A thought-provoking question, Bob, and well worth considering. I'm glad you put this forth for discussion.
In an attempt to narrow the focus a bit, you mention abortives specifically. I presume we're talking about those abortive techniques that may be obtained without a prescription. After all--abortives like imitrex can only be obtained by prescription, and the reasonable assumption would be that the person has received a diagnosis of CH--otherwise, it would not be available to him or her.
So it seems to me that the abortives in question would be things like oxygen, drinks containing caffeine and taurine, etc. I'm guessing that we're talking more about oxygen than anything else, since most of the others I can think of are trivial.
Yes--oxygen is obtainable without prescription, and it is a highly effective abortive. A new person who has been given the information necessary to create his own oxygen setup, without a physician's intervention, could conceivably obtain the relief you describe, while masking a serious condition that has resulted in cluster-like headache. That's a very real concern.
In practice, however, it seems to me (as a mere observer--I have no statistics to back this up) that in most cases, people have been very careful to direct a newcomer who may have "self-diagnosed" to the care of a competent physician. That's as it should be.
The information we provide on oxygen therapy is easily obtained from half the threads on this board. A newcomer could create his own oxygen setup from posts that are available, without ever posting a question at all.
Nigel says it succinctly:
Headache Boy uk wrote on Oct 9th, 2010 at 8:21pm:If we provide the information ,it is then up to the individual reading it to make an informed decision and act accordingly .
I think it has been made abundantly clear by many, many people here that an "informed decision" includes a competent diagnosis from a medical professional.
Still--I have to say I'm not particularly impressed with some of the approaches that medical professionals take toward the treatment of CH. How many posts do we see from newcomers who are given a goofy, misdirected treatment regimen from presumably "competent" physicians? Things that don't work? Things that do actual harm?
The harm we, as non-physicians may do is very limited. We can pass along the things we've learned, and people can take it or leave it. The harm that doctors can do is immeasurably greater. And I'll throw the ball back in their court--first, do no harm.
All the best--and my greatest respect,
George