You may want to teach family members about your headaches and medicines so that they will be able to help you when you have an attack. One of the medicines your doctor may give you to take when a cluster headache starts is ergotamine. It can be taken by inhaler, injection or rectal suppository. Medicines taken by mouth work too slowly to give relief for cluster headaches. Other treatments are oxygen or a local anesthetic in the nose.
Most people cope very well.
The preventive medicines work well to reduce the number of headaches during cluster periods. When a cluster headache does occur, medicines can greatly shorten the headache and reduce its severity. It is important that you work with your doctor to find the right treatment for you. This handout provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. To find out if this handout applies to you and to get more information on this subject, talk to your family doctor.