Topic Overview
What are cluster headaches?
Cluster headaches are
severe, one-sided headaches that happen in groups, or "clusters." They usually
occur over weeks or months.
Cluster headaches can be so painful
that you are not able to follow your normal routine or do your usual
activities. The pain is often called the worst type of headache pain.
Cluster headaches come in cycles (also called cluster periods). Most
people who get cluster headaches have one or two cluster periods each year. A
cluster period might last 1 month or longer. After a cluster period ends, you
may not get another headache for months or even years.
As you get
older, it is likely that you'll have longer and longer times without headaches.
At some point, you may not get cluster headaches ever again.
Having cluster headaches can be scary. But even though they are very
painful, cluster headaches don't cause long-term harm. During a cycle, you may
be able to reduce how often you have them, how bad they are, and how long they
last.
What causes cluster headaches?
Experts aren't sure
what causes cluster headaches. They run in families, but it's not clear why
some people get cluster headaches and others do not.
What are the symptoms?
The main symptom of cluster
headaches is a severe burning or sharp, piercing pain on one side of your head.
The pain spreads out from your temple and eye. Your eye may become red, watery,
or puffy. The eyelid may droop, and you may have a runny or stuffy nose on that
side of your head.
See a picture of
cluster headache symptoms
.
The pain usually gets bad very fast. The
pain gets worse within 5 to 10 minutes after the headache starts and can last
for 30 minutes or longer.
Cluster headaches usually happen at the
same time of day each time you get them. But they can happen at any time. You
may have 1 to 8 headaches a day.
How are cluster headaches diagnosed?
A doctor can
usually tell if you have cluster headaches by asking about your symptoms and
examining you. You probably will not need tests such as a
CT scan or an
MRI. Your doctor may order other tests if he or she
thinks your symptoms are caused by another disease.
How are they prevented and treated during a cycle?
There is no cure for cluster headaches. You can't do anything to prevent
a cycle of cluster headaches from starting.
But as soon as a cycle
starts, you can take medicine that may help prevent more headaches or reduce
how many you have during a cycle. You take this medicine every day during the
cycle.
Certain things may be more likely to cause a headache
during a cycle. These are called triggers. Avoiding them may help prevent
headaches. Triggers include:
- Drinking alcohol.
- Smoking.
- Sleep problems. It's best if you go to bed and wake up at the same
time every day. Don't take naps.
- Stress.
When a headache starts, you can take medicine or breathe
in oxygen from a machine to ease the pain or stop the headache. You use these
treatments only when you feel a headache coming on. You don't use them every
day.
Over-the-counter pain medicines, such
as aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen, usually don't work for cluster
headaches.
When a cluster headache begins:
- Start your treatment right away. Don't wait
for the headache to get worse. Take your medicine exactly as planned with your
doctor.
- Do what feels best. You may feel better if you walk, jog
in place, sit, kneel, or stand. Lying down may make the pain worse.
If your treatment doesn't work, ask your doctor if you can
try something else. It may take time to find what works best for you.
A headache diary can give you and your doctor clues to help you manage
your headaches. Write down when and how often the headaches happen, how severe
they are, and what you think may be causing them. Share this with your doctor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learning about cluster headaches: | |
Being diagnosed: | |
Getting treatment: | |
Ongoing concerns: | |
Living with cluster headaches: | |
Health Tools 
Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health.
Cause
The cause of
cluster headaches is not clear. They may be
genetic, because you are more likely to develop
cluster headaches if a parent or sibling has them.
Cluster
headaches may be caused by a problem in an area of the brain called the
hypothalamus, although the specific problem or
abnormality that triggers cluster headaches is unclear.
Alcohol,
sleep apnea (regularly stopping breathing during
sleep),
stress, or
fatigue may trigger cluster headaches or make them
worse after a cycle of headaches begins.
Symptoms
Symptoms of
cluster headaches may include:
- Headaches that come on suddenly without
warning.
- Pain that is severe, excruciating, piercing, burning, or
sharp.
- Pain that affects only one side of the face, head, and
neck.
- A drooping eyelid.
- A watery, red eye and a
smaller (constricted)
pupil on the affected side.
- A stuffy or
runny nose on the affected side.
- Headaches that happen at the same
time or times of day each time you get them (for example, a headache that
usually happens 2 to 3 hours after you fall asleep).
- Pain that
quickly intensifies, peaking within 5 to 10 minutes of
onset.
- Intense pain that can last from several minutes to 3
hours.
- A sweaty forehead.
- A warm and red (flushed) face
or forehead on the affected side.
You may have several minutes or hours of being
headache-free until the next headache in the cycle begins. You may have from 1
to 8 headaches a day during a cycle. Between headaches, you may feel physically
and emotionally exhausted. After the cycle of headaches stops, you may be
headache-free for days, weeks, or even years before another cycle
occurs.
See a picture of
cluster headache symptoms
.
Other conditions (such as
migraine headaches or
trigeminal neuralgia) can cause symptoms similar to
cluster headaches. Your doctor will usually be able to distinguish these
conditions from cluster headaches by a careful medical history and physical
examination.
What Happens
Most people who have
cluster headaches have 1 or 2 cycles of headaches a
year, with each cycle lasting between 1 and 3 months. After the cycle has
subsided, most people are in
remission with no headaches for about 6 months to 2
years.
Cluster headaches usually happen at the same time or times
of day each time you get them. For example, they may begin at night, within 2
to 3 hours of falling asleep. But they can also occur during the daytime. You
may have 1 to 8 headaches a day.
Cluster headaches cause deep,
stabbing pain usually in, around, or behind one eye. The pain may extend to the
temple, forehead, cheek, upper teeth, or even the jaw on the same side as the
pain. You may also have a stuffy or runny nose, watery eye, and drooping eyelid
on the same side as the pain. The pain almost always stays on the same side
during a cycle of headaches.
The pain of cluster headaches
intensifies quickly-within 5 to 10 minutes of starting-and usually remains
constant for about 30 to 45 minutes, and sometimes up to 3 hours. Cluster
headaches can continue for days, weeks, or months before symptoms completely
stop (remission). You may not have another cycle of cluster headaches for
months or even years. Less commonly, the headache cycles may become chronic and
continuous.
During a headache cycle, you may be restless,
agitated, or unable to sit still. Some people find relief by pacing, sitting,
kneeling, standing, or jogging in place. Applying steady pressure to the
painful area may provide relief. Lying down may make the pain worse.
Afterward, the pain goes away, but the headache may leave you physically
and emotionally exhausted. Another headache may occur within a short
time.
Some people have a single cluster headache cycle and never
have another one. During a cycle, some people have up to 8 headaches a day over
6 to 12 weeks, followed by headache-free periods that can last for weeks,
months, or years.1
As you get older, it
is likely that you will have longer and longer times without headaches
(remission). Eventually, the headaches may stop altogether.
What Increases Your Risk
Risk factors for
cluster headaches include:
- Being male. More males than females get cluster
headaches.
- Being between the ages of 30 and 40, although cluster
headaches can begin at any age. It is rare for children age 10 or younger to
have cluster headaches.
If you have already been diagnosed with cluster headaches,
the risk of triggering a headache increases if you:
- Are a smoker or have been a smoker in the past.
Many people with cluster headaches are current or previous tobacco
smokers.
- Use alcohol. Alcohol can trigger a headache, especially
when you are having a cycle of headaches.
- Take medicines (during a
headache cycle) that contain histamine or nitroglycerin.
When To Call a Doctor
Call 911 or other emergency services immediately if:
- You have a very sudden, severe, "thunderclap"
headache that seems to come on instantly and is not like any headache you have
had before.
- A headache develops along with stiff neck, high fever,
nausea, vomiting, lethargy, drowsiness, and confusion.
- A headache
develops along with weakness, paralysis, numbness, visual disturbances, slurred
speech, confusion, or behavior changes.
- The intense pain caused by cluster headaches leads to thoughts of
suicide. Treatment can help relieve the pain from your headaches.
Call your doctor immediately
if:
- Headaches begin abruptly with no previous
history of headaches, especially if the pain is sudden and severe.
- Headaches develop after a recent fall or blow to the
head.
- A headache develops gradually and occurs with confusion,
lethargy, problems with walking, or loss of bladder or bowel control.
