So I take the Benadryl a few times and it really seems to help.

Can anyone tell me the physiological reason why it helps?

FYI
I take 25mg w/ 400mg Advil when I'm awoken with pick in my eye.

I tried to weed through a couple pages of googles searches but didn't get much from that except speculation.

Thanks!

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It looks like there are multiple forms of Benadryl, but I assume you're using the US version which contains antihistamine diphenhydramine.

Doing a search of published research (START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE) there are some cases where antihistamine can help with CH but it doesn't seem to be effective for most people. So it's possible that you're someone who does respond to it.

I take it to sleep sometimes.  Even sometimes during a cycle...it has helped a bit...

It helps to keep you out of the REM sleep mode where the cluster lives. Or, so I've been told.

there are studies that indicate that histamine is involved with CH.  Im not sure that's altogether inaccurate as along with my sons CH's come Acid Reflux and sinusitis/sneezing/hay fever like symptoms. Unfortunately what I have read is that the histamine that may (or may not) be involved in the CH process is not the histamine that Is blocked by standard over the counter anti-histamine blockers ie. Benadryl/allegra/Claritin etc.  That being said maybe benedryl has a little somtin somtin that the others do not and may be why you achieve a small amount of relief.  that's all I got

Been pain free for 5 years, and then I got smacked again.

Doc prescribed Benedryl and Oxygen.  The O2 did squat, but Benedryl, taken at the max recommended dose, did get rid of my headaches.

But, I do now need a nap.  I always need a nap.

Pete

Hey Pete,

Interesting thread.  Naps are great when you want to take them...  That said, if you fall asleep during the day as soon as you sit still for a few minutes, it could be a sign you're not getting enough restful sleep during the night.  We all need roughly 8 hours of sleep and most of it should be quality sleep.  Dr. Stasha Gominak has a wonderful set of videos covering this topic.

She prescribes a regimen very similar to the anti-inflammatory regimen to her patients with sleep, chronic pain and headache disorders.  The only real difference is she also prescribes a 3-month course of vitamin B 50.  You can find these videos at the following link:

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Regarding Benadryl...  It's a very powerful over the counter medication...  and as many physicians in the know about medications like this say...  "If it has the power to heal it also has the power to harm."  Taking one or two is no big deal, taking two or more a day/night for weeks on end is not good.

That's clearly the case with benadryl.  See the following links.

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Several hundred CH'ers have found the anti-inflammatory regimen prevents their CH effectively and makes for better restful sleep.  See the following link for details on this regimen:

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Scroll down to see the photos of the supplements by brand that I take to prevent my CH...  I've been a chronic CH'er since 2005 and this regimen stopped my CH completely in 2010 when I developed and started taking it.  It's 100% effective for me as long as I take this regimen daily...

If you haven't figured it out by now... I'm a firm believer in giving the body the nutrients, (vitamins and minerals) it needs to heal itself and avoid pharmaceuticals whenever possible.  Most of the time, medications like benadryl only address symptoms of an underlying condition and not the condition itself.  All too frequently medications like benadryl come with onerous side effects.

Vitamin D3 and Omega 3 fish oil have anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine properties that are far more effective in halting neurogenic inflammation and aborting the cluster headache than benadryl.

Regarding oxygen therapy not working for you...  It's been my experience with over nearly 10 years of using it to abort my CH, developing a method of oxygen therapy that involves hyperventilating with it, holding a patent on the demand valve method of oxygen therapy and working with hundreds of CH'ers trying to make it work for them...  It works 95% of the time if used properly and early...

By properly, we're talking a minimum of 15 liters/minute with a non-reabreathing oxygen mask.  25 liters/minute is even better and a demand valve capable of delivering up to 60 liters/minute is better yet. 

If you wait until the CH has reached a 9 or 10 on the headache pain scale before starting oxygen therapy... nothing will work to abort it and you're in for some heavy sledding.

If you're stuck with an oxygen regulator that can only deliver 15 liters/minute, try hyperventilating with room air for 30 seconds then taking a lung full of 100% oxygen and hold it for 30 seconds.

The trick to making this method of oxygen therapy work effectively to abort a CH involves breathing at forced tidal volume capacities.  You start this by standing with jaw dropped like saying the work "Haw." 

Standing gives the diaphragm full range of motion and that helps ventilate the lungs more completely.

Exhale forcibly and when it feels like there's no breath left to exhale (there is), do an abdominal crunch like doing situps and hold the squeeze until your exhaled breath makes a wheezing sound for a couple seconds.  This will squeeze out another half to full liter of breath that's highest in CO2 concentration.  Then inhale another lung full of room air and repeat the exhalation technique.  Repeat this sequence 10 times then inhale a lung full of 100% oxygen and hold it for 30 seconds.

Keep repeating the entire sequence until the pain is completely gone.  3 to 5 complete cycles are usually sufficient to abort a CH below Kip-6.

Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch