Hi everybody,

A couple of weeks ago I told you that I had a hunch that something in HCG that effects the hypothalmous might break this cycle....

I was one month into my usual 3 month cycle (18th year) when I started injecting last Saturday...Independance Day....I was having 3-5 hits every night and I was cluster free Saturday night and I had one hit on Sunday night......cluster free the rest of the week.   Yippeeeeeee!!!!

I am on a very limited calorie diet and will probably lose 20 lbs in the 6 weeks I inject.  I told the Dr I work for that I was wanting to try this for both reasons...and she is excited for me that the clusters have subsided...Wants me to keep a journal...so here is my start...

I am happy to lose the lbs....but even happier...extatic to lose the clusters...I had still been feeling the pressure on the cluster side but not this morning...I will keep you posted.

Love and blessings,
Karen

START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE For those who missed the original thread.

I have a question, is this the full name of HCG? START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

If so, it being a hormone produced during pregnancy might explain why some women don't have hits during pregnancy.

Anyways, glad to hear you've found something. :)

PFDAN
Mystina

Yes that is the hormone.  I know it effects the hypothalmous and that is why I had the hunch.....Feeling great so far....no hits and no pressure on my head with no meds...not even excedrine....which is a daily regimen to get rid of the post cluster night fuzzies....

Yeah....I'll check in to tell my progress.

Wow that is great news, again prooving there is some link between neuro system and endocrine system in our bodies.

How much dose of that clomifene citrate are you injecting and is it in the muscle or straight to vein?

Also I know its estrogen or progesteron hormone, but does it only provide relief for females or males aswell?

First I must say it has been a full week since I first started the HCG injections and I haven't had a cluster since Sunday....I also do not feel any pressure on the cluster side of my head....( also have lost 5 lbs....an added plus!)


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

The above link is to Dr Simeon's research.....Tho' he did intermuscular injections, I am doing subcutaneous and I couldn't tell you for sure right now how much it is that I inject...I use an insulin needle...


It is neither estrogen nor progesterone....but a hormone peptide called Human Chorionic Gonadatropin....It is kind of mis named because it was used many years ago to treat young boys whos testicles hadn't dropped....then Dr. Simeon discovered it also was helping with the abnormal fat deposits that they had as well....like man boobs etc....

Anyway he did a bunch of research and discovered it was an awesome way for people to lose weight as the very hormone that nourishes a fetus during pregancy will also access the bad fat in non-pregnant individuals to burn it away very quickly AND.....this is the part that triggered my interest....IT SOMEHOW TELLS THE HYPOTHALMOUS THAT YOU AREN NOT HUNGRY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU ARE NOT STARVING....thus enabling your body to burn all the fat.....anyway....

This Hypothalmous activity perked my interest thinking it could help me break the cycle....and so far sooooo good!

godsjoy777 wrote on Jul 11^th, 2009 at 11:05am:

....IT SOMEHOW TELLS THE HYPOTHALMOUS THAT YOU AREN NOT HUNGRY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU ARE NOT STARVING....thus enabling your body to burn all the fat.....anyway.... This Hypothalmous activity perked my interest thinking it could help me break the cycle....and so far sooooo good!

I had the same thoughts a few years ago when I read about Hoodia affecting the hypothalamus and turning down hunger ... I figured it might be very good (or very bad) for cluster headaches.  Never got up the nerve to try it - not convinced that most Hoodia products out there are any good.  But glad to hear about the HCG!!

@godsjoy

Do you know perhaps or red about other cluster heads that had good results with using exact;y HCG as hormone treatment?

Also if I could ask, how your cycles look like, are they static and same as in begin in around one month last exactly around the same ammount of days or are they random?

Good question....For the past 18 years I have pretty much always had exactly 3 months....The last 2 years going up into the Mts have broken the cycles....Don't ask me how....but I'm sure that did it....This year I went on vacation before the clusters hit so I couldn't get them broke in the mountains....

Never before did I have any less than 3 months...I have gone to the Smokies while in cycle and got hits just as bad or worse...It seems something in the rockies did it those last 2 years.

If everything is the same I will start my cycle about 13 months from the last beginning of cycle....so I will try to be prepared at that time....around the 4th of Julyish to either go to the Mts or get my HCG for a short cycle...

I have one more question, what else as treatment against cluster headaches have you used before you have found HCG treatment effective?

Any tries with psychedelics, verapamil etc, what doctors say about why hcg works?

I tried Imitrex, Maxalt, Verapamil, zonegran....and thak God I found O2 from this site.....

I got some sort of Psychadelic seeds one but never actually tried them....Kinda still freaked about them...

I ended up having a 9 month cycle one year when I was taking Verapamil ( I hated the feeling on Verapamil ), Zonegran as prevents and Imitrex and then Maxalt as abortives....I ran accross the article from Dr. Whats his name???? about some of the meds possibly causing episodics to become chronics....and I thought...hmmmm...maybe thats what's happening to me....I weened off the preventatives and then one year I was taking so many triptans daily with all the rebound Clusters that my Neuro wanted to put me on steroids and on a DHA drip in the hospital....I just fired him and stopped the meds and went to O2 only.....

So....I will take Excedrine or a Monster or Viper drink if O2 not around or I'll combine the 2 during daytime hits....BUT.....happily enough I an cluster free during a time I would be having 2 months left in a cycle....Yippeeeee!!!

I don't see a Neuro anymore and I work for an MD who has background in pain management ( though she hasn't studied up much on Clusters)...She has pretty much abandoned her pain mgmt. practice for Bioidentical hormone treatment.  There is no time to do both as the demand for natural hormone treatment is so huge.  She does want me to journal about it, though the study would have to be for someone else....Any takers?

OK...Today is day 12 on HCG....Last night I had one break through hit but it wasn't mush...O2 for about 5 minutes got rid of it....
I have another interesting piece of info....I will put it on a new thread 'cause it is very interesting.

I was talking to the woman from The Regunivation Center in Phoenix, AZ where we purchase our diet kits along with the HCG....I was telling her what happened with my Cluster cycle and asked if she knew any more about it.  She said that Dr Hicks at that clinic also used small amounts of HCG daily for some pain management cases....There has been tremendous success with Fibromialgia patients....I ( this is just me) think it somehow effects the seratonin levels but the reason it helps Clusters "I think" is still because of the Hypothalmous getting readjusted or whatever it does....

I don't have any shadows and I will wait and see how long this pain free time lasts in the middle of what should be full fledged CLUSTER!

Blessings!

Karen

Sorry it has been so long since I have written.  I got logged out and couldn't get back in for some reason for awhile.

Anyway.....Day 24 on the hCG and I'v only had approx 3 to 4 very light hits...Hits that have gone away with less than 5 minutes of O2....I would normally be around week 7 of my usual 12 week cycle....(which usually included 5 hard hits per night and some afternoon breakthrough to boot).    I have 3 more weeks of hCG injections left for my diet....by the way I have lost 13 lbs so far as well....which is a nice plus....I am within 5 lbs of my ideal weight.....I'm sure I'll get there soon on this hCG....

MOST IMPORTANTLY THO'.....I am almost virtually cluster free these 24 days and hoping after I finish the hCG they do not return.


Blessings and pain free prayers!

Karen

Oh Karen, this is fantastic news!  Very happy for you. :)

I am one that does not go into cycle when pregnant, and I always had a feeling there was something contributing to that.  Had no idea it could have been the HCG, but now I see it could very well be that!

I thank you for contributing this information and will check this thread for your updates.  Please keep posting!

hugs,
:)mel

Day 28 of hCG injections and still going strong.  Woke with one shadow 3 days ago but pain free since then.  I have only had approx 4 hits in this whole time and I'm right in the middle of cycle.  Awesome!

I've also lost 15 lbs...I should not lose much more but don't want to give up my injections yet.  I have approximately 2 weeks left on this injection diet thing. When I do finish we will see if the cycle returns...HOPING IT WON'T!

Pain Free blessings!
Karen

Karen, how exciting!

I have a couple of quick questions.  How soon after beginning the HCG injections did you see relief from the clusters?  It would appear it was almost immediate - but can't really tell.

Also - did you ever have testosterone levels tested prior to starting the HCG injections?  I'm pretty sure you don't know the answer to this one, but put it out there for people to ponder...  HCG boosts or promotes (sorry, don't know which is a better word to use) testosterone production.  What I'm wondering is if simple testosterone replacement therapy would have worked just as well, or if there is an actual different mechanism of action at play here in addition to the increase in testosterone as a result of the treatment.  ??

Whatever the answer - I'm glad it's working for you!

Laurie

That is a good question....and I have to tell you the answer is yes.  Not only did I have my testosterone levels checked, but I got a 100 mg testosterone pellet put in my hip just 2 weeks prior to the beginning of this cycle.  

