hi Mallory

welcome, I know what you mean about people saying 'oh I have migraines too' or 'yes I get really bad sinus headaches', Im not saying their pain isnt bad - I get bad migraines too - but it is just not up on the scale with CH!

Has your doc talked to you about oxygen? mine still won't prescribe it to me but I know it helps a lot of folks, I'm on verapamil at the moment - has your doc mentioned trying a drug to try to prevent the attacks?

I find Maxalt (rizatriptan) does work for my CH, but it takes 30 - 40 mins to kick in which is just far too long, Ive got sumatriptan in the nasal spray and there are injections too which work a lot faster (although I dont have those - doc reluctant again!).


hope you get some relief soon



Fran

The Maxalt MLT is a triptan that melts under the tongue and if it works, usually does so in 10 minuutes or less.  I used to find them helpful, now, not so much!  Imitrix injections are especially good for nighttime hits.

O2 is one of the best abortives and it is cheap, no side effects.  My insurance won't cover it but it is a manageable expense.  Check out the oxygen info to the left (highlighted in yellow).

Talk to your dr about Verapamil; it is a good med for preventing the beast from breaking out.  My neuro started me and last year I found that 240mg worked but I now take 480.  Lithium is another that many are on. 

Oh!  Another thing I learned about here are energy drinks with caffeine and taurine!  I like Rock Star Light Vanilla; Red Bull is another brand (I don't like bubbles).  When out and about and away from O2, I might take Maxalt with an energy drink and coffee!  Believe it or not, it works as an abortive and I do not get wired.

Check out the medication and treatments threads; you'll learn a lot. 

Good luck and may you be PF!

An excellent first learning article. Get the whole thing, 2nd line link.
=========

 
Cluster headache.
From: Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or (Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases)
[Easy to read; one of the better overview articles I've seen. Suggest printing the full length article if you are serious about keeping a good medical library on the subject.]

Leroux E, Ducros A.

ABSTRACT: Cluster headache (CH) is a primary headache disease characterized by recurrent short-lasting attacks (15 to 180 minutes) of excruciating unilateral periorbital pain accompanied by ipsilateral autonomic signs (lacrimation, nasal congestion, ptosis, miosis, lid edema, redness of the eye). It affects young adults, predominantly males. Prevalence is estimated at 0.5-1.0/1,000. CH has a circannual and circadian periodicity, attacks being clustered (hence the name) in bouts that can occur during specific months of the year. ALCOHOL IS THE ONLY DIETARY TRIGGER OF CH, STRONG ODORS (MAINLY SOLVENTS AND CIGARETTE SMOKE) AND NAPPING MAY ALSO TRIGGER CH ATTACKS. During bouts, attacks may happen at precise hours, especially during the night. During the attacks, patients tend to be restless. CH may be episodic or chronic, depending on the presence of remission periods. CH IS ASSOCIATED WITH TRIGEMINOVASCULAR ACTIVATION AND NEUROENDOCRINE AND VEGETATIVE DISTURBANCES, HOWEVER, THE PRECISE CAUSATIVE MECHANISMS REMAIN UNKNOWN. Involvement of the hypothalamus (a structure regulating endocrine function and sleep-wake rhythms) has been confirmed, explaining, at least in part, the cyclic aspects of CH. The disease is familial in about 10% of cases. Genetic factors play a role in CH susceptibility, and a causative role has been suggested for the hypocretin receptor gene. Diagnosis is clinical. Differential diagnoses include other primary headache diseases such as migraine, paroxysmal hemicrania and SUNCT syndrome. At present, there is no curative treatment. There are efficient treatments to shorten the painful attacks (acute treatments) and to reduce the number of daily attacks (prophylactic treatments). Acute treatment is based on subcutaneous administration of sumatriptan and high-flow oxygen. Verapamil, lithium, methysergide, prednisone, greater occipital nerve blocks and topiramate may be used for prophylaxis. In refractory cases, deep-brain stimulation of the hypothalamus and greater occipital nerve stimulators have been tried in experimental settings.THE DISEASE COURSE OVER A LIFETIME IS UNPREDICTABLE. Some patients have only one period of attacks, while in others the disease evolves from episodic to chronic form.

PMID: 18651939 [PubMed]

Good advice so far....

Before bedtime you might try some Melatonin (OTC) about 9-15mg. It helps you get thru the REM sleep (where the CH occurs) and gets you some rest. Don't get discouraged if it doesn't work the first time you take it.... keep taking it. It works for a lot of us. (Took me three tries till I finally kept it up - now I swear by it).

O2, O2, O2.  Used properly, it's the greatest thing since sliced bread in my opinion. Read the info on the left...

Hugs BD