Cluster Headaches

Home Treatment

The excruciating pain from cluster headaches can be debilitating. Identifying and avoiding triggers (such as alcohol or smoking) can reduce the severity and duration of headache cycles.

You can manage your headaches at home by:

• Using high-flow oxygen inhalation therapy, which is inhaled through a loose face mask and for many people can relieve headache pain within 10 to 20 minutes.
• Taking the proper dose of medicine when the first headache starts.
• Taking your preventive headache medicine daily as prescribed.
• Keeping track of when your cluster headaches happen, how often they happen, how severe your symptoms are, and what you think may be causing the headaches. Write it all down in a headache diary(What is a PDF document?). Take this written record with you when you visit your doctor, because it can provide valuable information to guide your treatment.

Learning to effectively manage headaches at home may help reduce the severity and duration of the headache cycles. For more information, see:

Headaches: Managing headaches.

If your headaches become more severe and medicines are not working, let your doctor know. You may need to try a different medicine or a combination of medicines. You may also need to be referred to a hospital or headache clinic for more intensive treatment.

Chronic cluster headaches can lead to stress and depression, which in turn can continue the headache cycle. Finding ways to cope with stress (such as with regular exercise) and improve depression may reduce the severity or frequency of your cluster headaches.

If your cluster headaches tend to start during sleep, you may find yourself trying to stay awake to avoid getting another cluster headache. But regular sleep helps you prevent cluster headaches. If you are trying to stay awake or not getting good sleep because of your fear of cluster headaches, talk to your doctor about your options. You may be able to take a medicine before you go to sleep that can help prevent headaches.

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Author:	Monica Rhodes	Last Updated: April 11, 2008
Medical Review:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine Colin Chalk, MD, CM, FRCPC - Neurology
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