Call your doctor if:
- You are repeatedly awakened by a severe
headache during the night or in the morning.
- You are 50 years old
and are having your first severe headache.
- The pattern of your
headaches changes.
- The headaches occur during or after physical
exertion, sexual activity, coughing, or sneezing.
- Your headaches
do not get better with medicine.
- Your headaches are interfering
with your daily activities.
- The headaches occur with
depression or
anxiety.
- You begin having daily headaches
that are not relieved with nonprescription pain relievers.
- A
child's headaches occur daily or are becoming worse with time.
Not all frequently occurring headaches are
cluster headaches. For more information, see the topic
Headaches.
Watchful Waiting
Cluster headaches need to be treated with
prescription medicines, so watchful waiting is not appropriate. If you think
you may have cluster headaches, see your doctor.
Who To See
If you think you have
cluster headaches, treatment may reduce the frequency and severity of the
cycles. The following doctors can diagnose and treat cluster headaches:
Headache clinics are also able to evaluate and treat cluster headaches. When
you are looking for the right headache clinic, ask a few
questions about the services provided-such as what
types of specialists are at the clinic-so that you can find the clinic that is
best for you.
To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment.
Exams and Tests
Your doctor will be able to diagnose
cluster headaches with a
medical history and
physical exam. Cluster headaches have a classic set of
symptoms, so your doctor usually can make a diagnosis based on your description
of the headaches. Imaging tests are not commonly needed to help find a
treatment for your pain.
If your cluster headaches are not helped
by treatment, become chronic, or didn't begin until you were over age 50, your
doctor may order imaging tests to rule out other causes for the headaches.
Imaging tests may also be ordered if the pattern or symptoms of your headaches
change, you develop a serious medical condition such as cancer or diabetes, or
the headaches are triggered by physical exertion, sex, coughing, or
sneezing.
If you need imaging tests, you may have a:
- Computed tomography scan (CT scan) of the head. A CT produces detailed pictures of
structures inside the body. It can also detect serious but uncommon medical
problems such as brain tumors.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head. An MRI can detect changes in the normal
structure of your brain. It may be ordered to rule out other serious medical
problems such as brain tumors, blood clots, or a bulge in the wall of a blood
vessel (aneurysm). But most headaches are not caused by these
more serious conditions.
Talking with your doctor may help you decide whether to
have imaging tests to evaluate your headaches. For more information on this
decision, see:
Should I have imaging tests to evaluate my headaches?
If your symptoms are not clearly related to cluster
headaches, your doctor may order
additional tests such as blood or urine tests to rule
out other causes.
Treatment Overview
There is no cure for
cluster headaches, but treatment can effectively
reduce the frequency and severity of your headaches. You don't have to live
with the excruciating pain of these headaches. Treatment depends on the
frequency of headache cycles and the severity of symptoms during a
cycle.
Initial treatment
Treatments to stop
cluster headaches that have already started are called
abortive headache treatments. They include
abortive headache medicines and
oxygen therapy. Abortive treatments relieve pain and
reduce the severity of symptoms after the headaches begin. Abortive headache
treatments used most often to stop a cluster headache
include:
- Ergotamine preparations, such as
ergotamine tartrate with caffeine (such as Cafergot), which narrow blood
vessels to relieve pressure and reduce headache pain.
- High-flow oxygen inhalation therapy, in which you breathe oxygen through a face mask to reduce blood
flow to the brain and relieve headache pain. Around 7 out of 10 people treated
with oxygen soon after the start of a headache get relief within 10 to 20
minutes.2 But you need to repeat the treatment when
the next headache begins.
- Intranasal lidocaine, which is taken by nose drops to stop severe headache
pain.
- Triptans (Imitrex, Zomig), which can be injected to
reduce pressure and pain. These medicines can also be taken by mouth as a pill
or sprayed in the nose.
Medicines used to prevent cluster headaches or reduce the
number of headaches in a cycle are called
prophylactic headache medicines. Prophylactic headache
medicines most often used to prevent cluster headaches
include:
- Calcium channel blockers, such as
verapamil hydrochloride (Calan, Verelan). These are used to prevent or reduce
the number of headaches in a cluster period. Verapamil hydrochloride is
commonly used for preventing both occasional and chronic cluster headaches.
