no headache at all (first time I missed a day in a cycle). I will continue to take the mix for the next few weeks and will see what happens. Kilowatt3 God Bless You for posting the information.

gsockrider wrote on Oct 15^th, 2008 at 5:59pm:

I started Kilowatt 3's fantastic herbal mix last Friday and my 9's or 10's  have dropped to 4's or 5's and they last for less than an hour. Last night I had no headache at all (first time I missed a day in a cycle). I will continue to take the mix for the next few weeks and will see what happens. Kilowatt3 God Bless You for posting the information.

Hello Guy!

Hadn't heard from you in a while, so I wasn't sure if you had tried the mix.  Great to hear that you did, and it's helping!  I bet you'll have the Beast whipped in another few days  8-).
Please stay in touch and keep posting to let us know how you're doing!

All the best,
Jim

Two nights in a row!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No CH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What else can I say, it seems to be working

Another headache free night last night, happy to report. Woo hoo.....feel like a new person when I get to sleep all night!

Will keep reporting.

Michele

Quote:

To what do you attribute your 3 years PF?  Just the RC seeds, the seeds and shrooms, or was there anything additional?  Just curious - I am open to anything that will help us build up our arsenal against the Beast!

Yep, seed and shrooms. Shrooms to break an episode with seeds as a follow up and prevent. I figure I missed out on 5 episodes. What a bummer huh. I havent had a shadow stick around more than a day up until last month. Three years since the start of my last episode in 05. I finally beat it in March 06. Seeds shrooms 02 and caffeine. I just refilled the 02 a few weeks ago.

Started your combo yesterday. Huffed 02 till 3:00am, I think the melatonin is a trigger for me. I know it is alone. If it gets worse I wont take it more than a couple of days. I am one groggy dude. We'll see how tonight works out. Shit my bag just broke on my clustermask..gotta go
thebb

wrote on Oct 16^th, 2008 at 7:40pm:

Started your combo yesterday. Huffed 02 till 3:00am, I think the melatonin is a trigger for me. I know it is alone. If it gets worse I wont take it more than a couple of days. I am one groggy dude. We'll see how tonight works out... thebb

John,

Uh-oh!

Sounded like the melatonin might have been an issue for Malcom, too.  Maybe you guys should leave the melatonin out, or at least back off of it a little (or a lot!).  Couldn't help but notice, too, that TJ has had limited success, and he's taking a massive 27 mg. daily dose of melatonin.  May be some connection there (?).

I've been questioning whether the 10 mg. might be way more than necessary, particularly after reading one study where they found that the optimal melatonin dosage (for helping with sleep) is 0.3 mg., and that larger doses are actually less effective.  I can't cite the specifics of the survey, 'cause I don't recall exactly where I saw it, but I do remember that it was a reputable source.  Dunno if the mechanism whereby melatonin helps us sleep is the same one that helps with CH, but if so, less may be better (?).

Anyway, hope you'll be able to stay with the program, but couldn't blame you if you didn't.  Thanks for the update.

Good luck, and stay in touch!

Regards,
Jim

Hey,

   I came to this thread on advice of others. Good advice it was I must say. BTW I do most of me reading at work, so sometimes it's hard for me read too deeply.

 I am trying something else right now but am interested in the remedies mentioned here. In case, this other thing don't work out.

Please forgive my ignorance.... what are RC seeds?

Also tried Shrooms once, but had no effect.... Nothing.... Could this be 'cause I was only 1 week off of Topamax at the time?

It looks like some have had good results with shrooms. Anyone out there have no or bad results?

PFDs to All

Jim

shelticon2 wrote on Oct 17^th, 2008 at 2:05pm:

Please forgive my ignorance.... what are RC seeds?

Hi Jim,

RC seeds are Rivea Corymbosa - a wild morning glory.  Also known as Ololuiqui (sp?) to the Indians in Central & South America.  They contain Lysergic Acid Amide; a milder relative of LSD.  A lot of folks have reported good success with RC seeds as a preventative, and others have said it works as an abortive, too.  Personally, I've kind of avoided them for a couple of reasons, but mostly legal.  They're legal to possess, but not to swallow!  :-?

RC grows wild all over the place around here in Southwest Louisiana and East Texas.

Regards,
Jim

3 more days w/o a cluster. I am so glad to find relief, I think it cut my usual cycle short. If you havn't tried it give it a chance. It worked for me!

hey Jim,
I had to give up the treatment. That doesn't mean anything but it didn't work for me. I'm going with the shrooms and seeds again, after a few days detox. (I can do this only because of caffeine and 02.)
I do think it was the melatonin. I may try it again in the future without it. I haven't taken it at that high of dose either. Most I had tried in the past was 6mg daily. 02 is fast becoming my savior this time around. I refuse to use pharaceuticals and would only consider them a last resort.


onward through the fog
thebb

gsockrider wrote on Oct 19^th, 2008 at 4:14pm:

3 more days w/o a cluster. I am so glad to find relief, I think it cut my usual cycle short. If you havn't tried it give it a chance. It worked for me!

Hi Guy!

Great to hear you're doing well!  Suggest you keep at it for a few more days, just to be sure.  Stay in touch!

Regards,
Jim

This is my 4th week PF on Jim's formula-now I'm just letting the pills run out to see what happens. So far so good. Rocky

rocky wrote on Oct 21^st, 2008 at 8:11pm:

This is my 4th week PF on Jim's formula-now I'm just letting the pills run out to see what happens. So far so good. Rocky

Hiya Rocky!

