Kirsty,
This is going to sound off the wall, but the best thing for you to do is start the anti-inflammatory regimen with 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3.
I'll explain... Over 400 cluster headache sufferers (CH'ers) here at CH.com have started the anti-inflammatory regimen since December of 2010. 80% of them have experienced a significant reduction in the frequency, severity and duration of their cluster headaches. 70% experience 24 hour pain free periods and 60% have remained completely pain free. There have been no reports of adverse reactions requiring medical attention.
See the following link for details on the over-the-counter nutrients and supplements used in the anti-inflammatory regimen along with suggested dosing, vitamin D3 dosing strategies, drug interactions and contraindications:
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This is a very safe and effective regimen for preventing your cluster headaches and in your case, increase your odds for a very healthy pregnancy without any fear of problems caused by invasive cluster headache medications.
I'm not a doctor so all I can do at this point is provide you with information on this regimen, why it is a far safer method of controlling your cluster headaches than the standards of care medications used for cluster headaches and how it enhances the odds of a very normal and healthy pregnancy.
Discuss this regimen with your OB and neurologist. Ask for the lab test for 25(OH)D also called 25-Hydroxyvitamin D. This is a metabolite of vitamin D3 that's used to measure its status. The normal reference range for the 25(OH)D lab test is 30 to 100 ng/mL
So far, every CH'er who has gone in for this lab test before starting the anti-inflammatory regimen has reported their 25(OH)D serum concentration less than 30 ng/mL.
In short nearly all CH'ers with active CH will have their results for this lab test come back indicating a vitamin D3 insufficiency 20 to 30 ng/mL or a vitamin D3 deficiency, < 20 ng/mL.
That means the odds are you are vitamin D3 deficient/insufficient and that condition is contributing to the frequency, severity and duration of your cluster headaches.
Now for some more good news how vitamin D3 improves the odds for a normal and healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
See the following link to the VitaminDWiki website. It will provide you with information on the latest RCTs involving pregnancy and the benefits of pre and post natal vitamin D treatments:
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This link should be required reading for all couples wanting to have a baby.
Besides preventing your cluster headaches safely and effectively, which is reason enough for you to start this regimen, your husband needs to start it as well... Studies have found fertility goes up significantly when both of you are on a vitamin D3 regimen with at least 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3.
Safety... You'll likely hear warnings from the nervous nellies how taking too much vitamin D3 results in toxicity/intoxication and that prolonged dosing with 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 will get your 25(OH)D serum concentration too high...
The following chart developed by Dr. Robert Heaney, MD illustrates the average 25(OH)D response to various doses of vitamin D3 over time.
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I've overlaid the color bands to indicate cluster headache status. As you can see 85 ng/mL is well below the upper normal reference range limit yet well within the 25(OH)D "green zone" (60 to 110 ng/mL) where CH'ers report favorable responses to the anti-inflammatory regimen.
In order to put the safety of vitamin D3 in perspective... There were no deaths due to vitamin D3 reported to the FDA over the last nine years. There were 99 deaths attributed to PARACETAMOL and 10 intra-uterine deaths attributed to CO CODAMOL over that same period.
See the following link for further details:
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Finally, I've been on this regimen since October of 2010 taking 10,000 to 20,000 IU/day and with the exception of three burn down tests of my 25(OH)D reserves where I stopped taking the entire regimen until I got hit... I've been completely and blissfully pain free.
My wife has been taking this regimen as well since Dec 2010 except she takes 15,000 IU/day vitamin D3. She was a 20 year chronic migraineur with attacks coming like clockwork 3 to 5 days in duration every month before she started this regimen. She hasn't had a single attack since.
She looks great, feels great, and has more energy than I've seen in 20 years. She's also 76 years old and runs my legs off... go figure...
I know I've given you a lot to digest so please feel free to ask questions. PM me if you like.
Take care and please keep us posted.
V/R, Batch