- Lithium. Lithium carbonate (Eskalith,
Lithobid) is thought to affect the brain's biological clock (hypothalamus), which some experts think is linked to
cluster headaches, although the specific problem or abnormality that triggers
cluster headaches is unclear. Lithium is often prescribed to prevent chronic
cluster headaches.
- Antiseizure medicines, such as divalproex sodium
(Depakote), valproate (Depacon), valproic acid (Depakene), or topiramate
(Topamax). These may be tried if other treatments are not effective.
Corticosteroids, such as prednisone. These medicines
are used to stop cluster headaches for a short time. These medicines give you
some relief from headaches while preventive medicines start to work. This type
of medicine is called a transitional medicine. Corticosteroids are not used as
preventive medicines long term because of bad side effects.
It may
be helpful to identify and avoid headache triggers such as alcohol, cigarettes,
and raising your body temperature with hot baths or exercise during a headache
cycle. For more information, see:
Headaches: Managing headaches.
Keep track of when your cluster headaches happen, how
often they happen, how severe your symptoms are, and what you think may be
causing the headaches. Write it all down in a
headache diary
(What is a PDF document?)
. Take this written record with you when you visit your doctor,
because it can provide valuable information to guide your treatment.
Headaches sometimes require imaging tests, but it is rare that headaches
are the only symptom of a brain tumor. If your symptoms do not clearly indicate
cluster headaches, your doctor may recommend imaging tests (such as a
CT scan or an
MRI) to rule out other possible causes of the
headaches. Talking with your doctor can help you decide whether imaging tests
are right for you. For more information, see:
Should I have imaging tests to evaluate my headaches?
Ongoing treatment
Ongoing treatment for
cluster headaches usually includes taking prescribed
medicines and avoiding headache triggers. It may take several attempts with
different medicines before you find the right one. If a medicine is not
preventing or stopping your headaches, talk with your doctor to see whether
another medicine or a combination of medicines might work better.
Abortive headache treatments are often used to stop a
headache after a cycle of cluster headaches begins. Those most often prescribed
include:
- Ergotamine preparations, such as
ergotamine tartrate with caffeine (such as Cafergot), which narrow blood
vessels to relieve pressure and reduce headache pain.
- High-flow oxygen inhalation therapy, in which you breathe oxygen through a face mask to reduce blood
flow to the brain and relieve headache pain. Around 7 in 10 people treated with
oxygen soon after the start of a headache get relief within 10 to 20
minutes.2 But you need to repeat the treatment when
the next headache begins.
- Intranasal lidocaine, which is taken by nose drops to stop severe headache
pain.
- Triptans (Imitrex, Zomig), which can be injected to
reduce pressure and pain. These medicines can also be taken by mouth as a pill
or sprayed in the nose.
If your cluster headaches come back often or become
chronic, you may want to consider taking a
prophylactic headache medicine to limit the number of
headaches you get during a cycle. These medicines can also make your headaches
less severe. Prophylactic medicines most often used to prevent headaches
include:
- Calcium channel blockers, such as
verapamil hydrochloride (Calan, Verelan). These are used to prevent or reduce
the number of headaches in a cluster period. Verapamil hydrochloride is
commonly used for preventing both occasional and chronic cluster headaches.
- Lithium. Lithium carbonate (Eskalith,
Lithobid) is thought to affect the brain's biological clock (hypothalamus), which some experts think is linked to
cluster headaches, although the specific problem or abnormality that triggers
cluster headaches is unclear. Lithium is often prescribed to prevent chronic
cluster headaches.
- Antiseizure medicines, such as divalproex sodium
(Depakote), valproate (Depacon), valproic acid (Depakene), or topiramate
(Topamax). These may be tried if other treatments are not effective.
Corticosteroids, such as prednisone. These medicines
are used to stop cluster headaches for a short time. These medicines give you
some relief from headaches while preventive medicines start to work. This type
of medicine is called a transitional medicine. Corticosteroids are not used as
preventive medicines long term because of bad side effects.