Great to hear that it's continued to work for you!  Hope you'll keep dropping by now & then to let us know how you're doing.

Very best regards,
Jim

wrote on Oct 19^th, 2008 at 5:36pm:

I had to give up the treatment. That doesn't mean anything but it didn't work for me... I do think it was the melatonin. I may try it again in the future without it. I haven't taken it at that high of dose either. Most I had tried in the past was 6mg daily. 02 is fast becoming my savior this time around. I refuse to use pharaceuticals and would only consider them a last resort.

John,

Sorry it didn't work out for you.

One of the references I found about melatonin was from "Chronobiology International":
Large doses of melatonin can even be counterproductive: Lewy et al provide support to the "idea that too much melatonin may spill over onto the wrong zone of the melatonin phase-response curve" (PRC). In one of their subjects, 0.5 mg of melatonin was effective while 20 mg was not.

So, with less melatonin, maybe it'll work better for you next time.  GL with the seeds & 'shrooms!

Regards,
Jim

Hey all,

Just wanted to post that I am still ch free since 10/15/08.  I did have 2 headaches, one on Saturday night and one on Sunday.  They felt like a massive hangover headache.  Has anyone experienced that?  Still better than the ch's.

Also, I am glad to read of more people it has helped.  I do believe it cut my down, then stopped them.  

~ Michele

Michele wrote on Oct 22^nd, 2008 at 9:41am:

Just wanted to post that I am still ch free since 10/15/08.  I did have 2 headaches, one on Saturday night and one on Sunday.  They felt like a massive hangover headache.  Has anyone experienced that?  Still better than the ch's. Also, I am glad to read of more people it has helped.  I do believe it cut my down, then stopped them.

Hi Michele!

Great news on your PF status!  Thanks for the success story.

As for the hangover-like headache, the only time I've noticed that is following the "beer test" at the end of a cycle.  There have been a few occaisions when, once I've determined that my first beer did not trigger a HA, I have commenced a very exhaustive "beer test" just to be sure my cycle was really over - It's important to be very thorough about these things!   ;)

I may have noticed a strange, hangover-like headache the next morning, but I have absolutely no idea what could have caused it! ::)

Congrats on your success, and please stay in touch!

Regards,
Jim

Kilowatt3 wrote on Oct 22^nd, 2008 at 11:04am:

[quote author=41656F646960695E6969680C0 link=1218597861/131#131 date=1224682912] I may have noticed a strange, hangover-like headache the next morning, but I have absolutely no idea what could have caused it! ::)

More than likely it is the melatonin.  But like I said earlier, it can be knocked out with a strong cup of coffee.

I am not sure if it was the melatonin but it couldn't be cured with caffeine of any sort.  I tried many things but finally took a shot of imitrex and it killed it.  

Agostino,

Thanks for joining the discussion!  It looks like you've attributed a comment of mine to Michele:

Agostino Leyre wrote on Oct 22^nd, 2008 at 11:54am:

Michele wrote on Oct 22nd, 2008 at 9:41am: I may have noticed a strange, hangover-like headache the next morning, but I have absolutely no idea what could have caused it! ::) More than likely it is the melatonin.  But like I said earlier, it can be knocked out with a strong cup of coffee.

If you read my comment in it's entirety:

Quote:

As for the hangover-like headache, the only time I've noticed that is following the "beer test" at the end of a cycle.  There have been a few occasions when, once I've determined that my first beer did not trigger a HA, I have commenced a very exhaustive "beer test" just to be sure my cycle was really over - It's important to be very thorough about these things!  ;) I may have noticed a strange, hangover-like headache the next morning, but I have absolutely no idea what could have caused it!  ::)

...it should become fairly obvious that it probably wasn't the melatonin!  ;D

Regards,
Jim

Hi, :)
I am a 'limey' with (diagnosed but not 'classic') CH and have not visited the site for some time. It would appear that the 'herb cocktail' that Kilowatt3 has found has something to offer. Has anyone thought of going into business and offering the cocktail in it's mixed form to fellow CH sufferers?  -  if nothing else it would certainly increase the sample size when evidence is being collected about it's efficacy.
JoeKen.

JoeKen wrote on Oct 26^th, 2008 at 4:22pm:

It would appear that the 'herb cocktail' that Kilowatt3 has found has something to offer. Has anyone thought of going into business and offering the cocktail in it's mixed form to fellow CH sufferers?  -  if nothing else it would certainly increase the sample size when evidence is being collected about it's efficacy.

Sure, I thought about it - for about a millisecond - then decided I'm just not going there.  I have no financial interest in pushing the regimen - I would just like to see people avail themselves of the opportunity to try it, since it has worked wonders for me and many others.

Besides, it seems most clusterheads are just too damn stubborn to try it!  :-/
Their loss is no one's gain, except GlaxoSmithKline (Imitrex), Ortho-McNeil-Janssen (Topamax) and whoever's making their Verapamil!

Plus, some seem to like walking around looking like Mike Nelson!  <--- Obscure reference to old TV show.  ;D

OK - Got my asbestos undies on - ready for flames...

Regards,
Jim

Quote:

OK - Got my asbestos undies on - ready for flames...

