For a small segment of the population, cluster headaches can be a debilitating condition that strikes without warning. Cluster headaches attack at seemingly random intervals, for which they gain their name. Patients can go years without a single cluster headache, and suddenly suffer them for days or weeks at a time. The cause behind cluster headaches remains a mystery, although it is thought that stress, alcohol, and drugs are all prompters of the condition. Even without these factors, however, a series of cluster headaches can befall a patient at any time in their life. A cluster headache is easy to differentiate from a normal headache because of its severity and distinct symptoms.
A sufferer of a cluster headache sometimes experiences a runny nose or eyes. The pain tends to focus behind one eye, and is often described as feeling like an icepick. This extremely uncomfortable sensation can become very intense, often times resulting in a pain crisis. The pain is often intense enough to cause irrational behavior and extreme reactions. Immediate treatment is very important. Sedatives and pain killers can do a great deal to mitigate the devastating pain frequently associated with a cluster headache.
Cluster headache treatment is not an exact science. Instead of a lifelong regimen of medication, cluster headache treatment is usually a matter of lifestyle alteration. Avoiding drugs and alcohol should be a mandatory first step. Although prevention is difficult, cluster headache treatment can reduce the pain of the first attack significantly.
Frequent cluster headaches are a definite sign that a visit to the doctor is in order. Although cluster headaches may happen totally at random, they may sometimes be a sign of a deeper neurological issue. If this is the case, it is important that treatment be sought as soon as possible. Some forms of stress management may also be considered effective cluster headache treatment. Although the role of stress in cluster headache treatment cannot be known for certain, it is thought to play a role, and could potentially have an effect on the cluster variety of headaches. Significant emotional stress is known to cause a variety of physiological symptoms, and could play an important role in cluster headaches as well.
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