Identifying and avoiding headache triggers is another way to help prevent
or reduce the number of recurring cluster headaches during a cycle of
headaches. Avoiding alcohol, cigarettes, and certain foods (such as aged
cheeses and processed meats) may help reduce the number of headaches you have
during a cycle. For more information, see:
Headaches: Managing headaches.
Keep track of when your cluster headaches happen, how
often they happen, how severe your symptoms are, and what you think may be
causing the headaches. Write it all down in a
headache diary
(What is a PDF document?)
. Take this written record with you when you visit your doctor,
because it can provide valuable information to guide your treatment.
If your headaches are not relieved by medicines or their pattern changes,
your doctor may recommend imaging tests to rule out other causes of your
headaches. Talking with your doctor can help you decide whether imaging tests
are right for you. For more information, see:
Should I have imaging tests to evaluate my headaches?
Chronic, excruciating, and debilitating cluster headaches
can cause
depression. If your headaches are so painful you feel
depressed, talk to your doctor. Knowing the severity of your symptoms will help
your doctor prescribe the best treatment.
Treatment if the condition gets worse
If your
cluster headaches get worse, change their pattern, or
become chronic, you may want to talk to your doctor about different treatments.
By keeping a
headache diary
(What is a PDF document?)
, you can help identify the pattern of your headaches so you
become aware of any changes and can discuss them with your doctor.
Sometimes changing medicines is all that is needed. It is possible you
may need to try a
prophylactic medicine to prevent headaches rather than
an abortive medicine to stop the headaches as they
occur.
If your headaches are severe or frequent, you may want to
ask your doctor about trying
high-flow oxygen inhalation therapy. Breathing in 100%
oxygen through a face mask soon after a headache begins can eliminate or
greatly reduce pain for many people within 10 to 20 minutes. But the procedure
must be repeated when the next headache in the cycle of headaches begins.
Oxygen therapy is helpful for many people, but it is not effective for
everyone.
If your headache pattern changes, headaches become
worse, or are not helped with medicines, your doctor may recommend imaging
tests to rule out other causes of your headaches. Talking with your doctor can
help you decide whether imaging tests are right for you. For more information,
see:
Should I have imaging tests to evaluate my headaches?
Other rare treatment
Surgery and radiation may be considered after other medical treatments
have failed to improve cluster headaches. Because surgery and radiation can
cause significant, destructive changes in the brain, these treatments are
rarely used. Further study on surgery and radiation therapy for the treatment
of cluster headaches is needed to prove any effectiveness.3
What To Think About
You may need to try several
different medicines or a combination of medicines before finding the most
effective treatment. If your headaches occur infrequently, you may only need to
take medicines as the headaches begin. If your headaches occur regularly, you
may need to take medicines daily during a cluster period to prevent a future
headache or reduce the number of headaches in a cycle.
Prevention
Currently, there is no way to prevent
cluster headaches from developing, because their cause
is unclear. There are medicines that can lower the number of cluster headaches
you get in a cycle. Other medicines can shorten the time you have the
headaches.
But when you are having a cycle of headaches,
identifying and avoiding headache triggers may reduce the severity and duration
of the headaches. Common cluster headache triggers include:
- Alcohol.
- Irregular sleep patterns. Changes in your normal sleep patterns
(especially taking afternoon naps) seem to trigger cluster
headaches.
- Smoking cigarettes.
- Stress. Some
people develop headaches after a stressful event is over.
Reduce stress to prevent headaches with activities
such as regular exercise. For more information, see the topic
Stress Management.
- Certain foods, such as
aged cheeses (bleu cheese, for example) and processed meats (bacon, for
example).
- Raised body temperature. This can happen during exercise
or if you take a hot bath.
Home Treatment
The excruciating pain from
cluster headaches can be debilitating. Identifying and
avoiding triggers (such as alcohol or smoking) can reduce the severity and
duration of headache cycles.
You can manage your headaches at home
by:
- Using
high-flow oxygen inhalation therapy, which is inhaled
through a loose face mask and for many people can relieve headache pain within
10 to 20 minutes.
- Taking the proper dose of medicine when the first
headache starts.
- Taking your preventive headache medicine daily as
prescribed.
