Cluster headaches

Cluster headaches are relatively uncommon headaches occurring in about one in 1000 individuals, affecting men (80%) more frequently than women. These headaches tend to occur in clusters to over weeks or months, followed by a long, headache-free remission period. Cluster headache is a type of primary neurovascular headache that typically includes severe, unrelenting, unilateral pain. The pain is rapid onset and builds to peak in approximately 10 to 15 minutes, lasting for 15 to 180 minutes.

The most common signs and symptoms are restlessness, agitation, conjuctival redness, lacrimation, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, forehead and facial sweating, miosis, ptosis and eyelid edema.

For the treatment, because of the relatively short duration and self-limited nature of cluster headache, oral preparations typically take too long to reach the therapeutic levels. The most effective treatment are those that quickly reacts. For pharmacologic treatments, intranasal lidocaine also may be effective. Oxygen inhalation may be indicated for home use. Phophylatic medications for cluster headaches include ergotamine, verapamil, methysergide, lithium carbonate, corticodteroids, sodium valproate and indomethacin. If cluster headache can never be remove by the medications mentioned, Computed tomography is performed to determined if there is a presence of tumor in the brain. For some instance, surgeries like craniectomy is done to remove the pain receptors that causing headache and to prevent the eruption of this nerve endings.

For the non-pharmacologic treatments, lie down and close your eyes for several minutes then if this will not work. Try hydrotherapy; consume fluids that are 2000 ml in a day and if the headache is still manageable drink low dose analgesia. Avoid environment that are two cold and too hot because this can also be contribute in developing cluster headache. Avoid stressful environments like in your job. Limit the use of gadgets like laptop, cellphones and television because too much radiation can also affect the transmission of nerve transmissions in the brain. Take a lukewarm bath to decrease the pressure. Always maintain a well sleep and rest. Avoid doing jobs during the night that will cause sleeplessness. Maintain a healthy lifestyle, like engaging yourself to sports activities and other type of sports especially swimming because of the researches it was proven to decrease pain of any kind.

Do not take more than the prescript medication and do self medicate because it can cause destruction in the liver decreasing the absorption of the drug until drug tolerance will occur. If you cannot handle the pain already, avoid driving and doing strenuous activities because you're putting yourself at risk for injury. Instead, let someone drive to bring you in the hospital and while you are at the care do deep breathing exercises to increase oxygen in the brain and avoid hypoxia.