Cluster Headache Treatments - Abortive

Abortive

Abortive treatments attempt to relieve the headache in as little time as possible at the onset of an attack. Because cluster headaches can be rather short in duration, an abortive treatment should take no longer than 10–15 minutes to work in order to be considered effective.

Rapid inhalation of pure oxygen (i.e. oxygen therapy) is considered a first line treatment of choice by many. Oxygen is typically administered via non-rebreather mask at 7-10 liters per minute for 15–20 minutes. Patients who prove unresponsive to 7-10 LPM of Oxygen may have their recommended flow rate increased to 15 LPM. Alternative and sometimes co-operative first-line treatment is subcutaneous administration of triptan drugs such as sumatriptan. Typical dosages for sumatriptan is 6 mg. Higher doses of sumatriptan, such as 12 mg subcutaneously, are not known to be more effective, but have produced greater side effects than those of 6 mg doses.

Non-narcotic treatments such as botox and sarapin injections have shown mixed levels of success While Lidocaine sprayed into the nasal cavity may relieve or stop the pain within a few minutes, long term use is not recommended due to possible side effects and damage to the nasal cavities.

Interestingly, some people report that orgasm through sexual intercourse may terminate an attack. It is hypothesized that this relief is achieved by acute modulation of hypothalamic function.