- Keeping track of when your cluster headaches happen,
how often they happen, how severe your symptoms are, and what you think may be
causing the headaches. Write it all down in a
headache diary
(What is a PDF document?)
. Take this written record with you when you visit your doctor,
because it can provide valuable information to guide your treatment.
Learning to effectively manage headaches at home may help
reduce the severity and duration of the headache cycles. For more information,
see:
Headaches: Managing headaches.
If your headaches become more severe and medicines are not
working, let your doctor know. You may need to try a different medicine or a
combination of medicines. You may also need to be referred to a hospital or
headache clinic for more intensive treatment.
Chronic cluster
headaches can lead to
stress and
depression, which in turn can continue the headache
cycle. Finding ways to
cope with stress (such as with regular exercise) and
improve depression may reduce the severity or frequency of your cluster
headaches.
If your cluster headaches tend to start during sleep,
you may find yourself trying to stay awake to avoid getting another cluster
headache. But regular sleep helps you prevent cluster headaches. If you are
trying to stay awake or not getting good sleep because of your fear of cluster
headaches, talk to your doctor about your options. You may be able to take a
medicine before you go to sleep that can help prevent headaches.
Medications
Medicines may stop a
cluster headache after it starts and prevent
additional headaches from occurring. Finding the right medicine can take some
time. You may need a combination of medicines to effectively treat your cluster
headaches.
Medication Choices
Treatments used to stop cluster headaches are called
abortive headache treatments and most often
include:
- Ergotamine preparations, such as
ergotamine tartrate with caffeine (such as Cafergot), which narrow blood
vessels to relieve pressure and reduce headache pain.
- High-flow oxygen inhalation therapy, in which you breathe oxygen through a face mask to reduce blood
flow to the brain and relieve headache pain. Around 7 out of 10 people treated
with oxygen soon after the start of a headache get relief within 10 to 20
minutes.2 But you need to repeat the treatment when
the next headache begins.
- Intranasal lidocaine, which is taken by nose drops to stop severe headache
pain.
- Triptans (Imitrex, Zomig), which can be injected to
reduce pressure and pain. These medicines can also be taken by mouth as a pill
or sprayed in the nose.
Medicines that prevent cluster headaches during a cluster
period are called
prophylactic headache medicines. You must take these
medicines every day during a cycle of headaches, even on days when you do not
get a headache. They include:
- Calcium channel blockers, such as
verapamil hydrochloride (Calan, Verelan). These medicines are used to prevent
cluster headaches or reduce the number of headaches in a cluster period.
Verapamil hydrochloride is commonly used for preventing both occasional and
chronic cluster headaches.
- Lithium. Lithium carbonate (Eskalith,
Lithobid) is thought to affect the brain's biological clock (hypothalamus), which some experts think is linked to
cluster headaches, although the specific problem or abnormality that triggers
cluster headaches is unclear. Lithium is often prescribed to prevent chronic
cluster headaches.
- Antiseizure medicines, such as divalproex sodium
(Depakote), valproate (Depacon), valproic acid (Depakene), or topiramate
(Topamax). These may be tried if other treatments are not effective.
Corticosteroids, such as prednisone. These medicines
are used to stop cluster headaches for a short time. These medicines give you
some relief from headaches while preventive medicines start to work. This type
of medicine is called a transitional medicine. Corticosteroids are not used as
preventive medicines long term because of bad side effects.
What To Think About
Over-the-counter pain medicines, such as aspirin, acetaminophen,
and ibuprofen, usually do not relieve the severe pain of cluster headaches.
Also, prescription narcotic pain medicines are not recommended for cluster
headaches. Such prescription medicines that are not recommended include
hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen (Vicodin), propoxyphene napsylate and
acetaminophen (Darvocet), oxycodone hydrochloride (OxyContin), oxycodone
hydrochloride and acetaminophen (Percocet), and morphine.
When a
cluster headache occurs, it is important to use as early as possible the
medicine your doctor has recommended. The sooner you treat the headache, the
less painful it may be.
The choice of medicine may depend on the
time of day when your headaches tend to occur. Some people may need a
combination of 2 or 3 medicines. Keeping track of your symptoms can help your
doctor determine the proper medicine. You can keep track by using a
headache diary
(What is a PDF document?)