I work for a Bio-Identical Hormone replacement Dr and my hormones stay at optimal levels these days...PRAISE GOD!!!  So... I really think it has something to do with 2 things....hCG messes with the hypothalmous and since clusters are generated or something by the hypothalmous, it somehow might tweek it....But hCG is a powerful anti-inflamatory.  I've heard of a Dr that is prescribing it in small doses for Fibromyalgia and arthritis.  

I can sometimes tell I am still in cycle, but it has been squashed and I have only had about 6 hits total...mostly night time but a couple in the late afternoon or early evening. They have all been easily aborted with O2.

Currently I am in week 10 of my usual 12 week cycle.  (Usually I would be getting hit night and day by this time in my cycle).

Technically I am supposed to stop the hCG injections next weekend, BUT....If the clysters come back in full force that next week, you better believe I will cotinue the hCG for at least another week.

I will let you know..

Blessings!
Karen

Oh I forgot to answer your first question....I did get relief almost immediately...The first night after hCG inejtions I didn't get woken up by the beast....but I had been getting at least 5 hits every night previous to that.....But like I said I can tell the clusters are hiding in the background and have ad a few break through...but barely!

OK....I had the biggest Cluster breakthrough ( in a not so good way) on Sunday night.  I had 5 hits break through that night and one last night.  They were easily rid of with O2....but they did get through.  None during the day and I feel good.  I think I am close to the end of my usual cycle....but the worst part of it is being subdued by the hCG....I should be at the end of my cycle by next week.  I'll keep you posted!  I am supposed to be off my shots the end of this week, which will leave a full week without hCG injections....Do I wanna do that?  I don't know.  I might try to be off the shots for a few days and see what happens....If I get hit really hard I might start injecting some again.  I will keep you all posted.

Love and blessings,
Karen

Thanks for addressing my questions, Karen.  I was getting really excited for you with the results!  I'm so sorry about the bad breakthrough - but all told, it seems like it's been very successful for you.  Prayers your cycle is ending and you won't even have to face the decision as to whether or not to continue the injections!

PFDAN,

Laurie

Last night....I sucked O2 right before going to bed as I felt one under the surface....and then I awoke in the middle of the night with one....just one though...and praise God for O2 that always aborts the clusters....3 more days of injections....maybe...:-)

Love you all here and have so much empathy for you all!

Karen

Hi Everybody,

HCG UPDATE:

Today is day #43...of hcg injections....For my diet I am only supposed to inject 42 days and then have 2 days of ltd calorie as the hcg goes out of my system and I can start eating more on the next day.  I am happily at 132 lbs....a good weight for me....BUT I have (hopefully only) one more week of being in cycle if it goes as usual....Since my 5 cluster break in....I have only had one hit per night that was easily taken care of with O2....This time in my cycle I would usually be getting hit day and night and I would usually het at least one big kahuna that wouldn't get ablrted with O2...and then silence for another 10 months or so......BUT....fortunately the HCG seems to have quieted the beast for this cycle....THAT IS WHY I AM GOING TO CONTINUE THE HCG FOR ONE MORE WEEK.   This is my choice....I don't want to get off of it only to have the worst part of my cycle....so I have plenty of HCG and hopefully I will only inject for one more week....

I will keep you all posted.  Love and pain free prayers for all of you out there!

Karen

Good luck Karen!

Well there's good news and there's bad news!

The good news you ask??? The hCG subdued the clusters for a good 5 weeks!  There may be a way in the future to take it in such a way as to not have my body grow a tolerance to it....

Now the bad news!

3 weeks off the hCG and the Clusters have ramped up like crazy.  I spent Last Thursday Morning in the ER after the last of 5 clusters in the night just wouldn't go...My O2 doesn'y seem to be kickin' it these days and I think I need to get a 25Lpm and up regulator...I see a new Neuro tomorrow in hopes of help. 

I've tried so many things in the past and really want to stay as med free as possible...but at this point I'll do almost anything. 

I'll let you know!

Blessings!
Karen

I'm a 52 year old female who never even heard of cluster headaches until going on the Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) diet. I took drops by mouth for two months. Within two weeks I had my first ever cluster headache.

For two and a half years the beast has been in the shadows or worse. Thank God for O2 and other medications. I will always believe that the hcg diet was the cause of my cluster headaches.

Thank you Ch.com for being here. And I thank all of you who post here. You have helped me in more ways than you could imagine.   

Glad you stuck your head in here Sunny,  ;) hope the beast is giving you some rest, welcome to the board.

Joe