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Easy Appointment Booking

Get cluster headache treatment online quickly and easily. Book a virtual appointment, speak to a doctor from home, and receive a personalised plan to help manage and reduce the frequency of your painful headaches.

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Personalised Pain Management

Find relief with cluster headache treatment online. Our doctors provide tailored pain relief strategies and prevention tips to help reduce attacks. Access professional advice that fits your needs without the hassle of visiting a clinic.

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Ongoing Care Support

Receive ongoing support after your cluster headache treatment online. Our medical team will monitor your progress, make necessary adjustments to your plan, and help you manage your headaches confidently and conveniently.

Medically Reviewed

By

Chrysoula I. Liakou

MD, PhD, Internal Medicine Specialist and
Cancer Immunology Researcher.

What Is A Cluster Headache?

A cluster headache is a very painful type of headache. It usually happens in groups or "clusters," where you get several headaches close together. The pain is intense and usually feels like it’s around one eye or on one side of your head. Each headache can last from 15 minutes to three hours and may occur up to eight times a day. These headaches often come at the same time each day, and you might even wake up from sleep because of the pain.

 

Cluster periods can go on for weeks or months and then suddenly stop. After a cluster period ends, you might not have headaches for months or even years before they return. Cluster headaches are rare, affecting fewer than 1 in 1,000 people, and they happen more often in men than women. Most people get them in their teens or twenties, but they can happen at any age.

 

Experts don’t know exactly what causes cluster headaches, but they think a nerve in your face is involved, creating severe pain around one eye. The pain is so bad that many people can’t sit still and might pace during an attack. While there’s no cure, treatments can help make the attacks shorter, reduce the pain, and prevent the headaches from happening as often.

Cluster Headache Symptoms

Cluster headaches come on suddenly, often without any warning. They are known for causing extreme pain and can feel much worse than other types of headaches. The pain is usually very intense and sharp, often described as stabbing. It is generally centred in, behind, or around one eye but can also spread to other areas of the face, head, and neck.

Common symptoms of cluster headaches include:

  • Severe Pain: Usually on one side of the head, often around or behind one eye.

  • Eye Symptoms: Redness, watering, or swelling around the eye on the side that hurts. The eyelid may droop, and the pupil might appear smaller.

  • Nasal Symptoms: A stuffy or runny nose on the side of the pain.

  • Sweating: Your forehead or face may become sweaty.

  • Skin Changes: Redness or changes in skin colour on the side of the face where you feel pain.

  • Restlessness: The pain can be so bad that many people feel agitated, paces, or rock back and forth.

Cluster headaches often happen in cycles and may occur simultaneously each day, even waking you up from sleep. The symptoms usually get very severe within five to ten minutes, making it hard to stay still.

Cluster Headache Causes

Doctors don’t fully understand the exact cause of cluster headaches, but they have some strong ideas about how they might start. Here are some key causes and triggers explained simply:

  • The Hypothalamus:

    • The hypothalamus is a small part of the brain that controls things like sleep, body temperature, and your daily body clock.

    • If it isn’t working correctly, it might set off cluster headaches.

  • Blood Vessel Changes:

    • During a cluster headache, blood vessels in the brain and face widen.

    • This widening puts pressure on the trigeminal nerve, which sends sensations from the face to the brain, causing severe pain around one eye or on one side of the head.

  • Chemical Releases:

    • Sudden releases of chemicals like histamine (involved in allergies) and serotonin (helps send nerve signals) may trigger the pain.

  • Common Triggers:

    • Drinking alcohol, bright lights, hot weather, and eating foods with nitrites (like processed meats) can set off cluster headaches, especially during a headache cycle.

    • Cluster headaches often happen in a pattern, lining up with seasonal changes, possibly because of the link to the hypothalamus.

Keeping a journal of your headaches, what you eat, and your activities can help identify specific triggers and patterns.

Cluster Headache Treatment

Treating cluster headaches focuses on relieving the intense pain quickly and preventing future attacks. Although there’s no cure, various treatments can help manage symptoms and reduce the frequency of headaches.

Pain Relief Options

When a cluster headache starts, fast-acting treatments can help relieve the pain:

  • Oxygen Therapy: Breathing 100% pure oxygen through a mask can ease the pain within 15 minutes for most people. However, it might not be practical always to have oxygen equipment nearby.

  • Triptans: These medications, like sumatriptan (Imitrex) or zolmitriptan (Zomig), are given as injections or nasal sprays and work by narrowing blood vessels to reduce pain. Injections act quickly and are very effective.

  • Dihydroergotamine (DHE): This is a prescription drug that can be given through an injection or inhaled. The injectable form works faster than the inhaled version.

  • Lidocaine Nasal Spray: A local anesthetic used as nasal drops to help relieve pain.

Preventive Medications

Doctors may also prescribe medicines to prevent headaches from starting or reduce how often they occur:

  • Calcium Channel Blockers: Medications like verapamil are commonly used to prevent cluster headaches.

  • Corticosteroids: Drugs like prednisone reduce nerve inflammation and can be helpful for short-term prevention.

  • Lithium Carbonate: Sometimes used to manage chronic cluster headaches.

  • Occipital Nerve Block: This involves an injection of an anesthetic and steroids at the base of the skull to block pain and reduce symptoms temporarily.

Surgical Options

In rare cases where medications don’t work or aren’t well tolerated, surgery may be considered. This might involve procedures to block or stimulate nerves associated with the pain, but these are only used as a last resort due to the risk of side effects.

Researchers are also exploring new treatments, such as nerve stimulation devices and deep brain stimulation, to provide more options for people with severe cluster headaches.

Cluster Headache Prevention

While you can’t fully stop cluster headaches from happening, there are ways to lower the chances of triggering an attack. Here are some simple tips:

  • Avoid Common Triggers:

    • Stay away from alcohol, especially during a cluster headache period, as it is a common trigger.

    • Try not to smoke, as it can make headaches worse. Quitting or cutting back on smoking can help.

  • Be Careful With Your Environment:

    • Avoid strong smells and hot weather, which can trigger headaches.

    • Avoid foods high in nitrates, like bacon, hot dogs, and preserved meats.

    • Be cautious with hot baths and avoid strenuous activities, especially in high altitudes.

  • Manage Health Conditions:

    • Talk to your doctor if you have sleep apnea or another condition related to your headaches. Treating these conditions might help reduce headaches.

  • Use Preventive Treatments:

    • Some medicines can prevent cluster headaches or make them less severe. Speak to your doctor about which treatments might be right for you.

By avoiding triggers and following your doctor’s advice, you may be able to reduce how often cluster headaches happen and make them less painful. Mobi Doctor offers easy and convenient online consultations for managing cluster headaches. Our doctors can help identify your triggers, suggest effective treatments, and provide guidance to prevent future headaches, all from the comfort of your home.

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