Hey Jackie,

Thanks for the update...  The anti-inflammatory regimen should start working to prevent your CH within the first week to 10 days.  As you're two weeks into this regimen and are still not completely pain free, I suspect you may have another comorbid condition that's keeping this regimen from preventing your CH.

The most common cause is an allergic reaction.  Allergic reactions can be sub-clinical, i.e., no obvious or outward indications... but it can still be there.  Fortunately, a first-generation antihistamine like Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) taken with the anti-inflammatory regimen should have you pain free within 24 hours.  A 25 mg tablet every 12 hours should work just fine.  Talk with your PCP about this if you still have questions.

As first-generation antihistamines pass through the blood brain barrier to block histamine receptors on neurons within the brain, they help prevent the flood of histamines caused by the allergic reaction from triggering the release of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) that results in CH.  It's a confusing chain reaction, but breaking the chain with Benadryl really works.

If the Benadryl hasn't provided relief within 72 hours, you may have a low grade infection that's triggering your immune system...  When that happens, you immune system sucks up available vitamin D3 leaving too little to prevent your CH.  If that's the case, see your PCP for a checkup and explain the situation.

Your next course of action after another two weeks should be to see your PCP for the lab test of your 25(OH)D serum concentration.  The normal reference range for the 25(OH)D serum concentration is 30 to 100 ng/mL.  As you've been taking the vitamin D3 loading dose, your 25(OH)D should be close to 80 ng/mL by then.

If the beast is still jumping ugly by then and your 25(OH)D is up around 80 ng/mL, not to worry...  there are other natural anti-inflammatory agents we can try.

Regarding Naproxen... I'm not a fan of it or the rest of the NSAIDs for that matter as they cause GI tract bleeds and other problems that make the risk-reward ratio a non-starter when you add it all up...  Vitamin D3 works far more effectively to help stop pain and with none of the adverse side effects.

Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch