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Hi kuhrnes, There are a few things that you can do on your own for hits (headaches). The first thing, other than O2 is to grab some caffeine right quick. Energy drinks are a favorite. Everything from Monster to 5 Hour Energy, Cold is best for most sufferers. Drink it down as fast as possible at the first sign of a hit. O2 will be the best abortive out there unless you are taking triptan shots for the pain. You don't mention O2. Perhaps it was not prescribed!! O2 at 25LPM breathed using a non-rebreather mask is the best abortive. When you see your doctor, getting a prescription for O2 should be a priority!! If you go to the Clusterbuster Files, read the D3 regimen. It is a daily course of vitamins that has helped a lot of people stop or reduce the severity of their hits. Very easy and cheap medicine. Something that you can do on your own. Verapamil is the most commonly prescribed preventative in the States. It is for lowering BP. Cluster heads can usually take a lot of it. In addition to O2 and Verap, a doctor will often prescribe a 'bridging' medicine like Prednisone to take while the Verapamil builds up in your system. Pred is not to be taken over a long term, but short term it can be a big help. You can put your feet in screaming hot water at the first sign too. Chug your caffeine and pop your feet into a few inches of really hot water. Some will take an ice cube and use their tongue to hold it on the roof of their mouth on the CH side as well. Small things to get you thru. I hope that you get into that Specialist very soon and get some proper treatment!!! Pain meds are not very successful in treating CH. What were you put on for your Blood Pressure?

That right there is important, Migraine suffers (from evidence I have seen) have great difficulty with TV and loud noises during an attack, Distraction during an attack as a coping mechanism is a Key bit of info. I had a feeling that Photosensitivity was caused by CH, not a symptom of /sigh another thing I can attribute to lack of management.

Hi Adam and welcome! What you describe is what many of us encounter before we get a correct diagnoses. Lets see: Sinusitis, allergies, abscessed teeth, cervical misalignment and migraines to name some. The above can and do result in lost teeth, sinus surgery, and lots of chiropractors.Then, we wind up with the wrong meds (Imitrex pills) and others that do not work. A headache specialist is your best bet for a competent doctor. This site is the best, in my book, for actually helping people. You will learn a lot about what really helps and what is rubbish. You will likely find that D3 Regimen and O2 are your new best friends. Keep reading and asking questions!