Suffered these pains in my head last week until it got that severe that I ended up at A&E, They diagnosed it as CH, but seen GP and he's given me more sumatriptan and Antibiotics for the sinuses not sure on why with the sinuses??.  Is there anyone there who can explain to me what your like after these attacks??  I've not had one for 4-5 days now but suffering with stiff neck all day and occasionally feel drowsy??.  Can anyone explain if this is usual or is this part of the waiting game for the attacks??, I'm back to the GP in 10 days.  Hope someone might be able to give more ideas etc as at the moment my GP thinks its just my sinuses due to CH should affect both sides????

Pain/stiffness in the back of the neck on the side as the attacks is common.  I believe it's some sort of occipital nerve ganglion.  You'll hear people here call it the cluster bump.  Often you'll see people rubbing that part of their neck shortly before an attack.

Hi Al,  Welcome!

Can you tell us a little about your pain?  Is it on both sides?

Welcome! So many newbies this month!

Sinus issue is a common symptom of CH. Its not the cause. Sinus meds wont help with your CH. Be careful of taking too much sumatriptan. Its not meant to be used often and I believe it causes rebound headaches. Most people here deal with the pain with O2 from what I learned in my brief time on this board.  Try to relax. Theres a wealth of info here to make your life easier.

Also, the pain in CH is always on one side and one side only.  Also, I am not sure about neck stiffness. Check out the wikipedia entry on ClusterHeadaches and tell us if thats what you are experiencing.

Hi, Thanks for the replies, wasn't expecting them so quickly!!

Replying to Jeannie :-  The pains I had last week was in the right hand side of my face affecting the temple, eye and the very painful headache,  Since this has happened only took sumatriptan once which was Sunday!!  And I'm taking Amoxicillin everyday which the doc told me to for the sinuses?? Seems strange due to the headaches??.  The thing that's bothering me at the mo is the stiff neck and the drowsiness?

Maybe your GP is thinking that inflamed sinuses are triggering your CH?

The pain in your neck and the drowsiness may be what we call a shadow.  It is when you experience  the symptoms of a CH attack but not the intense and severe pain.   It can last all day, every day for me.  

Has your doctor spoken to you about preventatives such as Verapamil?  I have had very good success with it.

Pain free wishes ,

Jeannie

Hi Al,
I have always had the stiff neck and stiff shoulder before an attack, and during an attack I can also feel an actual bump around the occipital area.  I had an occipital nerve block April 9, and so far it has kept my headaches down from 3-6 a day to 2-3 a day, and I've even had some days off!  Yay - vacation!  But the absolute best thing to use is OXYGEN!!!!! It works for me within 5 minutes.  No other pain meds have been able to touch it.  I was also sent to an ENT about the sinuses before I was diagnosed but that was not even a problem.  It just seems like it because your nose gets a little runny (that's because you're crying - duh).  Ask your doctor about an oxygen RX (check for the specifics at left) before anthing else.  As far as the drowsiness, I always start yawning immediately after an attack.

Welcome Al

My eye doctor actually diagnosed me first after I went to him three years in a row thinking my eyes were having problems due to the pain.  Regular doctors told me it was just sinus headaches.  I have the stabbing pain in my eye and my sinuses, I don't have the pain you seem to.  You'll learn fast we all have something a little different, and we all react different to different treatments.  Some of us can use O2, some of us can use different types of drugs, whatever works for you.  It's all trial and error until you find what works.  The bad part is what works one time may not work the next.  Not the best news, but that's the nature of the Beast.  But as I found out fast, this board is a wonderful area for information and support.

If it helps, mild stiffness in the neck and shoulders is one of the side effects I have when taking sumatriptan. It's noticeable, though not strong enough to cause me any problems.