Which therapy is listed as abortive for acute cluster headaches?

Prepare for the Pharmacology IV – Headache Therapeutics Test. Review the therapeutic approaches, tackle multiple-choice questions with explanations, and boost your test-taking confidence. Ace your exam with precision!

Multiple Choice

Which therapy is listed as abortive for acute cluster headaches?

High-flow inhaled 100% oxygen delivered through a face mask is the fastest, most reliable way to abort an acute cluster headache. Attacks can be brief but extremely painful, and oxygen often relieves the pain within minutes—typically within 5 to 15 minutes when given at about 12–15 liters per minute for a 15-minute session. The exact mechanism isn’t fully understood, but the oxygen seems to counteract the headache process by promoting cerebral vasoconstriction and dampening trigeminal nerve activation, with very few systemic side effects. In practice, you use it during an attack by sitting up, placing the mask, and breathing the gas for about 15 minutes; a second 15-minute session can be used if relief is incomplete. Other abortive options can be effective in cluster headaches, such as certain triptans, but oxygen is considered first-line because of its rapid onset and favorable safety profile. Ergotamines and their derivatives are older options that are less favored today due to more adverse effects and slower onset. Metoclopramide is mainly an antiemetic and not an abortive treatment for the headache itself.

High-flow inhaled 100% oxygen delivered through a face mask is the fastest, most reliable way to abort an acute cluster headache. Attacks can be brief but extremely painful, and oxygen often relieves the pain within minutes—typically within 5 to 15 minutes when given at about 12–15 liters per minute for a 15-minute session. The exact mechanism isn’t fully understood, but the oxygen seems to counteract the headache process by promoting cerebral vasoconstriction and dampening trigeminal nerve activation, with very few systemic side effects. In practice, you use it during an attack by sitting up, placing the mask, and breathing the gas for about 15 minutes; a second 15-minute session can be used if relief is incomplete.

Other abortive options can be effective in cluster headaches, such as certain triptans, but oxygen is considered first-line because of its rapid onset and favorable safety profile. Ergotamines and their derivatives are older options that are less favored today due to more adverse effects and slower onset. Metoclopramide is mainly an antiemetic and not an abortive treatment for the headache itself.

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