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What can be done for cluster headaches?
I have cluster headaches which will run for several days and then stop and come back in a very short period. What can be done to relieve the stress and tension that is causing these headaches. The doctor said my muscles are constricting due to stress and causing the headaches. What can I do to relieve the painful headaches and remove the tension that causes the headaches?
I try to stretch my head down to my chest to keep them from tightening so much, but I think there might be a better method. Are there exercises that could be done to make the muscles not tighten to the point of causing these clusters of headaches?
I try to stretch my head down to my chest to keep them from tightening so much, but I think there might be a better method. Are there exercises that could be done to make the muscles not tighten to the point of causing these clusters of headaches?
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Cluster headache
MedlinePlus Topics
Headache
Images
Brain
Hypothalamus
Cause of headaches
Pain of cluster headache
Read More
Chronic
Headache
Migraine
Serum serotonin level
Patient Instructions
Headache - what to ask your doctor
A cluster headache is one-sided head pain that may involve tearing of the eyes and a stuffy nose. Attacks occur regularly for 1 week to 1 year, separated by long pain-free periods that last at least 1 month, possibly longer.
See also:
Headache
Migraine headache
Tension headache
Causes
Cluster headaches are a fairly common form of chronic, repeated headaches. They are more common in men than women. The headaches can occur at any age but are most common in adolescence and middle age. The tend to run in families.
Scientists do not know exactly what causes cluster headaches, but they appear to be related to the body's sudden release of histamine or serotonin.
The following may trigger cluster attacks:
Alcohol and cigarette smoking
High altitudes (trekking, air travel)
Bright light (including sunlight)
Exertion
Heat (hot weather, hot baths)
Foods high in nitrites (such as bacon and preserved meats)
Certain medications (including nitroglycerin and various blood pressure medications)
Cocaine
Symptoms
A cluster headache begins as a severe, sudden headache. The headache most commonly strikes 2 to 3 hours after falling asleep, usually during the dreaming (rapid eye movement, or REM) phase. However, the headache may occur while you are awake. The headache tends to occur at the same time of day.
The pain occurs on one side of the head. It may be described as:
Burning
Sharp
Steady
The pain may occur in, behind, and around one eye. It may:
Involve one side of the face from neck to temples
Quickly gets worse, peaking within 5 to 10 minutes
The strongest pain may last 30 minutes to 2 hours.
The eye and nose on the same side of the head pain may also be affected. Symptoms can include:
Swelling under or around the eye (may affect both eyes)
Excessive tearing
Red eye
Rhinorrhea (runny nose) or one-sided stuffy nose (same side as the head pain)
Red, flushed face
Cluster headaches may occur daily for months, alternating with periods without headaches (episodic), or they can recur for a year or more without stopping (chronic).
Exams and Tests
Your health care provider can diagnosis this type of headache by performing a physical exam and asking questions about your symptoms and medical history.
If a physical exam is done during an attack, the exam will usually reveal Horner syndrome (one-sided eyelid drooping or a small pupil). These symptoms will not be present at other times. No other neurological changes will be seen.
Tests, such as an MRI of the head, may be needed to rule out other causes for the headaches.
Treatment
Treatment does not cure cluster headaches. The goal of treatment is to relieve symptoms. The headaches may go away on their own, or you may need treatment to prevent them.
Smoking, alcohol use, specific foods, and other factors that seem to trigger cluster headaches should be avoided. A headache diary can help you identify your headache triggers. When you get a headache, write down the day and time the pain began. The diary should include notes about what you ate and drank in the last 24 hours, how much you slept and when, and what was going on in your life immediately before the pain started. For example, were you under any unusual stress? Also include information about how long the headache lasted, and what made it stop.