;D ;D ;D
Give em hell Jim
all the best
thebb

Just another update:
I am still CH free.  I am also off the herb mix and no headaches.  It feels so good to feel normal.  Just have a lot of bills from the damn imitrex.  Next time I won't be feeding them my money I will be ready with my herb mix.  Thank you so much Kilowatt3.  I may still be suffering if it weren't for you posting that and for Jean who emailed me and told me to look at the post.  Cheers!  May you all stay CH free.  

~ Michele    

Michele wrote on Oct 30^th, 2008 at 1:54pm:

I am still CH free.  I am also off the herb mix and no headaches.  It feels so good to feel normal.  Just have a lot of bills from the damn imitrex.  Next time I won't be feeding them my money I will be ready with my herb mix.  Thank you so much Kilowatt3.  I may still be suffering if it weren't for you posting that and for Jean who emailed me and told me to look at the post.  Cheers!  May you all stay CH free. ~ Michele

Woo Hoo! We Have Another Winner!!!

Great to hear that your cycle's broken!  Don't forget to thank Cyndi, too - She's done a lot to keep the discussion alive  ;)

Very best regards,
Jim

You're right Kilowatt.  Thank you too Cindy.  I so appreciate you all.  This sight really is full of caring people.

~ Michele

I finally got me some skullcap and tried it.

So far I haven't noticed a difference, it's only been one day. Anyone know how long at max I should have to wait to see results?

I had to show my family in my Grandpa's herb books that no, it was not dangerous, and was used for neuralgia / nerve pain, works in the spinal cord, and in the brain as a sedative. It's also supposed to release endorpines / act as an opiate to a certain extent.

I have some liquid of it, I took 30-40 drops as the bottle reccomended, but I'm not quite sure if that was enough. Unlike the melatonin, I did go to sleep pretty easily after taking this... I'll have to get the Kudzu, and other things seperately. No St.John's wort for me. Magnesium tends to screw me up, so I'll have to see about that one... But I have to try things one at a time, wait up to a week to make sure I don't have an allergic reaction to it. So it's okay that I don't have it all right now. XD

Mystina

Pixie-elf wrote on Dec 11^th, 2008 at 5:11am:

I finally got me some skullcap and tried it. So far I haven't noticed a difference, it's only been one day. Anyone know how long at max I should have to wait to see results?... But I have to try things one at a time, wait up to a week to make sure I don't have an allergic reaction to it. So it's okay that I don't have it all right now.

Hi Mystina,

I have no idea what to expect taking the skullcap by itself, since I tend to believe that there's a lot of synergy between the different components of the mix.  A couple of folks did seem to think that the skullcap was an important ingredient, so maybe it'll have some benefit as a "stand-alone".  Even if it doesn't, once you've established that you're not having any negative reaction to it, maybe you'll want to keep on it as you try out the other ingredients.

As for magnesium screwing you up - It's an essential nutrient, so you've GOT to get a certain amount of it.  There's definitely some interaction, though, between uptake of magnesium and calcium, so you might want to take a combined supplement.

Good luck!  Keep posting so we'll know how things work out.

Regards,
Jim

Kilowatt3 wrote on Dec 12^th, 2008 at 9:05am:

Pixie-elf wrote on Dec 11th, 2008 at 5:11am: I finally got me some skullcap and tried it. So far I haven't noticed a difference, it's only been one day. Anyone know how long at max I should have to wait to see results?... But I have to try things one at a time, wait up to a week to make sure I don't have an allergic reaction to it. So it's okay that I don't have it all right now. Hi Mystina, I have no idea what to expect taking the skullcap by itself, since I tend to believe that there's a lot of synergy between the different components of the mix.  A couple of folks did seem to think that the skullcap was an important ingredient, so maybe it'll have some benefit as a "stand-alone".  Even if it doesn't, once you've established that you're not having any negative reaction to it, maybe you'll want to keep on it as you try out the other ingredients. As for magnesium screwing you up - It's an essential nutrient, so you've GOT to get a certain amount of it.  There's definitely some interaction, though, between uptake of magnesium and calcium, so you might want to take a combined supplement. Good luck!  Keep posting so we'll know how things work out. Regards, Jim

Well, I messed up a wee bit..

A night or two ago, I missed a dose of skullcap. I was very tired, and  didn't feel up to getting out of bed to get it...so I figured it'd be okay.

WRONG. Oh so very wrong.

I woke up with a godawful shadow, and had a cluster a little while later. I was confused because that hadn't happened lately... I've been right on time usually, and normally not that early.

Then I realized what it was. I forgot my skullcap.

Back to normal now. So I'm taking melatonin, skullcap, and going to get some magnesium when I can to add to it. Skullcap definately made a difference. (We've been short on money, so, I had to wait a little.)

Well, the reason I say what I did about the magnesium, is I know at one point I had problems with it. I've gotten to where I'm not suprised at anything my screwed up body does!

Mystina

Hi Mystina!

Glad to hear from you.  Fill us in a little - Have you been PF for a while with the skullcap & melatonin?  Sounds like you were having some success for a while, at least (?).

Looks like a good datum on the skullcap.  I know Lorne was convinced it made a big difference for him, and maybe it does for you, too.

