anyone tried this biofreeze stuff as a local anesthetic on the neck, shoulder and forehead? i tried it and it seems to help a little. if youve used it i wanna know does it in fact numb the nerves in the head as well as the muscles? heradaches are still kicking my ass but using this stuff its as if they dont get over a a kip 7, but it still kills me. again i cant see a doc until march 1st. and now they tell me at work thative got to wait 6-12 months for a pre- existing condition where as before i was told there was no wait because its a group policy. FML!!!! no im at a stand still again. cant i catch a break????

Hey Chris,
I have used Biofreeze on clients. I'm an Ohio Licensed Massage Therapist.  It's a topical pain reliever like Ben Gay, Icy Hot and that sort. Another one you can try is Sombra which is made from capsaicin, the stuff that gives hot peppers their hot-ness. To my knowledge it won't numb the nerves in your head (I teach Anatomy & Physiology) or kill the headaches.

Having said that however, if it is helping with the headaches then I'd recommend seeing a good massage therapist. You might need to call around and find someone who specializes in Neuromuscular Therapy, or better yet, Muscle Release Technique, or one who also does PNF in addition to massage (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation). 
It might be that the headaches are being made worse by tight muscles in the neck and upper shoulders.  I've often been able to give clients with raging headaches (not Clusters unfortunately) considerable relief in just 30minutes. Sometimes these clients get headaches so often it seems like they could be clusters but they're actually really bad muscle tension headaches.
During my cluster cycle I find that the massage I get helps considerably with the muscular tension that comes with the CH's. I don't think it shortens the cycle but, one time toward the end of a cycle I finally got a good night's sleep after an hour long massage on my neck - that was an unexpected (but pleasing) result.
I hope this helps!

Hi Chris,
My DH  - epidodic for 14 years, used biofreeze on his last cycle (2yrs ago), b4 we found this website and knew anything about CH, except that he had it...

He did seem to get some relief, nothing major, it never took away a HA, I picked a new bottle 2 weeks ago as he is in cycle again, and this time he did not get any relief at all.

I believe that massage can help relief the tension and stress that builds up in the body due to CH cycles, but it will not do anything to relief you CH. My DH does try to fit in a few massages just to help relax him, but honestly - he is usually to exhausted to set them up and go - he needs that deep tissue work that my girly hands just can't seem to accomplish.

We just got his o2 set up last night, he has been using Sumatriptan injections this last week (1st time ever) they do help, but our goal is to get off them now that he has oxygen. We have added Licorice Tincture to his diet this last week, we think it MIGHT be doing something (way too soon to say anything), but if you are interested there is a thread on CLUSTERBUSTERS on it. Really nothing definitive at all.
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Sorry I can't be of more help, hoping you find some relief from your pain.
-Holly

Obviously it won't help with the cluster itself but as for the associated pain in the neck, temple and even the jaw line, I use something called "ActivOn".

The primary indication of ActivOn is for joint and muscle pain, I've used it for years for back and knee issues. However, about a year ago I started using it during cluster cycles and it does help. The only issue is that I overused it and actually burned my skin; almost like a sunburn.