Hello all. I am a 35 year old male. Cluster headaches seem to run in my family.My grandfather (rip) Was miss diagnosed with them for years. (docs thought they were severe sinus headaches) Grandad was headache free for many years before he died. My dad is 56, and has been having them since his 20's. He is a cronic suffer, and has taken every drug under the sun for them. Like I said, I am 35, and the creature that feels like its boaring a hole behind my left eye started about 8 years ago. The first 3 years I would only have one cycle a year around march or april and just deal w/ it.Now,I normally go through about 3 cycles a year with each one lasting at least 4 weeks. The main, and by far the worst cycly is the one I'm in right now. It can start anywhere from march to may, and last for 6 weeks or more. They have progressevily gotten more painfull over the years. About 4 years ago, I finally went to the doctor and got put on topamax, and imatrex-maxalt. Topamax seeme to help some.It broke the lesser cycles in 08and 09. The bad cycle in early summer of 09 wasn't nerly as bad as the year b-4, and I give credit to topamax. It broke the halloween cycle of 09 too. Then I ran out. Now I'm in my bad summer cycle again, and its already started. I went to the doc. and got somw but its too late for topamax. More of what it seems to do NOW is disrupt the timing of the headache. Usually, I can predict the headache everyday, and take fast disolving maxalt, and 200mg caffine and knock it out. But taking topamax breaks the "same time everyday" cycle, so in the end, I end up in pain. :(  anyway. thats enough i guess.

How bout some oxygen?  Try it you'll like it.

           Potter

sikntired you have a story we all know too well. So is Topomax your abortive or preventive? Many here take lithium and/or verapamil as the preventive. Then use 02 for the abortive. You might want to read what we have posted about oxygen here. Obviously imitrex helps too but most people are limited with how much they can get per month. o2 is cheap, and no after effects! And it's quick, my husband can abort in 10 minutes plus or minus. You're right on with the caffeine too, many here drink redbull or the like. The key to 02 and caffeine is getting it quickly at the onset of the CH.

Welcome to the board!

Christy

I use topamax for a prevenative.It works for me if I start taking it as soon as I start to feel the slightest little ANYTHING back there in the back of my head(thats were mine always start).I know when the skull bustin clusters are cumming because my head never hurts any other time. I NEVER have a regular headache. But long story short. I let the refills expire from last year, and when I went into this cycle, I had nothin. So, when they started, I got some no-doz,(caffine) and had some fast disolve maxalt from last lears cycles. I've been unemployed sence july 09 so have no insurence. I'm healthy other than clusters. Anyway, went to a doc-in-the box couple weeks ago, and he gave me generic imatrex, and topamax. It was too late. All the topamax did was knock the headaches out of timing. It made them random so I couldn't predict them anymore, which was a bummer really. Still got one everyday, just never knew when it would be now >:( I found that in the past my attacks were usually spot on with the time of day. And they always have been. Me taking 400mg caffine and 1000 mg naproxin 1 hr before always made it bareable. Usually. Sometimes, abort it. SO. I call the doc-in-the-box today and ask for the Dr. I saw, and the recp. Informed me that he only worked weekends. *sigh*So much for trying to build a relationship. :( SO. I go up there today and see the main Dr. I ask him If he's framiler w/ clusters, I told him what the topamax did. I asked for oxygen cause I never tried it. He said it" didn't work" :o wouldn't write me a script. I asked for verapamil, .......he said he didn want to expirment on me. I thought thats what Dr.'s did? Try you on a drug, and if it wasn,t working, try something else. :o  SO.....I told him that a nuro. in the past had given me prednisone and it worked, and he agreed to that. He gave me (twelve) 20 mg pills, and said if that didn' work that he couldn see me anymore and I'd have to see a nuro. After I told him I didn have insurance.  And o-yeah 12 pills??? My nuro gave me something like sixty 20 mg pills before. He laughed and said that would kill a horse.  So I dunno . I've spent like 350.00 bucks in the last week and still got 3 hour headaches everyday.  I do live in northern Alabama, and those mushroom fields are starting to sound appealing after what I been reading.  And there free.  Hell, I would eat dog shit and smile doing it if you told me it would stop my head from hurting. :D  Maybe these steriods will help I'm taking so much caffine, And now those roids, I cant sleep. But I don't care. I'll trade no sleep anyday. Can I get an amen? LOL.

You know, The hell of it is. I was seeing the best headache specialst in the state. I had One visit, he gave me drugs, told me everything was gona be ok, and I left felling ;like someone really cared and understood finally. They had me set up for an MRI and some blood work ect, a few weeks later, and everything was rosey then...............BAM. I got laid off. BAM.....no insurence. no job. that was in 08 I think. And all the drugs that doc had givin me and what my dad had givin me had lasted till now. I can't remember why now, But we didn't have the money out of pocket to pay for the MRI and stuff at the time. And if I end up having to see this other nuro in a few days if the head dont let up, he'll want an MRI, and I'll be screwed again. And with all that, I still dont want there GOV. health care program. They can keep it as far as I'm concerned.Now I'm just ramblin.......... :D :D Oh and I changed my name. Guess I was kinda depressed when I made my account. :D I bet that happens alot here.

Hey Skull Buster,

Well isn't that just another in a lonnnnng line of reports here about doctors ("oxygen doesn't work") being complete a-holes about CH.

If I were you I'd be all over those mushroom fields, and yesterday!

Have you seen this video on the subject with Bob Wold form clusterbusters.com?:

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It's kind of long, but informative.

Y'know you can get O2 at a welding supply place wthout prescription, and according to what I've seen folks report here, it's the same exact stuff as the medical.

Then as long as you study the O2 info at the oxygen info link to the left of this page, you'll be better informed on the subject than pretty much any a-hole doctor.

Did I mention that doctors are a-holes?  ;D

thanks bejeeber, Yeah, i just got off the phone with the doc. about 30. min ago about the oxygen, and was denied again. I guess o2 is the new "crack" on the streets. They gotta be carfuff who they give it to. We might share it with someone and try to sell it for a profit or something.  ;) My Father is driving out today from mississippi and bringing my a couple of bottles. He's the greatest, mom too.
I was just talking to the wife about welding supply o2. I'll have to look into that 4 sure. And the shrooms. Well..........lets just say ;) :) ;D 8-)

Skull Buster wrote on Jun 2^nd, 2010 at 2:33pm:

thanks bejeeber, Yeah, i just got off the phone with the doc. about 30. min ago about the oxygen, and was denied again.  I was just talking to the wife about welding supply o2. I'll have to look into that 4 sure. And the shrooms. Well..........lets just say ;) :) ;D 8-)

o2 works great after you master the technique. there are several strategies to using o2. get yourself set up with o2 and post any questions you might have. notice there are several fixed threads with o2 info
on this board.

as for lsd or shrooms, it worked for me. if LSD or shrooms are unattainable theres always seeds. this is something else you may want to study up on. and  if your doctor won't give you o2, piss on 'em you don't need 'em.

The o2 has been a life saver.I'm still waiting on that big welding o2 tank so I can have it filled myself w/o a doctor. I aborted one this morning with it. ;) More than anything, I'm READY TO GET BACK TO NORMAL.  I caught a sinus cold last week, so I've had all this sinus pressure across my forehead, and it's very confusing. Kinda feels like shadows. And some days I have all day shadows. sinus issues+ch cycle=clowdy brain.

hang in there honey, 
youll feel alot better once you get a handle on things with your O2.  It will become your best friend!!!
good luck
chris ;)