Please keep posting with your progress.  It'll be interesting to see how it goes when you add kudzu to your mix.  I'll be crossing fingers & praying for your success!  ;)

Regards,
Jim

Kilowatt3 wrote on Dec 21^st, 2008 at 12:02pm:

Hi Mystina! Glad to hear from you.  Fill us in a little - Have you been PF for a while with the skullcap & melatonin?  Sounds like you were having some success for a while, at least (?). Looks like a good datum on the skullcap.  I know Lorne was convinced it made a big difference for him, and maybe it does for you, too. Please keep posting with your progress.  It'll be interesting to see how it goes when you add kudzu to your mix.  I'll be crossing fingers & praying for your success!  ;) Regards, Jim

Well, I think it helped knock the number of hits down. We recently upped one medicine, which sent me from 4 hits a day, to 3. After the skullcap, it went down to 2 per day, unless I'd come in contact with a trigger. I also wasn't waking up with a shadow after I started it. (I'd gotten used to just waking up with a shadow, or having one most of the time at least.)

So, I'm still having them, and wasn't sure which it was, if it was the skullcap and melatonin or the increase in medication.

Either way, going without it for just one night made me go back to 3 hits per day. I woke up with a shadow, and a cluster a short while later. I realized I hadn't taken the skullcap. I'd taken the melatonin, because it's just a pill, so it's easy to take it with all of my other meds.

The skullcap is a tincture, so... I have to mix it in water. Well, I'd already laid down, and was almost asleep so I said screw it. That was my mistake.

I tried taking it right then, since I remembered. I don't think it really prevented any of the ones during the day. Though I might try some during my next hit to see if it makes it go any easier.

It's so nice to wake up WITHOUT a shadow. I'm not taking it for granted one bit! It'll have to be after the 24th that I get the magnesium, and the Kudzu will have to be when my Grandpa's back/hip is better and I'm up to shopping. :)

Mystina

Anybody using the "Kilowatt Kure" also suffer from migraines after/during a cycle?

I think the CH is over, but it's left me with super-ugly-nauseous-migraines-from-hell; I'm wondering if taking the mix might help with that, too.  (I hadn't tried it for the CH.) Any thoughts?

P.S. I'll put on the asbestos underwear too, for saying "cure", heehee.. but I thought it was too cute not to say!!  ;D

UnderTheRadar wrote on Dec 21^st, 2008 at 5:23pm:

Anybody using the "Kilowatt Kure" also suffer from migraines after/during a cycle?... P.S. I'll put on the asbestos underwear too, for saying "cure", heehee.. but I thought it was too cute not to say!!  ;D

Hi Paige,

Nope, never heard anything from anyone trying it for migraines.  If you do, and have any luck, pass it along!

Hopefully, your spelling with the 'K' will at least partially protect you from the wrath of the Semantics Police!  ;)

Best regards & good luck!
Jim

First, I tried the skullcap during an attack. I didn't notice a difference either way, so I'm thinking that it's more for prophylaxis than anything.

I've got complicated migraines (the kind where triptans will kill you.) and I'm only on the Skullcap and Melatonin.

I've taken my fiorinal, but, right now, am still suffering with part of it.

The skullcap may work due to the fact it effects the brain, and spine specifically. Every herb book I have has mentioned 'nervous headaches' and 'neuraligia pain' for the skullcap. I don't know about for Migraines on it.

I haven't noticed a difference with the mix, but the skullcap and melatonin might be good to help you get to sleep during one.  What my neuro's reccomended was adding b12 to what I was taking but hell, the energy drinks I drink have so many B vitamins in them, I think I'd be overdosing just a tad. XD

Also, the energy drinks do help with migraines too. I used them for that for YEARS before I had clusters. My bladder doesn't always thank me, but if you can get one in you during the aura phase. (if you even have any. I get them sometimes, sometimes I don't.) The only other natural 'remedy' I know of is Feverfew, but you have to be careful. It can cause gastric problems if used constantly for a while.

I'll look around and see if I can find anything else. God knows, my family has tried a LOT of things to try to help me... Ginger tea is supposed to be good for nausea, but I have a condition that contradicts ginger specifically. XD So you may consider that for the nausea.

Mystina

Got my Kudzu, Mom picked it up for me, last bottle the health food store had too!

Magnesium/Calcium/Zinc supplement didn't change anything. I'll report back on if this helps or not, now that I've got everything together.

I also realized I may not be taking enough Skullcap. I'm taking a Tincture. 40 drops at bedtime. So I'm not really sure if that's near enough...

Ya know, I just can't do those energy drinks...just the SMELL of 'em makes me want to barf.  It actually triggers a migraine for me.  :P

UnderTheRadar wrote on Dec 31^st, 2008 at 7:19pm:

Ya know, I just can't do those energy drinks...just the SMELL of 'em makes me want to barf.  It actually triggers a migraine for me.  :P

Well, they do have some that taste good. Jolt has a cola flavor (that actually tastes like cola. No way to tell it's an energy drink) Full throttle Fury is kinda a orangey drink. (It's in the red can.)

Can anyone tell me if this recipe requires magnesium citrate or magnesium oxide?

Heather wrote on Dec 31^st, 2008 at 8:45pm:

Can anyone tell me if this recipe requires magnesium citrate or magnesium oxide?

I'm betting it's the magnesium that's sold in capsules.

If it was citrate, I'd be SOL. That causes me to break out in hives for some ungodly reason. (They have NO idea why. They don't even bother to try to figure it out. Probably for the same reason that Chihuahua's will cause my throat to close up, whereas other breeds don't irritate my allergies at all.) If it was citrate, it'd also be in ML or OZ I'm guessing.

That and...citrate tends to make you have violent diarreah from my experience with it. (I'm recovering for a migraine and nearly said PROJECTILE diarreah) It's a strong laxative, if we had to take it daily, it'd dehydrate us FAR too much.

