Main Menu

Cluster headache

Cluster headache exhibits a clustering of painful attacks over a period of many weeks. The pain of cluster headache peaks in five minutes and lasts for an hour. Person suffering from cluster headache gets several headache a day for weeks or months. Cluster headaches are of following types:

Episodic: This is very common. A person has two or three headaches a day for about two months and does not experience another headache for a year. This will then repeat itself.
Chronic: It is similar to the upper one with the only difference being that in this there is no period of untreated sustained relief.

Causes of Cluster headaches :

Cluster headache begins in the nerve that carries sensation from head the brain and ends with the blood vessels that surround the brain.
The pain arises in the deep vascular channels in head and does not involve trigeminal system

Symptoms of Cluster headaches :

The pain comes without warning and begins as a burning sensation on the sides of nose or deep in eyes. It has he feeling as having an ice pick driven through eyes. This stabbing eye pain carries with it a rapid electrical-shock like element, which last for a few seconds, and a deeper element that continues for a half-hour or longer. The pain always begins in eye and always on one side of face.

The headache comes on just after sleep.
Eyelid on the affected side will droop
The person will feel one sided nasal stuffiness and runny nose
Eye on the affected side will tear.

The person and the doctor should work out a plan so to know which type of pain the person can deal with at home, which require to call doctor and which require an immediate trip to hospital. You should call the doctor if you develop a new side-effect from the medicines you are taking. You should go to the hospital under the following circumstances:

When the pain prevents eating and drinking.
When the current medicines does not control the pain.
When the person have a change in severity or increased frequency of headaches or a headaches that feels different from previous headaches.
When the person experience side-effects from medications such as severe drowsiness and nausea and vomiting.

Treatment of Cluster headaches :

Self treatment at home:

Cluster headache can be treated at home under a doctor’s care. Treatment involves two types of care and patients require both at the same time

Preventive treatment: This includes ongoing use of medications proven effective in holding off headaches or limiting their number, even when the person is not experiencing headache. Examples are drugs like beta-blockers (propranolol [Inderal], atenolol [Tenormin]), anticonvulsants (topiramate [Topamax], divalproex [Depakote], carbamazepine [Tegretol]), tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline [Elavil], nortriptyline [Aventyl]), and calcium channel blockers
Abortive treatment: This treatment is designed to stop headaches once it has started. Medications include ergotamine (Bellamine, Cafergot), acetaminophen-isometheptene-dichloralphenazone (Midrin), dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45 Injection, Migranal Nasal Spray), and more recently, the drugs of the triptan family (almotriptan [Axert], eletriptan [Relpax], frovatriptan [Frova], naratriptan [Amerge], rizatriptan [Maxalt], sumatriptan [Imitrex], zolmitriptan [Zomig])

Hair Loss Doctor