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 can relieve headache pain for many people within 10 to 20 minutes.
• Taking the proper dose of medication 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:

How can I effectively manage a headache?

If your headaches become more severe and medicines are not working, let your health professional 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.