General Health

Indomethacin, mainly used in the rheumatic disorders, is of some benefit to others, and cyproheptadine, an anti-allergy drug, can also produce benefit.
Lithium, used to treat manic depressive disorders and some cases of reactive depression, can also help some sufferers.

Pain-relieving drugs for the acute attack do offer some relief but the pain is usually so severe it may not respond except to the narcotic drugs and this can pose a problem of dependence.

Ergotamine, the mainstay of the treatment of acute migraine, is also of value in cutting short the pain of cluster headache, if taken early enough.
For those who fail to respond to these measures, surgery has been used to cut the sensory nerves carrying the pain-sensitive fibres.

Breathing in pure oxygen for several minutes may also be of value in aborting an attack and some sufferers have found relief by having an oxygen cylinder at home for this purpose.

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General health