Cluster Headaches

Everything you never wanted to know about cluster headaches and would like to soon forget!

Cluster headache has a frequency of just about 69 sufferers per 100,000 people, and is, for that reason, far less common than migraine. Men are affected more commonly than women in a fraction of 6 to 1. Although most patients begin experiencing headache between the ages of twenty and fifty years (an average of thirty years old), the syndrome can begin as early as the childhood, and as late as the elderly. Women with cluster headache are more likely than men to begin going through attacks after the age of fifty. Among women, cluster headaches do not usually show a relationship with menopause, are likely to stop all together during pregnancy, and can be set off by using oral contraception (birth control).

Cluster headache is distinguishing in other ways than just the severity of the pain alone. An outstanding characteristic of cluster headache is that the attacks take place in recurring patterns, known as clusters — which is what gives the condition its name.

Are You Having Cluster Headaches?

If your answer is YES to any of the following, you are having cluster headaches –

1. Your headaches are accompanied by pain in and around one particular eye

2. The painful eye on one side along with that side of your nose usually becomes red, runny and swollen

3. The headaches will often frighten you and others around you, because of how painful they are to you

4. You feel restless with the cluster headaches; your sleep can become interrupted along with your other activities

Cluster headaches almost always begin suddenly (when you are not expecting them), the pain comes on fast, and are more common in men than they are in women. A cluster headache usually lasts about forty-five to ninety minutes, but can be a few minutes, or even last for hours, even up to eight or more hours. Cluster headaches also usually happen at the same time every day for several weeks (about four to eight weeks), which is known as a cluster period. The cluster period usually lasts about four to eight weeks, and can take place every three or four months. This can become a painful and annoyingly disruptive cycle of cluster periods. Although the cluster period pattern does vary from one person to another, most people have one or two cluster periods a year. During remission, no headaches take place for months, and sometimes even years.

Medications/Lifestyles that Can Cause Cluster Headaches –

Some medications can cause cluster headaches, such as nitroglycerin.

Other causes could be heavy smoking, an interruption in your normal sleeping pattern, and/or problems with your hypothalamus.

If you drink alcohol during your cluster periods, your pain will most likely increase. You should avoid alcohol completely until your cluster period.

Stress and anxiety can also bring on cluster headaches.

Are You Having Cluster Headaches Or Not?

Cluster headaches DO NOT seem to run in families, nor are they related to other illnesses or are diseases in your brain. There are no other known causes of cluster headaches than those outlined above.

Some people have been known to do seemingly strange things to relieve the pain of cluster headaches, such as banging your head against something, or pushing your head at each temple with your hands. Make sure you tell your medical professional if you have any of these behaviors, because it will help your medical professional see how painful they really are. You should not be ashamed of these behaviors, because most people who have cluster headaches exhibit these behaviors. Your medical professional needs to know your behaviors as a result of your painful cluster headaches so they can help you better.

There are cluster headache remedies that can help reduce the longevity of the headaches, and the severe pain. Your medical professional can help you relieve this pain with advise, medications, or other methods.

So, How Do You Find A Long-Term Cluster Headache Remedy?

You should track your headaches, and keep track of your symptoms. Make an appointment with your medical professional as soon as possible. With your description of your headaches, your medical professional can help you. Although cluster headaches are very painful, with the right treatment most people find the help they have been searching for. Medicines that help to prevent cluster headaches work well to reduce the number of headaches during your cluster periods. When a cluster headache does occur, medicines can significantly shorten the headache time, and decrease its severity. It is important that you work with your medical professional to find the right treatment for you.