Heather wrote on Dec 31^st, 2008 at 8:45pm:

Can anyone tell me if this recipe requires magnesium citrate or magnesium oxide?

Hi Heather,

The supplements I have used contain magnesium oxide.  The first was magnesium oxide only, then I started using a magnesium/calcium/zinc combination like Mystina mentioned.  It also contained Mg oxide.  Magnesium citrate would probably work, but like Mystina mentioned, it is a very powerful laxative!  It's the stuff they use to clear you out prior to a colonoscopy or intestinal surgery.

To date, I have had 100% success with the 'original' mix, so I haven't been inclined to experiment much!  ;)

Regards,
Jim

Mystina- I think it's the aspartame or whatever artificial sweetener they have in them- it "burns" my sinuses the same way strong perfumes and chemicals do...and I just read last night that aspartame is a migraine trigger!  :D  But it might be the herbal ingredients doing it... it's something that those drinks all have in common, and I swear that even if my man drinks a red bull and breathes next to me it makes me sick!!  ;D

UnderTheRadar wrote on Jan 1^st, 2009 at 12:28pm:

Mystina- I think it's the aspartame or whatever artificial sweetener they have in them- it "burns" my sinuses the same way strong perfumes and chemicals do...and I just read last night that aspartame is a migraine trigger!  :D  But it might be the herbal ingredients doing it... it's something that those drinks all have in common, and I swear that even if my man drinks a red bull and breathes next to me it makes me sick!!  ;D

I don't think Jolt HAS aspartme in it... :XD I don't drink anything with it in it, if at all possible. It's only their diet version that has it, I'd imagine.

There's a high chance it is the herbal ingredients. I can't STAND red bull. Monster is just very, very sweet so that might overpower you.

Full throttle fury lists sucrose on the site, dunno about the other ingredients.

Another option though, is get some jolt energy gum. 2 pieces = caffiene of 1 cup of coffee, and it has taurtine in it, too. That might not help with your nausea though... I always find my mouth watering makes it worse!

Unfortunately, I'm back.  I just had my second headache in what appears to be a new cluster, after a year and half of being pain free.  The ONLY thing stopping me from panicking is knowing that this thread is here with Kilowatt3's herbal mixture.  I will be starting it immediately this morning and will report back on my results, but it knocked out the cluster last time and I fully expect it to now.

To Kilowatt3 and the owners of this board... I can't tell you how much it means to me that you are here. I haven't been participating much since my last cluster, but if you weren't here I'm not sure what I would do.  Thank you so much!

-jk

hayduke wrote on Dec 31^st, 2009 at 4:10am:

Unfortunately, I'm back. -jk

Hi Josh!

Bummer that the HA's are back, but you know what to do!  ;)

I'm at about 3-1/2 years pf now with the mix, so I'm pretty convinced it works!

Keep us posted!

Best regards,
Jim

Jim-

Thanks, I definitely know what to do.  A bit of a panic today when I went to open my bottle of kudzu that I had from a year and a half ago and found it empty! Not sure how that happened, but I went to Whole Foods and they didn't have any in pill form.  But they did have Kuzu Root Starch, which is used as a food starch.  Kuzu is the Japanese name for Kudzu, it turns out.  I conferred with the Internet and the homeopathy person that happened to be there, and we think it will have the same effect.  There's no way to do an accurate dosage as low as 1000 mg, since a tablespoon of the stuff is 9 grams and it comes in granules!  But everyone seemed to agree that more was not a bad thing.  I'll let you know how it goes, since the other natural foods stores don't open again until Monday.

-josh

hayduke wrote on Jan 1^st, 2010 at 1:03am:

...I went to Whole Foods and they didn't have any in pill form.  But they did have Kuzu Root Starch, which is used as a food starch.  Kuzu is the Japanese name for Kudzu... There's no way to do an accurate dosage as low as 1000 mg, since a tablespoon of the stuff is 9 grams and it comes in granules!

Well, if a tablespoon is 9 grams, then 1/3 teaspoon would be 1000mg.  Heck, just round it up to 1/2 teaspoon and you oughtta be covered!  In traditional Chinese medicine, a typical daily dose is 10-15 grams, so we're still talking a pretty low dose.

Good luck, and stay in touch!

Regards,
Jim

I just had my third morning dose of this herbal mix and I'm not seeing much of a change. I'm still getting hit twice a day, around 1am and 8am and have taken 6 shots of Imitrex so far.  I don't have Oxygen yet at home and can't get any over the holidays, and luckily I've been stockpiling the Imitrex for a while. 

I will say that the pain level has been going down a bit per episode, which I'm hopeful is a sign that the herbal mix is starting to take effect.  Not to do the whining kid thing, but how long should I expect it to take to knock out this cluster (ie: are we there yet)?

-josh

I just woke up from my SECOND pain free night!! Jim, you are a hero in my family!  I have slept more in the past two nights than I have in a long time, which is a wonderful thing.  I don't want to jinx anything, but it appears that this cluster has been busted!  This makes it the second time in a year and a half that this herbal mix has worked for me.

For anyone who may be reading this and wondering if they should try this treatment, I have two things to say: it has worked for me twice and there is absolutely no risk in starting this treatment (as affirmed by my homeopathic MD) which means you have nothing to lose.

I am so appreciative to Jim and the community here.  Thank you, thank you!  Please let me know if there are other ways that I can help spread the word about this miracle treatment.

