Understanding Cluster Headaches
Cluster headaches affect mostly men instead of women, usually beginning between the ages of 20 and 50. These types of headaches are quite rare, but severely painful, earning them the nickname of “suicide headaches”. A cluster headache diagnosis by a healthcare professional will be individually based on the person’s description of the headache and their accompanying symptoms. Cluster headaches are a type of vascular headache, and researchers don’t fully understand the cause as to why the process of the headache is triggered. The intense pain of a cluster headache is caused by the contraction of blood vessels, which then creates pressure on the trigeminal nerve. Barometric pressure has also been found to play a role in cluster headaches. The closer one lives to the North, or South pole, the more common these headaches are. A cluster headache’s pain is severe, and is usually located at the point of the temple on one side of the head. A cluster headache diagnosis will depend upon the following symptoms being present. The eye and nostril on that same side tend to water, and people tend to get restless, they pace while they are experiencing one of these headaches, and in severe cases, they often bang their heads against a wall or hard surface in order to help find some release. After the attack, the face may be flushed, the eye may still be watery and swollen, the conjuctiva (the covering of the eyeball) will be red, and the person may experience nausea. The attack of a cluster headache is sudden and it usually lasts 15 minutes to 3 hours, often waking people from their sleep, and earning them another nickname of “alarm clock headaches”. Attacks may occur several times per day, and they will occur quite regularly in a 3 month “cluster” period. They may be followed by a headache free phase of a couple months, or even years before they experience another episode. Unfortunately over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen or aspirin have no effect on the pain of a cluster headache. Those diagnosed with cluster headaches will also not respond to biofeedback treatment. If caught early enough, some cluster headache sufferers will respond to breathing pure oxygen. If used early enough, this treatment could stop the attack in about 5-10 minutes. Other early onset drugs that may help are sumatriptan and zolmitriptan, and they should be administered by injection rather than by the mouth. Topical anesthetics like Lidocaine that are sprayed into the nasal cavity may help stop the pain as well. Prophylactics (preventative medication), such as prednisone, verapamil, lithium, muscle relaxants, and anti-psuchotics are needed in order to treat chronic cluster headache sufferers. Steroids may also be used for short term treatment. Some non-narcotic treatments may include acupuncture, botox injections, or pitcher plant extract (sarapin) injections. Receiving a cluster headache diagnosis is devastating, however there are several actions you personally can take in addition to your physicians recommendations or prescriptions. Drinking large amounts of water, breathing in cold air, hot showers, and vigorous exercise have all been found to be of some help when trying to alleviate some of your pain. |