I am 26 yrs old and started getting these debilitating (not even a strong enough word) headaches around my left eye when I was 21 yrs old. At 1st I thought it was glaucoma, as I I had a detached retina when I was 18, but it was not the same pain.

I would started getting these headaches around finals week and they went on for about a month (once a day around 6 pm for a couple hours) They then went away and started up again the following semester during finals week again so I went to the doctor and was told they were stress induced migranes - so I started popping Excedrine Migrane pills.

But then I started to get them when I was in Africa doing doing my research (nothing stressful going on - waking up and spending 9 hours a day with elephants, lots of exercise and eating the healthiest I have ever eaten). Plus they where happening at the same time of year (April-May). That was in 2007, well this has been my yearly routine and again, I am in Africa and for the past 2 weeks have been beaten down by these headaches, being woken up around 2 am. Last night was the worst pain, and wasl iterally thinking that a bullet or hammer to my left temple would be the best thing possible. I literally thought I was having an aneursym, so cranked up the generator to get on the internet and find the symptons of one and stumbled on this "Cluster headaches" and was like BINGO!!!

So with this said, I will be in Africa for another month and have no access to Oxygen or any of the other medications or even competent doctors and was wondering if there is anything I can do to ease the pain...besides punching a wall to try to feel greater pain somewhere else on my body besides my eye/temple area?

Thank you for this site and glad I actually know what is wrong with me now!

See also this link:

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

...and read it carefully.  You may be able to cobble something together from available materials, assuming you have welder's oxygen available.

Best,

George

Nnasseri,
For what this is worth.... the Cluster Busters site tells of the success of many who suffer by using hallucinogenic agents (psilocybin, Hawaiian Baby Woodrose seeds, Morning Glory seeds and RC seeds). Perhaps there's an African equivalent?
I've never tried any of the above but have come close. I found Oxygen and mainstream drugs easier for me to get.
-Gary

Both location and time remaining on site are working against you.....(sigh). But, if you can get someone to bring stuff to you a non-Rx (in the U.S.) to try is: Melatonin, 10mg/night. Has modest record for breaking a cycle. (Used widely as a sleep aid.)

IF available without Rx and your courier can find it, this works very rapidly and you will know with 1-2 uses whether it works for you. (The potential problem is local sourcing and such a significiant % of Rx meds in your world are counterfeit.)
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Headache 2001 Sep;41(8):813-6 

Olanzapine as an Abortive Agent for Cluster Headache.

Rozen TD.

Department of Neurology, Jefferson Headache Center/Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate olanzapine as a cluster headache abortive agent in an open-label trial. BACKGROUND: Cluster headache is the most painful headache syndrome known. There are very few recognized abortive therapies for cluster headache and fewer for patients who have contraindications to vasoconstrictive drugs. METHODS: Olanzapine was given as an abortive agent to five patients with cluster headache in an open-label trial. THE INITIAL OLANZAPINE DOSE WAS 5 MG, AND THE DOSE WAS INCREASED TO 10 MG IF THERE WAS NO PAIN RELIEF. THE DOSAGE WAS DECREASED TO 2.5 MG IF THE 5-MG DOSE WAS EFFECTIVE BUT CAUSED ADVERSE EFFECTS. To be included in the study, each patient had to treat at least two attacks with either an effective dose or the highest tolerated dose. RESULTS: Five patients completed the investigation (four men, one woman; four with chronic cluster, one with episodic cluster). Olanzapine reduced cluster pain by at least 80% in four of five patients, and TWO PATIENTS BECAME HEADACHE-FREE AFTER TAKING THE DRUG. Olanzapine typically alleviated pain within 20 minutes after oral dosing and treatment response was consistent across multiple treated attacks. The only adverse event was sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: Olanzapine appears to be a good abortive agent for cluster headache. IT ALLEVIATES PAIN QUICKLY AND HAS A CONSISTENT RESPONSE ACROSS MULTIPLE TREATED ATTACKS. IT APPEARS TO WORK IN BOTH EPISODIC AND CHRONIC CLUSTER HEADACHE.

PMID 11576207 PubMed

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Olanzapine has a brand name of "Zyprexa" and is a antipsychotic. Don't be put off by this primary usage. Several of the drugs used to treat CH are cross over applications, that is, drugs approved by the FDA for one purpose which are found to be effective with unrelated conditions--BJ.
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Since this abstract was first posted Zyprexa has appeared in some lists of recommended meds for CH. [BJ]
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The suggestion of exercise is worth a try (goal is to increase O2 intake) but, for some people, exercise, etc. which elevates body temp is a trigger for an attack. [If that, in fact occurs, keep a note because that can be prevented when you get back and have access to the needed med.]

Just wanted to say thank you for all of the suggestions. Unfortunately, I can not get hold of Oxygen, but on the onset of the headaches, I started to hyperventilate for about 30-45 seconds than chug about 1 L of water followed by more hyperventalating and they abort about 5 min later. The other night they were pretty bad so I proceeded to to wind sprints out side and jumping jacks and that helped a lot also.

Again thank you very much for all of the help/advice and will be looking into getting some O2 when I get back States side.