Treatment for cluster headaches involves:
Methods to treat the pain when it happens
Medicines to prevent the headaches
Your doctor may recommend the following treatments for when the headaches occurs:
Triptans, such as sumatriptan (Imitrex)
Several weeks of anti-inflammatory (steroid) medicines such as prednisone -- starting with a high dose, then gradually decreased
Breathing in 100% (pure) oxygen, often relieves cluster headache for some people, particularly for frequent cluster headaches that occur at night
Injections of the drug known as dihydroergotamine (DHE), which can stop cluster attacks within 5 minute (Warning: this drug can be dangerous if taken with sumatriptan)
A combination of medicines may be needed to control headache symptoms. Because each person responds differently to medicine, your doctor may have you try several medications before deciding which works best for you.
Painkillers do not usually relieve the pain from cluster headaches. Generally, they take too long to work.
The following medications may also be used to treat or prevent headache symptoms:
Antiseizure medications such as topiramate and valproic acid
Indomethacin or naproxen
Lithium carbonate
Calcium channel blockers such as verapamil
Propranolol
Amitriptyline
Cyproheptadine
In rare cases, surgery on certain nerve cells near the brain may be recommended if medications do not work.
Outlook (Prognosis)
Cluster headaches are not life-threatening and usually cause no permanent structural changes. However, they are chronic and often painful enough to interfere with work or lifestyle. Occasionally, the pain may be so severe that some people may consider self harm.
Side effects of medications or surgery may be severe.
Possible Complications
Headaches that interfere with daily activities
Horner syndrome
Side effects of medications
Complications due to surgery to treat the headaches, including:
Permanent muscle weakness in the face or head
Decreased sensation in parts of the face or head
When to Contact a Medical Professional
Call for an appointment with your health care provider if cluster headaches do not respond to treatment, if headaches disturb sleep, if they happen whenever you are active, or are accompanied by other symptoms.
Emergency symptoms include drowsiness, vision changes, changes in movement or sensation, seizures, changes in alertness, and nausea or vomiting.
Prevention
If prone to cluster headache, stop smoking. Alcohol use and any foods that are associated with cluster headache may need to be avoided. Medications may prevent cluster headaches in some cases.
Alternative Names
Histamine headache; Headache - histamine; Migrainous neuralgia; Headache - cluster
What can be done to prevent cluster headaches?
People with cluster headaches should remember to take prescribed medications at the doses and times the doctor specifies.
As previously noted, cluster headaches may be triggered by stress, relaxation, extreme temperatures, glare, allergic rhinitis (hay fever), and sexual activity. Eating certain foods sometimes brings on an attack, as does the use of alcohol- or tobacco-containing products. Although avoiding all these triggers all the time is not practical or even possible, people with cluster headaches should try to identify and avoid triggers sure to bring on a headache. Prevention is the best treatment available.
Smoking and high blood pressure can worsen cluster headaches, so it is very important to quit smoking and to lower and control high blood pressure.
MedlinePlus Topics
Headache
Images
Brain
Hypothalamus
Cause of headaches
Pain of cluster headache
Read More
Chronic
Headache
Migraine
Serum serotonin level
Patient Instructions
Headache - what to ask your doctor
A cluster headache is one-sided head pain that may involve tearing of the eyes and a stuffy nose. Attacks occur regularly for 1 week to 1 year, separated by long pain-free periods that last at least 1 month, possibly longer.
See also:
Headache
Migraine headache
Tension headache
Causes
Cluster headaches are a fairly common form of chronic, repeated headaches. They are more common in men than women. The headaches can occur at any age but are most common in adolescence and middle age. The tend to run in families.
Scientists do not know exactly what causes cluster headaches, but they appear to be related to the body's sudden release of histamine or serotonin.
The following may trigger cluster attacks:
Alcohol and cigarette smoking
High altitudes (trekking, air travel)
Bright light (including sunlight)
Exertion
Heat (hot weather, hot baths)
Foods high in nitrites (such as bacon and preserved meats)
Certain medications (including nitroglycerin and various blood pressure medications)
Cocaine
Symptoms
A cluster headache begins as a severe, sudden headache. The headache most commonly strikes 2 to 3 hours after falling asleep, usually during the dreaming (rapid eye movement, or REM) phase. However, the headache may occur while you are awake. The headache tends to occur at the same time of day.
