1) How do cluster headaches differ from other headaches?
Cluster headaches are considered the most painful condition known to mankind. Women say they are more painful than childbirth. They are known as suicide headaches as the suicide rate among sufferers is 20 times the national average.
They are similar to migraines only in that they affect only one side of the head. Instead of lasting for days as migraine sometimes do, they last "only 45 minutes to 3 hours. They come and go very quickly but when a person is "in cycle" they can have between 3 and 8 attacks per day. REM sleep is a trigger so people can go months without ever sleeping for more than an hour at a time between attacks.
They are similar to migraines only in that they affect only one side of the head. Instead of lasting for days as migraine sometimes do, they last "only 45 minutes to 3 hours. They come and go very quickly but when a person is "in cycle" they can have between 3 and 8 attacks per day. REM sleep is a trigger so people can go months without ever sleeping for more than an hour at a time between attacks.
Some people (about 10%) are chronic and never go out of cycle and have these attacks every day for decades. Most go through cycles that last from 6 weeks to 4 months and then they go away until the same time the following year.
They are tied to the hypothalamus in the brain (our body clock) so they happen at the same time(s) every day.
2) Why is it important to recognize the difference?
People go years being misdiagnosed and never getting prescribed anything that can actually help. Many women go years being treated for migraines as it used to be thought that only men got clusters.
One thing that works well to abort an attack is breathing 100% oxygen at a high flow rate. If they are misdiagnosed they will never be prescribed the best available treatment.
There are no preventives that work really well and it is a difficult search to find something that works but if misdiagnosed they will never find anything to help. With suicide being such a high risk, misdiagnosis does lead to increased suicide rates.
One thing that works well to abort an attack is breathing 100% oxygen at a high flow rate. If they are misdiagnosed they will never be prescribed the best available treatment.
There are no preventives that work really well and it is a difficult search to find something that works but if misdiagnosed they will never find anything to help. With suicide being such a high risk, misdiagnosis does lead to increased suicide rates.
3) What are some treatment and management options for people who have cluster headaches?
There has never been a medication brought to market to specifically treat clusters. Clusterbusters has gotten several research studies underway. At this point there are some medications that can provide some relief to some people but its a long search to find something that works. The most important thing that anyone needs to try to get first is a prescription for high flow oxygen.
Some doctors don't know to prescribe it, many insurance companies don't cover it as medicare does not cover it. Clusterbusters has been working on legislation for many years and trying to get medicare to change their decision for many years. We travel to Washington yearly.
There are approximately 350,000 people in the USA with cluster headaches.
For more information visit our website at www.clusterbusters.org
Some doctors don't know to prescribe it, many insurance companies don't cover it as medicare does not cover it. Clusterbusters has been working on legislation for many years and trying to get medicare to change their decision for many years. We travel to Washington yearly.
There are approximately 350,000 people in the USA with cluster headaches.
For more information visit our website at www.clusterbusters.org
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