-josh

ps- just so everyone realizes, I've not been taking Kudzu-based pills, but rather Japanese Kuzu Root Starch.  It comes in a bag and is commonly available at natural food stores (none of them had the pills).  I took half to a full teaspoon of it in place of the 1000mg pills in Jim's recipe.

Hi Josh,

Great news!

Sorry I was slow getting back to you on your Saturday post, but it looks like things are working out OK!  I was a little concerned that there might be issues with your Imitrex interacting with some of the "mix", but it sounds like it's not a problem.

Tell me a little about the Kuzu root starch.  I know this is the Japanese name for Kudzu, but I have never seen the root starch in a store.  What's the price range on that stuff?  I just bought a new bottle of Kudzu caps, and they were PRICEY!  I'm away from home on business, so I was in an unfamiliar store.  Hopefully, the prices have not gone through the roof at my regular stores close to home!

Anyway, congrats on another (apparently) successful treatment!  Stay on it for at least a week or so to be sure you've got it beat.

Thanks for posting!

Best regards,
Jim

Jim-  I don't have my receipt from the store, but I found it online here for $7.31/100grams:  START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE    If you search around online, you can find Kudzu pills that aren't that pricey.  This is one that I just found by searching for "Kudzu 1000mg" : START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

(I don't sell this stuff and these aren't my sites, so please don't think I'm spamming)

-josh

Josh,

Thanks for the info.  But most importantly - are you still PF today???

Regards,
Jim

Sorry I haven't replied sooner (I seem to not be getting the notifications I signed up for... no big deal).  I have been completely pain free (and no cloudiness/shadow)  for 11 days! I stopped the mix this past Sunday.  Once again, I can not thank you all enough and encourage others to use this magical mix.

hey guys!
glad your pain free!!! can u tell me the mix of kudzu u are talking about! thanks alot
anthony

anthony g wrote on Jan 16^th, 2010 at 6:17am:

hey guys! glad your pain free!!! can u tell me the mix of kudzu u are talking about! thanks alot anthony

Anthony if you're still thinking about going the clusterbuster route, read up about Kudzu.  I can't remember if it interferes with the way hallucinogens work or not.  Kudzu works great for some as a natural prevent.  There is nothing better than natural remedies with little to no side affects.

hey thanks im not takin hallucinates! i am takin verap though! o2 to abort! just wondering how u take kudzu? i have kudzu tabs 100 mg?
thanks

anthony g wrote on Jan 16^th, 2010 at 9:03am:

hey thanks im not takin hallucinates! i am takin verap though! o2 to abort! just wondering how u take kudzu? i have kudzu tabs 100 mg? thanks

Kilowatt himself may have an answer to that.  You may want to PM him.  There was a whole thread on here a while back about Kudzu.  I'll search around and if I can find it, i'll post the link. 

hayduke wrote on Jan 15^th, 2010 at 11:41pm:

Sorry I haven't replied sooner (I seem to not be getting the notifications I signed up for... no big deal).  I have been completely pain free (and no cloudiness/shadow)  for 11 days! I stopped the mix this past Sunday.  Once again, I can not thank you all enough and encourage others to use this magical mix.

Hi Josh!

Great news!  Glad it worked for you again!  I hope you'll stick around & share your success story.

Anthony - The original recipe is:

Kudzu - 1000 mg, 2x per day (morning & night) 
Magnesium - 250 mg, 2x per day (morning & night) 
St. John's Wort - 300 mg, 2x per day (morning & night) 
Skullcap - 425 mg at bedtime 
Melatonin - 10 mg at bedtime 

I originally used over-the-counter capsules or tablets for all of the ingredients.  A few posts back, Josh reported that he couldn't find kudzu capsules in his local health food store, but he did find the powdered kuzu root starch, so he used it instead.  I think he used about a teaspoon of the starch in place of the capsules.  I'm not sure exactly how he took it, but it's tasteless and water-soluble, so you should be able to just stir some into a beverage, sprinkle it on your gumbo, or whatever.

I hope you'll give this recipe a try - There have been a lot of successful results with it!  Please post to let us know how it works for you.

Regards,
Jim

Anthony, I don't use Kudzu because of rc seeds, but I have bottle in my arsenal I bought a year ago.  Here is the brand:

Solaray, 150mg tablets with 2% Daidzin

START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

thanks man i appreciate it!!!

Hello fellow Clusterheads! I am starting a new CH episode - my first since 2004. So I've been reviewing these forums to see what has been found since then.

It appears Kudzu was first discovered as a useful treatment back in 2005 and in addition to the anecdotal evidence, there was a study by Harvard, Dr. Andrew Sewell that showed some benefit. This is the same group that did a very similar study on the CB technique. Details can be found here including a PDF download:

START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

I plan on mixing the CB technique with this "Kilowatt Kocktail". But since there may be an interaction with LSA and Kudzu I'll start the Kilowatt Kocktail later next week.

The Magnesium, St. John's Wort and Melatonin are easily found at places like Walgreens. The Kudzu and Skullcap I ordered from Amazon. The only local shop we have that might have carried these was the Hi-Health chain, but they do not carry either.

I'll be reporting back later with details on the results.

Thanks to all who have been posting their experiences here!

Great news!!!! Hope you have many pf days.
What brand of Kudzu do you use? I have Solary and they are 150mg, the bottle says not to exceed 2per day.
I want to try Kilowatt3, can any brands be used?
I have been using 9mg melatonin, 500mg mag, I have kudzu, and I will pick up other supplements to try it out. I just started vermapamil five days ago, since then only getteing shadows. But I'm consitpated and lightheaded. I would love to get off it.
Thanks again!!

