Hey everyone!  Joined the forum almost a year ago, but this is my first post.  
I have read through most of the site and links though.
Currently, I am at the tail end of an early (for me) 2+ week nightly bout.  
Haven't posted previously because when in remission, reading about it makes me feel like one is coming on, and when I'm in the middle of a cycle I feel less than social.

I was lucky that my family doctor recognized CH almost right away, especially considering I'm the only one out of his 1000 patients.  We've tried many treatments, but what has worked best is Imitrex pills.  Unfortunately, at $21 each for generic (have crappy insurance), cost is mattering.  I wanted to try O2, but need to go back to a specialist (another couple hundred bucks) because the GP is not comfortable perscribing it.

I wanted to share something that has worked for me on several occasions.  Over the past year I was sometimes able to abort an attack simply by increasing my breathing rate, similar to what those taking O2 do, but just using air.  It may be the last thing you feel like doing when having an attack, but if I breath deep and quickly (like you're blowing up a big air mattress), soon after the light-headedness sets in (keep going), the pain starts subsiding.  May have to repeat if it comes back right away.  

Anyway, it's worked for me often enough that it's worth a post in case it can help one of my fellow brethren.
Good luck, and may the beast pass quickly for you!

Bob Johnson wrote on Aug 8^th, 2009 at 8:03am:


I suffered chronic CH for about 17 years and I have tried everything. I found if I did push-up it would lessen the pain while I was doing them but not abort them...and the headaches take so much out of you while fighting them YOu cant do pushup for that long...but I did see some relief with exercise.

Also I did work on my breathing patterns. I read once many years ago oxygen under 42 degrees F is more pure in oxygen. During cold months I would go outside, use my certain breathing patterns and I would be able to abort the headache about 25% of the time.