A headache in which pain originates behind or around one eye and generally awakens the individual from sleep; pain may radiate into the temple, jaw, nose, teeth, or chin; the eyelid droops, the eye tears, the face flushes, and the nose congests; causes excruciating pain. Individual headaches last 15 minutes to 3 hours but tend to "cluster", occurring up to several times per day for periods of about 1 to 16 weeks and then not again for months or years. Also: Cluster Headaches

	Cluster Headaches The Condition "Cluster headache (CH), also known as histamine headache, is a specific vascular headache syndrome and one of the most severe forms of headache..." Our Question about your gender "Cluster headaches affect men six times more frequently than women, but afflict less than 0..." Recommendation Tobacco Avoidance "A very strong association exists between smoking and cluster headaches..." Recommendation Oxygen "Breathing pure oxygen (by face mask at a flow rate of 7 liters per minute for 15 minutes or less) provides considerable, rapid relief to most cluster headache sufferers by relaxing constricted blood vessels and thereby raising blood-oxygen levels..." Recommendation Melatonin "A drop in nocturnal melatonin has been linked with cluster headaches, and melatonin supplementation has shown a low but significant preventive capacity for cluster headaches..." Recommendation Magnesium "People who suffer from cluster headaches often have low blood levels of magnesium, and preliminary trials show that intravenous magnesium injections may relieve a cluster headache episode..." Recommendation Lithium "Lithium carbonate, orotate or aspartate has been found to be effective in treating chronic cluster headaches, possibly due to its ability to impact the electrical system within the brain..." Recommendation Conventional Drug Use "...5ml) (Imitrex in the US) is the most effective, reliable, and rapid abortive therapy for cluster headache attacks..." Recommendation Caffeine/Coffee Avoidance "...Both migraine and cluster headaches are associated with heavy caffeine intake, and caffeine withdrawal can cause a headache resembling a migraine..." Headaches The Condition "...Cluster headaches are rare, severe and mainly affect men..." Histamine Therapy As A Treatment "...This led to the use of chronic intravenous or subcutaneous histamine as a type of desensitization therapy, predominately for cluster headaches, sudden hearing loss, and Meniere's Syndrome..."

Last updated: May 10, 2007