Actually I have to report I had no success with this. I tried it for 2 weeks and I continued to get more and more headaches every day. When I quit, the number of headaches went down. Possibly a coincidence but at any rate I am doing better without it.

I would study St. John's Wort carefully. By itself it seems OK but it has a host of significant drug interactions you should be aware of.

Also, high doses of magnesium can cause heartbeat irregularities. If you already get plenty of magnesium in your diet, I suggest not adding to it.

I still take 6-9mg Melatonin, which I was doing anyway.

This may work for some, so give it a try. For me, I'm looking elsewhere.

Of all the possible substances that I have heard about  here over the years, kudzu is one I carry around with me just in case. I also carry rhodiola. If I get a headache I roll them out of their capsules (they are both ground up roots) and into my mouth, leaving the gelatin behind. An old herb taker recommended this to get them into the bloodstream faster.

I also took a series of indomethacin pills recently to see if I have Hemicrania Continua. Indomethacin didn't work so I guess I must be somewhere in  the CH categories --I didn't didn't take the chance of shaking it out of the capsules. Does anyone open their capsules to put them in liquid or something, or is that not the way with pharmaceuticals?

Just found this recipe and I am going to try it.  Just wondering if it is ok to try since my Dr just started me 3/4/10 on 80mg Verap 3 times a day?

Any info is appreciated...
Steve

Hello Folks, I have been reading this post with more than a passing interest. One concern before I rush out and purchase a whack of Kudzu etc. It seems that all the positive posts here are from episodics, are there any chronics who have used this recipe? If so what success rate??

Wayne wrote on Mar 9^th, 2010 at 7:08am:

Hello Folks, I have been reading this post with more than a passing interest. One concern before I rush out and purchase a whack of Kudzu etc. It seems that all the positive posts here are from episodics, are there any chronics who have used this recipe? If so what success rate??

my husband has been chronic since the clusters started 2 1/2 yrs ago. he has been on all kinds of stuff but now he uses the kilowatt3, energy drinks, o2, and propranolol 40mg. he feels like the kilowatt3 has really helped him!! if he runs out of one of the supplements in the kilowatt3 he can feel the shadows coming on but as soon as he gets all of them back in his system he starts feeling better almost immediately. i would say its well worth a try! good luck!!

Ok, You've got my curiosity up! What exactly is Kilowatt3? I see it's a combo of herbal supplements, not sure which ones, how many mg to mix, etc. and what is Kudzo? I've never heard of it. Anyone have the exact recipe along with more precise info for a beginner? I prefer to seek an all natural treatment route. . I have a tough time with so many pharmaceuticals.
Thanks, Donna Mae

Hi Donna Mae,

Killowat3 is Jim's username, a gentleman from LA who came up with the recipe:

Kudzu - 1000 mg, 2x per day (morning & night) 
Magnesium - 250 mg, 2x per day (morning & night) 
St. John's Wort - 300 mg, 2x per day (morning & night) 
Skullcap - 425 mg at bedtime 
Melatonin - 10 mg at bedtime 


DD

Thanks DD! Good to know. More stuff to research. I definetly want to look more into these herbals. Already doing the Magnesium & Melatonin.
donna mae :)

I have never heard of stress causing a cluster cycle.

1 1/2 years later and Kilowatt3 does it again! Lorne beat the devil with your regimen for the 2nd time!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't tell you how appreciative we are Jim!!

Cyndi Leier wrote on Apr 10^th, 2010 at 10:15pm:

1 1/2 years later and Kilowatt3 does it again! Lorne beat the devil with your regimen for the 2nd time!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't tell you how appreciative we are Jim!!

Hi Cyndi!

Why don't you stick around a while?  Don't be a stranger!  ;)

Regards,
Jim

Joni wrote on Mar 11^th, 2010 at 10:51pm:

I have never heard of stress causing a cluster cycle.

It may not cause a cluster cycle, but wait till you start a cycle and the biggest thing you can think of is the stress that preceded what occurred.

When in cycle, my mother-in-law can trigger a hit. So, I don't minimize the effect of stress....ever....

Thanks Jim for all your info, got all the different items in the cocktail and started them tonight, will let you know how things go.  Imitrex, zomig, verapamil, lithium, predinsone, norflex, oxygen, pepcid and melatonin are not working this time around, keeping my fingers crossed this will knock them out!
have a great night~

So here is the update, decided to give this cocktail a try, really didnt think it was doing anything, however, after 2 weeks taking a handful of meds, I am painfree day number 6!  Was it the cocktail, who knows because my wife threw so much at me at once I really dont know,  I started with a HUGE dose of pred, and at the same time ramped up on lithium and verapamil and the cocktail, then had a occipital nerve block done (which gave me 5 days of relief) then started doing IM DHE 45 injections every 48 hrs, then the dr called and said my lithium level was 0.1 so he had me increase to 1200mg day, went back to see him wednesday and I was 4 days PF but went ahead and did another occipital nerve block and rechecked my lithium levels, called yesterday and said it was up to 0.4 so I can increase to 1500mg ONLY if needed.  I havent needed the dhe since saturday, have had  NO pain, a little tearing in the eye yesterday but no pressure or pain, lasted a few minutes and that was that.  Praying this cycle is over, which is by far the SHORTEST ever!  In my opinion, it would be worth trying, but give it at least 2 weeks before throwing in the towel on the cocktail, at this point, I am just using up what I have of the cocktail and document what is working this time around for future reference.