The pain occurs on one side of the head. It may be described as:
Burning
Sharp
Steady
The pain may occur in, behind, and around one eye. It may:
Involve one side of the face from neck to temples
Quickly gets worse, peaking within 5 to 10 minutes
The strongest pain may last 30 minutes to 2 hours.
The eye and nose on the same side of the head pain may also be affected. Symptoms can include:
Swelling under or around the eye (may affect both eyes)
Excessive tearing
Red eye
Rhinorrhea (runny nose) or one-sided stuffy nose (same side as the head pain)
Red, flushed face
Cluster headaches may occur daily for months, alternating with periods without headaches (episodic), or they can recur for a year or more without stopping (chronic).
Exams and Tests
Your health care provider can diagnosis this type of headache by performing a physical exam and asking questions about your symptoms and medical history.
If a physical exam is done during an attack, the exam will usually reveal Horner syndrome (one-sided eyelid drooping or a small pupil). These symptoms will not be present at other times. No other neurological changes will be seen.
Tests, such as an MRI of the head, may be needed to rule out other causes for the headaches.
Treatment
Treatment does not cure cluster headaches. The goal of treatment is to relieve symptoms. The headaches may go away on their own, or you may need treatment to prevent them.
Smoking, alcohol use, specific foods, and other factors that seem to trigger cluster headaches should be avoided. A headache diary can help you identify your headache triggers. When you get a headache, write down the day and time the pain began. The diary should include notes about what you ate and drank in the last 24 hours, how much you slept and when, and what was going on in your life immediately before the pain started. For example, were you under any unusual stress? Also include information about how long the headache lasted, and what made it stop.
Treatment for cluster headaches involves:
Methods to treat the pain when it happens
Medicines to prevent the headaches
Your doctor may recommend the following treatments for when the headaches occurs:
Triptans, such as sumatriptan (Imitrex)
Several weeks of anti-inflammatory (steroid) medicines such as prednisone -- starting with a high dose, then gradually decreased
Breathing in 100% (pure) oxygen, often relieves cluster headache for some people, particularly for frequent cluster headaches that occur at night
Injections of the drug known as dihydroergotamine (DHE), which can stop cluster attacks within 5 minute (Warning: this drug can be dangerous if taken with sumatriptan)
A combination of medicines may be needed to control headache symptoms. Because each person responds differently to medicine, your doctor may have you try several medications before deciding which works best for you.
Painkillers do not usually relieve the pain from cluster headaches. Generally, they take too long to work.
The following medications may also be used to treat or prevent headache symptoms:
Antiseizure medications such as topiramate and valproic acid
Indomethacin or naproxen
Lithium carbonate
Calcium channel blockers such as verapamil
Propranolol
Amitriptyline
Cyproheptadine
In rare cases, surgery on certain nerve cells near the brain may be recommended if medications do not work.
Outlook (Prognosis)
Cluster headaches are not life-threatening and usually cause no permanent structural changes. However, they are chronic and often painful enough to interfere with work or lifestyle. Occasionally, the pain may be so severe that some people may consider self harm.
Side effects of medications or surgery may be severe.
Possible Complications
Headaches that interfere with daily activities
Horner syndrome
Side effects of medications
Complications due to surgery to treat the headaches, including:
Permanent muscle weakness in the face or head
Decreased sensation in parts of the face or head
When to Contact a Medical Professional
Call for an appointment with your health care provider if cluster headaches do not respond to treatment, if headaches disturb sleep, if they happen whenever you are active, or are accompanied by other symptoms.
Emergency symptoms include drowsiness, vision changes, changes in movement or sensation, seizures, changes in alertness, and nausea or vomiting.
