Final answer:
The correct acute therapy for James, who has been diagnosed with cluster headaches, is inhalation of 100% oxygen for 15 to 30 minutes. This treatment can provide rapid relief and is recommended by neurology guidelines.
Step-by-step explanation:
James has been diagnosed with cluster headaches. An appropriate acute therapy for cluster headaches, according to the American Academy of Neurology, is C.Oxygen 100% for 15 to 30 minutes. Cluster headaches are excruciating attacks of pain in one side of the head, often felt around the eye. Treatments like butalbital and aspirin, narcotics like meperidine, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like indomethacin are not typically first-line therapies in the acute setting for cluster headaches. Instead, inhalation of 100% oxygen through a face mask at a rate of 7 to 10 liters per minute for 15 to 30 minutes is often recommended as an initial treatment because it can provide rapid relief.