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G'afternoon Snaithbert! I'm with jon....chances are slim that ins will cover O2, and it IS expensive out of pocket.....I had a little better deal than jon at $12/E tank......but I was going thru a full tank every 24 hours so was driving 1/2 way across Dallas twice a week! Then came welding oxygen!! $150 cylinder deposit, $6/mo cylinder lease, and $18/refill for a large ( 9" dia x 48" tall) cylinder.....added a weld oz regulator from Harbor Freight for $50 (they've discontinued that model and the one they carry now is around $70), and a clusterO2mask from the clusterheadaches.com store for $30.....(heavy as hell to shlepp around but in a 20 plus week cycle I used 2 1/2 tanks and only 1 Trex injection and no other big pharma meds! When I retired and moved to okieland a few years back my local welding shop didn't lease tanks so I had to buy the same size tank outright for $300 and refills cost me $21! Been huffin it now for 9 years with no ill effects....just don't let the welding supply folks know you intend to breathe it! Dallas Denny

Unless you're receiving insurance from a government agency (Medicare, VA, Medicaid), your insurance should cover it. As Jon' and 'Denny say, welding is a very viable alternative. You gotta have O2!! You ask about prescription meds, so starting there (nothing new that I know of) . . . Verapamil is commonly prescribed as a preventive. Short-acting (not timed-release) is better. Prescriptions can go up to 960 mg/day or sometimes more before they are effective; most doctors don't prescribe that. You should be monitored as you start it and as you ramp up. I'm always puzzled about Maxalt. Is it just in pill form? Pills usually don't work well, but you say the Maxalt is effective. Nasal spray and injections generally work more reliably and faster. Many people are convinced that triptans extend cycles and make attacks worse, so getting O2 and using energy shots and other abortive strategies is pretty important. Among other "home-remedy" abortives are sucking ice water through a straw so it's hitting the roof of your mouth (to cause "brain freeze"); deeply breathing very cold air from an air conditioner or freezer; and standing in a bathtub of very hot water. Here's a link to info about the D3: http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=7708 I'm gonna say that 90% of people who do the regimen correctly get some relief from it, and I'd say maybe two-thirds, or even more, get exceptional relief. It is not likely to help you right away, but the sooner you start it, the sooner it will help. There's also a thread here about vitamin B1 being very helpful: https://clusterbusters.org/forums/topic/5417-b1-oral-high-dose-thiamine/

There's always the welding O2 route. Others here can explain. I ran into the same problem with several insurance companies so I got to know the manager of the O2 shop and we worked out a deal for self pay (GOTTA have the script). A few yrs ago but was $14/e tank....a little more for M's. I bought the regulator, tank caddy, and NON REBREATHER (very important) mask online …. Have you read or tried the Vit D3 regimen...very successful for many.... Energy drinks with at least 100 mg caffeine and 1500 mg taurine at first sign of hit...drank COLD and fast was really helpful... My abort of last resort is Zomig Nasal spray (5 mg)…99% success rate....damn expensive tho...and it's usually a fight with insurance. Best Jon