Prevention
If prone to cluster headache, stop smoking. Alcohol use and any foods that are associated with cluster headache may need to be avoided. Medications may prevent cluster headaches in some cases.
Alternative Names
Histamine headache; Headache - histamine; Migrainous neuralgia; Headache - cluster
What can be done to prevent cluster headaches?
People with cluster headaches should remember to take prescribed medications at the doses and times the doctor specifies.
As previously noted, cluster headaches may be triggered by stress, relaxation, extreme temperatures, glare, allergic rhinitis (hay fever), and sexual activity. Eating certain foods sometimes brings on an attack, as does the use of alcohol- or tobacco-containing products. Although avoiding all these triggers all the time is not practical or even possible, people with cluster headaches should try to identify and avoid triggers sure to bring on a headache. Prevention is the best treatment available.
Smoking and high blood pressure can worsen cluster headaches, so it is very important to quit smoking and to lower and control high blood pressure.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$Report Abuse
I always go for the natural way of curing ailments. So I would suggest you check this out: Resolve Headaches
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M$
Well, this may sound harsh but forget the doctor and forget the answers that anybody provides you - - we are all*all* massively different and pretty much no one knows much about these things... it is a reality
But - check out the lists and stop eating the things you read on the list, main targets are red wine and beer (and most alcohol in general but true draught beer may be okay); tomatoes, dairy (milk and cheese) and sugar
Next, find a true specialising neurologist - by true I mean one who differentiates between migraine and clusters - - it took me almost 20 years before I really knew what I had
(by the way, when you get the headaches nothing will really help, although a good acupuncturist can help you identify pressure points (middle of forehead between eyes, skin between thumb and forefinger on hand opposite the side where you feel the pain)
So, at the doc you are looking for steroid treatments - to diminish and hoefully prevent them (i am occasional, not chronic - if i were chronic i can't see how I would have survived all of these years in constant pain - true clusters every year or so is bad enough)
You are also looking for a prescription for sumatriptan - injectors are best with 3-5 minutes response; inhalers and sublinguals are slower at 10-15 minutes and pills at 30 - but they stop the pain! Also available is a prophylactic but can be taken only occasionally as well.
I also recommend a prescription for o2 - breathe 100% for 10-15 minutes will often dismiss all but my worst headaches - since you can't use drugs all the time!
follow the doc - but believe yourself - if you are told some thing that doesn't work then stand up and say so - - you will find the doc learning as well, much of the time
but don't waste a moment with your GP - they do not get it and can't possibly study it in depth (compared to all else they need to do)
hope this was helpful!
But - check out the lists and stop eating the things you read on the list, main targets are red wine and beer (and most alcohol in general but true draught beer may be okay); tomatoes, dairy (milk and cheese) and sugar
Next, find a true specialising neurologist - by true I mean one who differentiates between migraine and clusters - - it took me almost 20 years before I really knew what I had
(by the way, when you get the headaches nothing will really help, although a good acupuncturist can help you identify pressure points (middle of forehead between eyes, skin between thumb and forefinger on hand opposite the side where you feel the pain)
So, at the doc you are looking for steroid treatments - to diminish and hoefully prevent them (i am occasional, not chronic - if i were chronic i can't see how I would have survived all of these years in constant pain - true clusters every year or so is bad enough)
You are also looking for a prescription for sumatriptan - injectors are best with 3-5 minutes response; inhalers and sublinguals are slower at 10-15 minutes and pills at 30 - but they stop the pain! Also available is a prophylactic but can be taken only occasionally as well.
I also recommend a prescription for o2 - breathe 100% for 10-15 minutes will often dismiss all but my worst headaches - since you can't use drugs all the time!
follow the doc - but believe yourself - if you are told some thing that doesn't work then stand up and say so - - you will find the doc learning as well, much of the time
but don't waste a moment with your GP - they do not get it and can't possibly study it in depth (compared to all else they need to do)
hope this was helpful!
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
