What Is a Cluster Headache and How Can I Treat It?

If you’ve ever had the misfortune to experience a cluster headache, you know it’s more than just a garden-variety, take-a-couple-of-ibuprofen-and-it’s-gone headache. 

A cluster headache is one of the more painful neurological issues you can face, which means you’ll need help treating it.

Dr. Jonathan Koning and our team at ReGen Pain Management in Plano and Frisco, Texas, are available to offer treatment and hope. Here’s more information about what a cluster headache is and how you can treat it.

What is a cluster headache?

A cluster headache is an excruciatingly painful headache that typically occurs on one side of your head, around or behind your eye. These headaches usually occur in cyclical patterns or clusters over the course of a few days or weeks.

In addition to headache pain, you may also experience a droopy eyelid, a red and watery eye, a runny nose, facial sweating, and restlessness. Cluster headaches sometimes occur at the same time each day, and they can even wake you from sleep.

We don’t know the exact cause of cluster headaches, but they may be linked to the hypothalamus, which is the part of your brain that regulates your body’s internal clock. Triggers such as alcohol, tobacco, interrupted sleep, or strong odors can sometimes cause an attack as well.

What are the treatment options?

Treatments for cluster headaches fall into a couple of categories: fast-acting for current attacks, and preventative, to keep attacks from happening again.

Treatments that provide immediate relief include oxygen therapy (breathing high-flow, 100% pure oxygen), injectable or nasal triptan medications, and nasal anesthetics.

Another innovative option we offer at ReGen Pain Management is called gammaCore™. We place a handheld, non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation device on the side of your neck, where it delivers a gentle electrical stimulation to your vagus nerve. This stimulation interrupts the pain signals involved in cluster headaches, relieving your symptoms.

gammaCore has been approved to stop acute attacks and help prevent new ones from occurring. There are no medications or drugs involved.

When should I seek treatment?

If you’re experiencing severe headaches that happen often, wake you from sleep, leave you unable to function, and don’t respond to over-the-counter medication, it’s time to seek professional medical attention. You need an accurate diagnosis so we can provide the best treatment.

You don’t have to live with the pain of cluster headaches. Our ReGen Pain Management team is ready and waiting to help. Call our location most convenient to you today to schedule an appointment, or use our online scheduler anytime.