I started this cocktail about 8 days ago and it seemed like it helped a little the first few days(lessened the pain somewhat)
I would go every other night without bad headaches just some K1's to K3's the other night I would have K6's to K7's the others.
Then about 4 days ago I upped the scullcap to about 600 mgs taken at night then boom I havent had a nighttime hit since......just one minor daytime hit that I Red bull'ed it away .
So to make a long story long...lol.....I just wanted to say that people on here that have tried this with not much sucess should try it again and increase the skullcap by another 200 mgs at night......it helped me

Hi All, Just read some of this post and have tried looking up skullcap over here with our most well known herbal supplier but could not find any reference but found this
START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE is this it?

Cheers
Gary

And found this START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

Gary

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that I have not been using Melotonin the last 5 days......I just increased the Scullcap to 600 mgs and have been in Heaven ever since, keeping my fingers crossed....... :-?
I really believe the scullcap is doing the most in the cocktail........

Skullcap herb is an excellent tranquilizer and it can be used in combination with valerian in order to reduce anxiety, tension and stress as well as to reduce the symptoms of depression. It can be of great help for all those who suffer from insomnia, epilepsy, convulsions and muscle spasms because of its powerful sedative and relaxant properties. Skullcap herb is very efficient in reducing fever, relieving inflammatory conditions, relieving fatigue, headaches, stress and exhaustion due to its very strong anti inflammatory and febrifuge qualities.  It is also a very potent tonic which means that it is very efficient in preventing nerve cell damage and numerous affiliated medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. Female persons should pay attention because skullcap herb can be of great help in relieving the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and promoting the menstrual discharge, due to its emmenagogue properties. It can also come in very handy when it comes to prevention and treatment of several other medical conditions such as hysteria, drug addiction withdrawal, neuralgia, alcohol addiction withdrawal, asthma, hiccups, allergies, jaundice, diarrhea, abdominal pain and urinary tract infections.

Skullcap Herb Side Effects

Skullcap herb side effects are usually only connected to the cases of overdose and over consumption. Minor side effects may include giddiness, irregular heart rate, stupor and confusion. Severe side effects may include seizures, breathing difficulty, convulsions, swollen throat, headaches, swollen mouth, liver damage, hives and skin rash. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should steer clear of skullcap herb in any form.

Its been a good day today Billy!

Executed my last cigarette this morning at dawn, and put a stage 2 patch on....
Went to work and had a thoroughly S**T day (Thought of Jeff Bridges in 'Airplane' when he said "I sure picked a great day to quit smokin'!") Ate my food on the job, never had a break in 12 hrs (just to see if I could..)

Got home and there was my 1st/new bottle of 'Skullcap' tabs....
I'm embarrassed to admit, I have never been SO excited at taking a F*****G tablet in my life!
But will have to wait another 4 hrs to take it (19:09 pm here in 'Broken Britain') even if 'they' have sent me a placebo... I have even convinced myself that it would work too!
I know it will take a couple of days to get into my system...all I know is, its not going to make my anxiety worse!

Cheers!

Gary

That was Lloyd Bridges, but what's one generation between friends?

Hi Brew! I knew I shoulda looked on Wiki before I posted!
You got me there Bro...
Crashed and Burned!!

Respect

Gary  [smiley=beer.gif]

Brew wrote on Feb 12^th, 2011 at 2:34pm:

That was Lloyd Bridges, but what's one generation between friends?

Nah!  It was Mike Nelson!!!  ;D

seasonalboomer wrote on Apr 11^th, 2010 at 9:48pm:

Joni wrote on Mar 11th, 2010 at 10:51pm: I have never heard of stress causing a cluster cycle. It may not cause a cluster cycle, but wait till you start a cycle and the biggest thing you can think of is the stress that preceded what occurred. When in cycle, my mother-in-law can trigger a hit. So, I don't minimize the effect of stress....ever....

Oh, yes, stress can make anything you are dealing with worse!

Chronic stress can actually lower Serotonin levels. I agree that it should not be under estimated.

Uh Oh,  I've been pain free for a week and a half but this morning woke up with some sort of shadow (?) not sure what it was it felt like a hit starting then self aborting - scared the crap out of me.  I've been doing Batch's supplements but since I've been off Imitrex and Verapamil for the past weeks I'm going to try adding the Kudzu and Skullcap and see what happens.
Wish me luck....
P.S. I did try 4 oz. of craft beer last night with dinner which at the time I had no problem with (first alcohol in six weeks)... suppose that may have had something to do with it?  No beer tonight for sure!

Hey Jim,
Just wanted to let you know, the cocktail has been working well!  I have decided many times over the past 6 months to just stop taking it, only for the beast to return, after going right back on it, thus far it has sent "it" packing.  The only change I have made to it is I dont use the St. John's wart, ran out and just never bothered getting more, but regardless, within a few days of going back on it last week, went from daily hits to none!  I am still considering a clincal trial my neuro is heading up, but if this continues to work, may pass. 
Thanks again!

Hi Mike!

Thanks for posting with your success story.

I've been PF now for about 4 years with the mix.  The SJW may or may not make any difference - I've never tried leaving it out.  Sounds like it's not essential, at least for you!

Hope your success continues!

Regards,
Jim

PF for that long Jim, good job ole boy!!! Good to see ya still checking in.
the bb