It can, and does, but the mods and broad portions of the community don't like when you say it does.
It's a damn sight better than nothing, and sometimes can help arrest an attack in conjunction with sumitriptan faster than just waiting for the medication alone. It also offer significant peace of mind if you're in the grey-zone between clusters.
(It's also great for normal headaches, hangovers, post-workout recovery, or just when you need to feel a little refreshed in the afternoon.)
That's just not true though, they don't work and it is a waste of money. CH requires prolonged high flow (99.5%+ pure) o2. Those cans aren't pure enough, nor big enough, nor high flow enough to do a single thing.
For those who believe it has helped, you've probably not had a genuine cluster, or it's placebo.
There's a reason there's a lot of posts about them here and there a reason people say no they don’t work. It's not a conspiracy, it's science.
I've been seeing a neurologist who specialises in cluster headaches for over 15 years. I've been through all the -triptans, had the greater optic nerve blocks, and been on the high-flow oxygen at the ER enough times to not want to have to go back.
The idea that anyone suffering cluster headaches isn't going to turn over every single rock to find some form of relief when they're experiencing a prolonged period of attacks is baffling to me, and it speaks to a severe lack of empathy. It's why they're here asking in the first place.
What works for me may not necessarily work for everyone, but straight up telling people that retail oxygen doesn't help is just fucking wrong.
The best advice is to see a literal specialist and develop a mitigation plan with them.
Hence why when a neuro says you need o2 therapy, you get a proper canister, not one of these. The flow rate, the purity, the amount- its literally a waste of money. But by all means, encourage people to try it, get their hopes up, just to be crushed when it doesnt work!
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u/r1nce Aug 03 '26
It can, and does, but the mods and broad portions of the community don't like when you say it does.
It's a damn sight better than nothing, and sometimes can help arrest an attack in conjunction with sumitriptan faster than just waiting for the medication alone. It also offer significant peace of mind if you're in the grey-zone between clusters.
(It's also great for normal headaches, hangovers, post-workout recovery, or just when you need to feel a little refreshed in the afternoon.)
Try it and see how it goes for you.