Cluster headaches are one of the most debilitating and unpleasant health problems a person can face. The pain a victim suffers is excruciating, often lasting for hours, leaving the sufferer completely incapacitated until the pain subsides. Desperate for relief from the blinding pain, many sufferers in search of a remedy turn to things like aspirin and Tylenol, but to no avail. Unfortunately, there is no over the counter pain medication that is an effective cluster headache treatment. Usually, for most people, prescription drugs are used for dealing with cluster headaches.

The standard treatment for cluster headaches requires a person to take two kinds of drugs. There is one set of drugs which are used to prevent cluster headaches from occurring. These types of drugs are known as prophylactics. Amitriptyline, nortryptiline, verapamil and topiramate are some of the most commonly prescribed abortive drugs for cluster headaches. However, an entirely different kind of medicine is required once the headache has already begun. These drugs are known as abortives, and include sumatriptan and zolmitriptan, which are usually injected rather than taken orally.

However, many cluster headache sufferers have found relief with non-drug treatments. Oxygen inhalation can stop the pain in just a few minutes if it’s done as soon as the headache has started, or very shortly after. Unfortunately, oxygen isn’t much help once the pain of the headache had reached maximum intensity. Other people have found that drinking lots of water, vigorous exercise, caffeine, or a hot shower can stop a cluster headache in its tracks.

There are also non-pharmaceutical approaches to preventing cluster headaches. More and more people these days are trying to avoid prescription medicines as much as possible, and prefer to seek cluster headache treatments that involve natural supplements. For some people, taking magnesium has really helped stave off attacks. Others report success from taking melatonin tablets. However, the natural approach isn’t effective for everyone, and some people would be unable to function without the popular drug treatments for cluster headaches. What’s important is what works best for each individual.