Good to see him talk about o2:

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Cluster headache provokes heavy pain
By Dr. Paul Donohue
SPECIAL TO THE POST-DISPATCH
09/17/2009

Dear Dr. Donohue — My son has three or four cluster headaches a day. His insurance allows him only nine pills a month to control these horrible headaches. He uses Imitrex, and there is now a generic form of the drug, but it still has a high price. He does not have the income to pay such prices.

Will there ever be a cure for this headache?

One thing about my life that makes me happy is that I don't suffer from cluster headaches. The pain of this sort of headache raises it to the level of torture. A cluster headache is a one-sided headache, usually felt behind the eye. On that same side, the eye turns red, and tears flow from it. The nostril on that side often drips. It's mostly a male thing. For every woman who has cluster headaches, there are five men who have them.

These headaches got their name because they come in clusters, a few to many times each day, and in clusters of days to weeks for months at a time. They go away, but they always return. Unlike migraine headaches, which drive people to lie down in a quiet, dark room, cluster headaches provoke people to pace about in a frenzy.
Medicines exist both for terminating the headaches and for preventing them.

Imitrex (sumatriptan) is one. It comes in a self-injectable form, which provides quick action. It is expensive, and I don't know when the price will drop. Your son might find renting an oxygen tank more economical. Breathing oxygen through a face mask can often put an end to the headache. Perhaps his insurance will cover the cost. Lidocaine nose drops also work, and they aren't costly.

Your son needs to concentrate on preventive medicines, taken when the headache has gone. Verapamil is a generic medicine whose price is modest, and it can stop the clusters of these headaches. So can prednisone. Two other preventive medicines are lithium and topiramate.

The booklet on headaches describes the more common ones and their treatment. It doesn't deal with cluster headaches. Readers can order a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue — No. 901, Box 536475, Orlando, Fla. 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 with the recipient's printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

Kind of generic, but good exposure nonetheless.

Yet some myths abound: 5 out of 6 sufferers are male? Sheesh.

There was an article in the Toronto Sun recently, specific to migraine but did mention Cluster's.

I contacted the columnist and asked if she intended to do a follow up on Clusters.

She said that she was very much interested in Cluster Headaches and was pressing her editor to let her do a piece.

I told her of the site and she asked if she could talk to me on the subject. No brainer, yes of course. We shall see what developes.

Really hope she calls!

Iddy