.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
issued a warning on antiseizure medicines and the risk of suicide and suicidal
thoughts. The FDA does not recommend that people stop using these medicines.
Instead, people who take antiseizure medicine should be watched closely for
warning signs of suicide. People who take antiseizure
medicine and who are worried about this side effect should talk to a
doctor.
Surgery
Surgery for
cluster headaches usually involves cutting or
interrupting the nerves that send pain signals to the face. Another procedure
is radiation, which uses a high-intensity beam to disrupt pain signals from the
trigeminal nerve, which regulates sensation to the face. But not much research
exists on the long-term effectiveness of these procedures, and they are rarely
done to treat cluster headaches.3
Other Treatment
While medicines may
effectively control
cluster headache pain or reduce the number of
headaches in a cycle, another treatment to consider is
high-flow oxygen inhalation therapy.
During high-flow oxygen inhalation therapy, you breathe in 100% oxygen through
a face mask soon after a headache begins. Usually, the headache pain stops
within 10 to 20 minutes. This therapy may prevent additional headaches in the
cycle from occurring. But if another headache does occur, you will need to
repeat the procedure as soon as the next headache in the cycle begins. This
treatment may be more effective in people under the age of 50 who only
occasionally have cluster headaches.
High-flow oxygen inhalation
therapy will not prevent cluster headaches. It provides only temporary relief
of headache pain. Also, you'll need an oxygen tank near you at all times for
immediate treatment when a cluster headache cycle begins. Some people find this
inconvenient or not possible.
Other Places To Get Help
Organizations
| American Council for Headache Education
(ACHE) |
| 19 Mantua Road |
| Mount Royal, NJ 08061 |
| Phone: | (856) 423-0258 |
| Fax: | (856) 423-0082 |
| E-mail: | achehq@talley.com |
| Web Address: | www.achenet.org |
| |
The American Council for Headache Education is dedicated to
advancing the treatment and management of headache and to raising the public
awareness of headache as a valid, biologically based illness. ACHE's goals are
to empower headache sufferers through education and to support them by
educating their families, employers, and the public in general. ACHE was formed
in 1990 through an initiative of the American Headache Society (AHS), an
organization of 1,700 physicians, health professionals, and research
scientists. |
|
| National Headache Foundation (NHF) |
| 820 North Orleans |
|
Suite 217 |
| Chicago, IL 60610 |
| Phone: | 1-888-643-5552 |
| E-mail: | info@headaches.org |
| Web Address: | http://www.headaches.org |
| |
The National Headache Foundation is a
nonprofit organization dedicated to three major goals: educating the public
that headaches are serious disorders and sufferers need understanding and
continuity of care; promoting research into potential headache causes and
treatments; and serving as an information resource to sufferers, their
families, and doctors who treat them. The NHF can provide lists of local
doctors specializing in headache treatment. It also has a monthly newsletter
and many pamphlets on a variety of topics related to the different headache
syndromes. |
|
References
Citations
Ropper AH, Brown RH (2005). Cluster headache section
of Headache and other craniofacial pains. In Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology, 8th ed., pp. 155-157. New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Evans RW (2003). Headaches. In Saunders Manual of Neurologic Practice, pp. 25-32.
Philadelphia: Saunders.
Capobianco DJ, Dodick DW (2006). Diagnosis and
treatment of cluster headache. Seminars in Neurology,
26(2): 242-259.
Other Works Consulted
Bahra A, et al. (2002). Cluster headache: A
prospective clinical study with diagnostic implications. Neurology, 58(3): 354-361.
Diamond S (2007). Migraine headaches. Diagnosing and Managing Headaches, 5th ed., pp. 55-115. Caddo,
OK: Professional Communications.
Raskin NH, Green MW (2005). Cluster headache
section of Migraine and other headaches. In LP Rowland, ed., Merritt's Neurology, 11th ed., pp. 986-987. Philadelphia:
Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Credits
| Author | Monica Rhodes |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman, MATC |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Colin Chalk, MD, CM, FRCPC - Neurology |
| Last Updated | April 11, 2008 |