Chronic cluster headaches are a painful and debilitating occurrence for the sufferer. They are often very resistant to regular headache therapy and due to their pain they can have a drastically negative impact upon the life of the sufferer. As such, cluster headache patients are always on the lookout for new treatment options. Most people will try several different options before they find one that works effectively.

There are generally two types of treatment for cluster headaches. They are:
Abortive Treatment
Prophylactic Treatment

Abortive Treatment
This treatment type is given during a cluster headache attack. The idea is to minimize the intensity of pain of the headache whilst also reducing the duration of the cluster headache. Because a cluster headache can increase in intensity very fast, quick action is required. The best abortive treatment option is thought to be the use of an oxygen mark. By inhaling pure oxygen through a face mark the patient will experience relief within minutes.

Other abortive treatment options include medications like Sumatriptan and Zolmitriptan. These can be taken by an injection or nasally. They are instant relief medications and are fast acting due to the method of administration. Natural abortive treatments may include a cold shower, caffeine, drinking lots of water as an attack is starting, and even vigorous exercise.

Prophylactic Treatment
These types of treatments are preventative and act to stop the cluster headaches from occurring at all. If you have episodic cluster headaches then prophylactic treatment is the better option. The goal is to stop any headache from occurring before the symptoms begin. These types of treatment for cluster headaches are available in various forms including:

- Corticosteroids (eg prednisone, muscle relaxants and ergot compounds.
- Anti-seizure medicines (eg topiramate)
- Calcium channel blockers
- Histamine

There are also some natural treatments that have proven effective for some people including the Asian flower kudzu, the herb feverjew, yoga, massage, reflexology, aromatherapy, hypnosis and homeopathy.

Please see your doctor to discuss the pros and cons of you using either abortive treatment or prophylactic treatment for cluster headaches.