Has anyone had any relation to clusters and nicotine? 

My History is that since '94 I would get clusters every spring and fall.  I never kept any records so I really don't remember all the details.  I know it would switch sides, I think some years it would be just fall or spring.  They would normally last about a month.  Of course like most I wasn't diagnosed properly for many years. 

Anyway since September of 2008 till January 2nd of this year I was headache free!  Thought I grew out of it, I'm 41. 

What I find interesting is that I quit using chewing tobacco Dec. 9th 2011.  I had been using tobacco since '92.  I was headache free for over 3 years then shortly after quitting nicotine I have a cluster cycle at a time of year I've never had cycles? 

Any info would be great.  By the way I'm still getting them. 

FWIW, I've quit nicotine in various forms for various reasons. I've never been able to form a conclusion on how it does or doesn't affect HAs. Had 'em since '96, chronic since 2004.

Currently not using nicotine for all the other good reasons. No effect on HAs. Batch's D3 regimen has them 95% gone though. started in 1st week of Dec. '11.

Gotta believe not smoking is always a good idea.

Use of nicotine is very high among CH sufferer's but by no means universal. Our experience, and the literature available, all seem to say: sure, quit smoking or whatever, there are lots of good reasons to do that. But it probably will not affect your cycles or hits one way or another. It may even be that the very reason we get CHs is a contributing factor in why we find it difficult to quit. Maybe. You'll go crazy trying to figure out why you get these things. That's not the same as knowing and avoiding personal triggers. If you know alcohol will kick off a hit, don't drink. If you know smelling gasoline will kick off a hit, have someone else fill your tank. That kind of thing. Blessings. lance

I used to use nicotine as a abortive.  One or two cigarettes would tame mild to moderate HA's for me.  Any higher than that and nicotine is useless for me and I would use a Imitrex.  I'm trying to wean myself off of nicotine now and it has made no difference in my CH.

It probably matters how you ingest the tobacco, and I wouldn't automatically assume tobacco = nicotine - you mention you used chewing tobacco, so that might be very different from smoking.  My episodes don't have the same periodicity as yours, and I've never used chewing tobacco, but for what its worth, I started smoking somewhere between 5-10 years after my CH first presented, and a couple years after I stopped being able to cope with the pain and learned that I wasn't having really bad "sinus headaches."  Smoking during the bad part is obviously impossible, but I've noticed that I need to wait to smoke at least 30 minutes after the pain subsides otherwise it starts up again, and if it's early on, it greatly accelerates the process of moving from "uncomfortable" to "I wanna die" and I know before half a cigarette has gone by that I have made a mistake I will pay for dearly. Hope to be like you someday and say I've quit, but that's my experience with smoking, hope it helps.  Find it surprising that IndianaJohn has used it as an abortive, but Imitrex doesn't work for me so it seems our CH is different in more than one way.

I haven't really noticed anything with nicotine but I have noticed that alcohol is a definite trigger. If I am in a cluster period and I take even 1 shot of alcohol or one beer and my cluster starts.

Smoking for me is an irritant, not an actual trigger.  It actually helps to abort sometimes and acts like a natural anti-depressant.  So, it all depends on the individual.  Every one of the beasties is a little different, I suppose.

I dont think my smokes ever triggered a hit... But then again i once blamed orange juice. I have smoked near the end of a big hit b4, but i dont think it aborted it, just made me feel better at the time.

Focus...
Coach bill

Smoking isn't a trigger for CH for me. For other Ha's yes. Smoking can abort a CH for me sometimes. I am a chronic smoker. It's a battle I am not ready to fight yet.

I cant remember where I read this but what I read was that its not the nicotine that triggers a HA. Its the carbon monoxide or the smoke.

I recommend ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES. My father was a smoker for 40 years of 1.5 - 2 packs a day. He quit for 1 year now and is still going strong using these things. It didnt take so well for me though.

Here is a summary of all my electronic cigarette knowledge.

--These things are surprisingly satisfying because they contain nicotine, are shaped like a cigarette and allow you to inhale and exhale vapor (not smoke). You can feel the "hit" in your throat which is nice but it doesnt quite feel like a cigarette.

-- Its about 80-90% as satisfying as the real thing. Most doctors agree it is waaaayy less harmful than cigarettes (due to absence of fire and smoke) but they lack FDA approval. Many think this is because it would bankrupt tabacco companies.

-- Starter kit costs between 60-200$. Continued use costs less than 1/4 of traditional smoking. I recommend doing some research and spending on the starter kit. Dont buy cartridges to resupply. Just buy liquid.

--Switching from traditional smoking to this takes will power. However it takes way less willpower than quiting altogether.

--Use of electronic cigarettes is allowed everywhere except hospitals and airplanes. (Honestly nobody would even catch you because they dont really create an odor)

If this is the first time you hear about this, google "electronic cigarettes" IMMEDIATLY.

In fact, youtube it!!

My speculations only: no scientific reports along these lines....

In medicine, an inherently conservative enterprise, it's not uncommon to find treatments which are long established which are not rooted in the latest understandings about he causes/processes of a disorder.

For decades migrine & cluster were defined as disruptions of the circulatory sytem. For cluster, the current understanding of causation has shifted to it being a neurological disorder. That change hasn't been paralled with studies about the impact of nicotine and so there isn't any new evidence to displace the older thinking.

Years ago Cluster folks were described as having a characteristic facial appearance/skin appearance. Its amazing that I found this description in a current article in one of the best medical on-line sites around! An idea that's decades out of date somehow still slipping by some careless editor....

Bottom line: as with so many features/experiences around Cluster, trust your personal experience/your body's messages.

Your comments about your cycle is one example: Cluster is not experienced in rigid patterns/cycles as implied in the usual discussions. Actual numbers ???? -- but it's clear that folks here have random bouts both in terms of calendar and time of day.

Personally I cant wait for that cigarette after the beast subsides, and even sometime smoke durring an attack if its not too powerful. It helps calm me down a bit with all of that intense pain flying around.

Headbanger wrote on Oct 5^th, 2012 at 9:34am:

Personally I cant wait for that cigarette after the beast subsides,

That's me to the T...i once quit for 8.5 months and was getting my a$$ kicked all over the place with attacks (it made no difference if i smoked or not) this disorder wanted me...so i decided to go back to smoking (for health reasons of course)  ;D ;D ;D...now this is just my exp...but when i hear of people saying that it triggers an attack...makes me wonder.....PF wishes to all

Technically, nicotine is a vasoconstrictor but cigarette smoke irritates the eyes and sinuses so it's also a trigger for some. Also, since nicotine is involved and effects many biological processes, it may affect cycles in various ways.

I started smoking at the age of 17 and had my first cycle at the age of 11, and my longest cycle was during a time when I didn't smoke, so I guess cigarettes aren't causing my cycles - but every one of us is different and quitting smoking is still a good idea.

OK, have to comment here... smoking (choke wheze)...
I definately have an afinity for it, and have found it to be like many of the meds I got from the doctor... couldn't tell if it made it worse or better... BS, you know when it works!
I only rate the "Ah - Ha Moments" :
1. Oxygen... no doubt it works.
2. Imitrex injectinons... bada boom!
3. Clusterbusters.com... bada bing!
That's my list.