Approximately 90,000 people in Russia suffer from cluster headache. Men are 3 times more likely than women.
It is not possible to achieve satisfactory results and reduce pain by conventional means. However, patients may try to avoid things that cause seizures.
Some patients may benefit from wearing sunglasses or abstaining from coffee.
Cluster headache more often in spring
Cluster headache - one-sided, intense dull or burning pains in the temple and eyes.
It often occurs not only in autumn but also in spring. Common methods that help with stress headache or migraine are often ineffective in cluster form.
Patients should try to find out and then avoid the factors that cause bouts of pain. Some patients may benefit from protection from bright light with sunglasses or abstinence from alcohol and coffee.
Severe and unbearable pain
According to the Association of German Neurologists, pain that always sits unilaterally behind the eye, forehead or temple indicates a cluster headache.
Headaches often occur at a certain time and intensify in spring or autumn. Patients report internal anxiety, cannot lie calmly. They either constantly move or rhythmically move the upper body. In addition, they are aggressive and irritable during attacks.
Typical side effects include runny nose, red, watery eyes, and sometimes redness on the face. If the symptoms are not treated, they last from 15 to 180 minutes, nausea, sensitivity to light and noise can also occur in parallel.
Inhaling pure oxygen helps many patients
According to experts, up to 70% of victims help breathing pure oxygen through a breathing mask that closes the mouth and nose. The procedure is performed within the first 15 minutes after the attack.
If this therapy does not work, your doctor will recommend certain medications.
There are various active ingredients that have proven themselves against the symptoms. Patients should consult a specialist.
Methods of relaxation, stress management, acupuncture, neural therapy, biofeedback, massage and other alternative methods of treating weak cluster headache.
Avoid risk factors to the maximum extent.
To counteract this disease, you need to try to find out, and then avoid the factors that cause bouts of pain. These may include environmental incentives or certain foods. Ideally, a diary is recommended to identify harmful products or incentives.
Since alcohol is a known trigger for headaches, it is best avoided. Smoking marijuana, drinking coffee, or taking nicotine also causes a headache.
Even nuts and glutamate can cause an attack of pain. In addition, some patients respond to glare. Sunglasses protect from bright light.
Preventative therapy
Due to the large number of pain attacks during the active cluster period, preventive therapy is recommended for patients. Calcium channel blockers or corticosteroids should be taken as recommended by your doctor.
Ergotamine and long-acting triptans can be used as part of prophylactic cluster treatment. Which medications are best suited for treatment depends primarily on the individual symptoms of the patient and physical condition.
Selection and adjustment of drugs should be left to experienced neurologists. Self-medication is strictly not recommended.
Prevention is carried out until the periods of the clusters disappear. In chronic pain, pauses between acute periods are often difficult to determine.
If medical measures do not work, there is the possibility of surgical intervention to eliminate cluster headache. However, success rates regarding treatment risks are poor. Therefore, surgical procedures are usually considered only in patients with severe forms of chronic cluster headache.
