New CH.com Forum
http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl
Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> Does this happen to anyone?
http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1270180338

Message started by Mike Bernardo on Apr 1st, 2010 at 11:52pm

Title: Does this happen to anyone?
Post by Mike Bernardo on Apr 1st, 2010 at 11:52pm
I think I'm in my first cycle, started in late December, peaked in January, and has been on a very slow decline. Even had some days where I thought it was gone. I'm thinking it may have been two or more cycles back to back based on my symptoms. Anyway, the nighttime willies woke me up nearly every night. I'm tired. So now, I notice I just wake up, and feel like the pain just exited, but I never really feel the bad pain. I think I'm so groggy, I dont' realize the bad pain, but it just wakes me up. Anyone else have this happen?

Title: Re: Does this happen to anyone?
Post by coach_bill on Apr 2nd, 2010 at 12:08am
Hello,

I wake many times a night anyway.  Do u wake at the same time as when u were get those willys??
Could be the endeing of the cycle??

Coach Bill

Title: Re: Does this happen to anyone?
Post by Mike Bernardo on Apr 2nd, 2010 at 12:12am
When I wake up, it's not just a wake up, it's almost always accompanied by that, what I describe as, residual headache pain I usually get after those severe headaches. I'm also a heavy sleeper; basically, if you punched me in the face in my sleep, I'd wake up and be in pain,  but never know you punched me; if that makes sense.

Title: Re: Does this happen to anyone?
Post by Wesley on Apr 2nd, 2010 at 4:49pm
  Yep. When I'm ending a cycle, I often wake after 2 hours of sleep feeling like I had a hit in my sleep. Then two hours later, I just wake up for no good reason, no pain, nothing.

Have you tried melatonin?

john

Title: Re: Does this happen to anyone?
Post by burnt-toast on Apr 2nd, 2010 at 10:13pm
I've reasonably addressed this issue with a prescription for Ambien.  It won't block night attacks, it just makes me drowsy enough to quickly return to sleep between attacks.  Additionally it helps me gain sleep when my body's clock has become too accustomed to waking during those hours that attacks normally occur.    My only observation - if you take it less than 4 hours before you have to get up it can make you feel a little groggy.

Discuss this option with your doctor.  It has been a blessing for me in that it helps me obtain much needed sleep without the drug becoming a requirement for sleep.

burnt-toast
(Tom)   

Title: Re: Does this happen to anyone?
Post by Mike Bernardo on Apr 2nd, 2010 at 10:50pm
Thanks for the tip. I will ask him when I go back in 6 weeks if the beast is not back in his cage by then. If it's still really bad in 2 weeks, I'll just call him.

Title: Re: Does this happen to anyone?
Post by George on Apr 3rd, 2010 at 12:51am
I suspect that your cycle is on its way out.

After a CH cycle has run its course, I frequently wake up--briefly--during every period of REM sleep throughout the night.  This pattern usually lasts a few weeks, then goes away.

REM sleep is typically when I get hit. 

Whether the after-cycle waking is caused by some internal CH-related mechanism that has not yet run its course even though the cycle has ended, or whether it's simply that I'm "gunshy" of sleep after 6 weeks of purgatory, I don't know.

YMMV.

Best,

George

New CH.com Forum » Powered by YaBB 2.4!
YaBB © 2000-2009. All Rights Reserved.