Has anyone had experience with powdered ginger (1/2 teaspoon in water) for shadows? Under clusterbusters it is recommended under detoxing for shadows and up to kip5. I've tried it, and it seems to help most of the time. Seem to sometimes get heartburn or screwy stomach, but could be something else

How about melatonin (recommended by Dr Todd Rosen _ 9mg at bedtime). I took the 9mg a few nights ago, and headaches seemed worse that night??

thanks,

Joe W.

I've used ginger tea for shadows in the past and it's helped.  Also, ginger is actually really good for nausea.

As for the melatonin, I cannot take it, so can't help you there!

No experience with the ginger here, but the melatonin has been helpful. Sometimes I have to stop taking it because it just seems to be too much. You may have to experiment with the dose to find what works.

I saw in a past post you were looking into oxygen. Did you have any luck with that? It is my number 1 treatment for attacks and shadows. It's the safest and most successful treatment for over 70% of us and the cheapest.

Keep up the good fight, Don

Yes, I have oxygen, and it has really been a huge help

thanks,

Joe W.

People have said that Melatonin makes it worse at first before it gets better... food for thought.  I haven't tried ginger though.

Can't address the powdered ginger, but melatonin has been useful to me in the past.  I've never had the experience of it making anything worse, but it normally takes a few nights of use before I notice any positive benefit.

Best wishes,

George

Hi Joe!

I have tried melatonin in the past and I find it makes my attacks much worse.  Actually, long before I had a name for my CH, I used melatonin (at the advice of my doctor) to aid in sleep.  After a couple of weeks of melatonin and attacks, I gave it up.  I thought the melatonin was causing the attacks at first.  Yet, the attacks continued after I gave up the melatonin.

I have since tried melatonin a couple of times (now I know I have chronic CH), hoping it would help the attacks.  Each time, the attacks became worse, and more often.

Different things work for different people, I guess.

Debbie

thanks, Debbie - yes, I think you are so right..............different strokes for different folks

Joe W.

We talk about this a lot, how different people respond so differently to meds. Verapamil is the silver bullet for one, useless for another. Definitley one of the more frustrating aspects of the beast!

Joe

Joe w.,

Wanted to update you about the Melatonin, I ended up trying it again this past cycle and at first the hits were stronger the 1st night, but then they went down the 2nd and 3rd night.  After that, I was able to get up to 6 hour stretches of sleep.  I was taking 6mg.  Seems the smaller amount worked the best for me.  There was a stretch of about a week where I took 9mg, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference.

Take care,
mel

I, a health food freak, tried melatonin for a while but one of the old herbologists suggested that a regular diet of melatonin was not healthy, did not allow the body to regulate itself. As you may know, in Chinese medicine there are poisonous herbs, medicinal herbs and herbs for regular use --apparently he thinks melatonin is only for select times.

That brings up ginger, rated surprisingly high as a health herb. This is the first I have heard of ginger for CH, but I did hear (on this site) of rhodiola for CH. Has anyone besides me used powdered rhodiola and gotten nonscientific positive results?

I AM TRYing, Daniel R Petersoon, soon

I tried melatonin this cycle. I don't know about anyone else, but I experienced major indigestion about 30-60 minutes after taking it.

Anyone experience that?

Kimmie

Melatonin was surprisingly helpful for me! To be honest I tried it accidentally (just asked my mother to buy me something for sleeping, without prescription). I've been taking rather small doses (1,5-7mg) but it seemed to work... Few days ago I stopped taking it (I felt sleepy during the day and had problems with waking up, even when I was sleeping for 10-12 hours) and now my CH are back :'(

I checked the uses of melatonin before trying it since I have lupus and I have to avoid immune strengthening substances!  Melatonin was given the OK and I started with 10mg.  It has worked for me.  I recently increased it, though, because I took a trip to CA (I live in MA) and I was afraid of stimulating another CH flare (we just increased my Verapamil, too).  I have been PF for 3 weeks now!  However, the melatonin has helped and I plan on staying on it until June and then tapering down to 5mg because that is when my cycles usually end...

I haven't tried ginger although I have used ginger for stomach issues!

I have been using melatonin @ 9mg a night for the last 4 years during my cycle.  The shadows are around.. but seems to reduce the full blown attacks.  With that said.. I think my attacks are more mild than most.  If I drink alcohol... all bets are off... it's on.  I have to abstain completely for the 6 weeks...

Just a quick warning about ginger.  It acts as a blood thinner, so if you're going to have surgery, you need to be off it for at least a week.