Hello fellow Clusterheads! I am starting a new CH episode - my first since 2004. So I've been reviewing these forums to see what has been found since then.

It appears Kudzu was first discovered as a useful treatment back in 2005 and in addition to the anecdotal evidence, there was a study by Harvard, Dr. Andrew Sewell that showed some benefit. This is the same group that did a very similar study on the CB technique. Details can be found here including a PDF download:

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I plan on mixing the CB technique with this "Kilowatt Kocktail". But since there may be an interaction with LSA and Kudzu I'll start the Kilowatt Kocktail later next week.

The Magnesium, St. John's Wort and Melatonin are easily found at places like Walgreens. The Kudzu and Skullcap I ordered from Amazon. The only local shop we have that might have carried these was the Hi-Health chain, but they do not carry either.

I'll be reporting back later with details on the results.

Thanks to all who have been posting their experiences here!

Actually I have to report I had no success with this. I tried it for 2 weeks and I continued to get more and more headaches every day. When I quit, the number of headaches went down. Possibly a coincidence but at any rate I am doing better without it.

I would study St. John's Wort carefully. By itself it seems OK but it has a host of significant drug interactions you should be aware of.

Also, high doses of magnesium can cause heartbeat irregularities. If you already get plenty of magnesium in your diet, I suggest not adding to it.

I still take 6-9mg Melatonin, which I was doing anyway.

This may work for some, so give it a try. For me, I'm looking elsewhere.

Just found this recipe and I am going to try it.  Just wondering if it is ok to try since my Dr just started me 3/4/10 on 80mg Verap 3 times a day?

Any info is appreciated...
Steve

Wayne wrote on Mar 9^th, 2010 at 7:08am:


my husband has been chronic since the clusters started 2 1/2 yrs ago. he has been on all kinds of stuff but now he uses the kilowatt3, energy drinks, o2, and propranolol 40mg. he feels like the kilowatt3 has really helped him!! if he runs out of one of the supplements in the kilowatt3 he can feel the shadows coming on but as soon as he gets all of them back in his system he starts feeling better almost immediately. i would say its well worth a try! good luck!!

Hi Donna Mae,

Killowat3 is Jim's username, a gentleman from LA who came up with the recipe:

Kudzu - 1000 mg, 2x per day (morning & night) 
Magnesium - 250 mg, 2x per day (morning & night) 
St. John's Wort - 300 mg, 2x per day (morning & night) 
Skullcap - 425 mg at bedtime 
Melatonin - 10 mg at bedtime 


DD

I have never heard of stress causing a cluster cycle.

Cyndi Leier wrote on Apr 10^th, 2010 at 10:15pm:

Hi Cyndi!

Why don't you stick around a while?  Don't be a stranger! 

Regards,
Jim

Thanks Jim for all your info, got all the different items in the cocktail and started them tonight, will let you know how things go.  Imitrex, zomig, verapamil, lithium, predinsone, norflex, oxygen, pepcid and melatonin are not working this time around, keeping my fingers crossed this will knock them out!
have a great night~

I started this cocktail about 8 days ago and it seemed like it helped a little the first few days(lessened the pain somewhat)
I would go every other night without bad headaches just some K1's to K3's the other night I would have K6's to K7's the others.
Then about 4 days ago I upped the scullcap to about 600 mgs taken at night then boom I havent had a nighttime hit since......just one minor daytime hit that I Red bull'ed it away .
So to make a long story long...lol.....I just wanted to say that people on here that have tried this with not much sucess should try it again and increase the skullcap by another 200 mgs at night......it helped me

And found this Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

Gary

Skullcap herb is an excellent tranquilizer and it can be used in combination with valerian in order to reduce anxiety, tension and stress as well as to reduce the symptoms of depression. It can be of great help for all those who suffer from insomnia, epilepsy, convulsions and muscle spasms because of its powerful sedative and relaxant properties. Skullcap herb is very efficient in reducing fever, relieving inflammatory conditions, relieving fatigue, headaches, stress and exhaustion due to its very strong anti inflammatory and febrifuge qualities.  It is also a very potent tonic which means that it is very efficient in preventing nerve cell damage and numerous affiliated medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. Female persons should pay attention because skullcap herb can be of great help in relieving the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and promoting the menstrual discharge, due to its emmenagogue properties. It can also come in very handy when it comes to prevention and treatment of several other medical conditions such as hysteria, drug addiction withdrawal, neuralgia, alcohol addiction withdrawal, asthma, hiccups, allergies, jaundice, diarrhea, abdominal pain and urinary tract infections.

Skullcap Herb Side Effects

Skullcap herb side effects are usually only connected to the cases of overdose and over consumption. Minor side effects may include giddiness, irregular heart rate, stupor and confusion. Severe side effects may include seizures, breathing difficulty, convulsions, swollen throat, headaches, swollen mouth, liver damage, hives and skin rash. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should steer clear of skullcap herb in any form.

That was Lloyd Bridges, but what's one generation between friends?

Brew wrote on Feb 12^th, 2011 at 2:34pm:

Nah!  It was Mike Nelson!!!