Published on 14/03/2024

Cluster Headaches: What it is, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

Before getting into the formal definition of cluster headaches let’s talk a bit about this excruciating condition. Cluster headache is known to be the most painful headache experience ever .

Before getting into the formal definition of cluster headaches let’s talk a bit about this condition. Cluster headache is known to be the most painful headache experience ever. It is nothing like the headaches you have heard about. The pain in this condition is so severe that it has earned the title of suicide headache.

Now, let’s understand what cluster headaches are, how you can recognize them, what are their symptoms, and everything else that you might need to know. 

What is Cluster headaches?

Cluster headaches, commonly known as histamine headaches, are severe one-sided headaches. The intensity of the headache is simply beyond description in words. This neurovascular headache disorder can last 15 minutes to 3 hours.  The pain can occur every day, or on alternative days. 

It is medically interesting to note that for some patients the headaches happen at a particular time, following a particular pattern. For example, many patients experience this pain 

Many patients describe the experience as ‘’someone grabbing their face from the inside and trying to bulge their eyes with a hot poker’’. Countless visuals are present all over the internet that convey the horror of the disorder. 

What are the Types of Cluster headaches? 

Cluster headaches have two types.

• Episodic cluster headaches that happen consistently between one week and one year, followed by a headache-free period of one month or more.

• Chronic cluster headaches happen consistently and continue for longer than one year. It is often followed by a headache-free period that lasts for less than one month.

Refractory Chronic Cluster Headaches

This chronic form of cluster headaches has a minimum number of three extreme headaches a week and they don’t respond to three preventive medications. In this case, cluster headaches are refractory. The European Headache Federation defines treatment-refractory cluster headache as a condition that fails to respond to more than three preventive medicines, potentially becoming intractable. This condition is treated by gamma knife radiosurgery of the trigeminal nerve root entry zone.

How is Cluster headache different than other headaches?

You can easily differentiate between cluster headaches and other headaches by the severity of the pain. In cluster headaches, the pain is unbearable and will wake you from your sleep. You won’t be able to sit still or listen to music, to reduce this pain. Some patients reported that they felt like their eyes were being pulled out while their faces hurt painfully.  

Here are the other common headaches to compare with. 

• Migraine headaches 

The first and foremost feature of a migraine headache is an aura, with visual disturbances. Migraine with aura simply presents many warning signs like mood swings, blind spots, and tingling sensations in the hand and face. This pain gets worse with movement. However, if you have a pain like migraine with watery eyes, you might want to talk to your doctor about cluster headaches.

• Sinus headaches

A sinus headache is usually a sign of a sinus headache infection. It is a dull pain that affects the behind your eyes, in your cheekbones, forehead, or nose.

• Tension headaches 

Tension-type headache is the most common type of primary headache. It is a dull, numbing pain that feels like clamping pressure. 

How common are cluster headaches?

Cluster headaches aren’t common. They affect an estimated 0.1% of people around the world. This equals about 1 out of every 100,000 people.

List of Triggers of Cluster Headaches

Like most headache disorders there is a lot to discover about cluster headaches. These headaches too have their triggers. Recognizing these triggers will help take measures to face the experience. Some of the known triggers are the following: 

• Seasonal changes, during spring and autumn might trigger 

• Consistent consumption of alcohol 

• Smoking 

• Sudden exposure to strong smell or fumes 

• Change to a high altitude.

• Hot temperatures.

• Nitrites in food (preserved meats).

• Certain medications (like sildenafil).

Who can Suffer from Cluster Headaches? 

The onset of cluster headaches is common for people  20-40 years, across all genders. Though men are more prone to having this condition, cluster episodes last longer in women. 

There is a high chance that cluster headaches are genetic. Irrespective of your age and gender, you can get cluster headaches if you have a family history of the disease. 

Cluster Headache Symptoms: What to look for 

If you have, this condition a group of headaches will attack you and you will experience terrifying unilateral pain around or behind the eyes. 

• Sharp, stabbing pain 

• Unilateral pain (happens on one side of the head)

• Behind or around the eyes

• Sometimes, pain in Cheeks and jaws

• Eyes bulging 

• Nasal congestion or runny nose 

• Red watery eye

• Eyelid edema 

• Drooping eyelid 

• Miosis on the ipsilateral side 

• Excessive sweating: on the face and forehead of the ipsilateral side 

• Photophobia 

• Phonophobia 

Causes behind Cluster Headaches

Medical professionals are unsure of the precise cause of cluster headaches. According to research, they may be related to your body releasing the following in the vicinity of the trigeminal nerve, which transmits feelings from your face to your brain:

• Histamine is a chemical that aids in the response to allergic reactions.

• Serotonin that functions as a messenger between nerve cells.

• Additionally, studies have shown that dysfunction in the hypothalamus, a region of the brain, may be the cause of cluster headaches.

• Additionally, up to 5% of cases of cluster headaches have been linked to heredity. Research on the origins of cluster headaches is still being conducted.

Treatment and Diagnosis of Cluster Headaches 

Now, let’s talk about the available diagnosis and treatment options. 

Diagnosis of Cluster headaches

After a physical examination, a medical professional (a neurologist) will make the diagnosis of a cluster headache. A physician might recommend an MRI or other imaging test to rule out other illnesses that have comparable symptoms. It can assist your provider in learning more about your symptoms as they occur if you're having attacks. To track the impact of your headaches on you, your provider may ask for an examination at the same time that you experience them every day.

What are the Complications of Cluster Headaches?

Patients who undergo such excruciating experiences find it extremely difficult to continue their lives. Since it is a relatively rare condition, not many are aware of this. Unlike migraine or tension headaches, you can’t  Sometimes it involves lifelong suffering and the incredible agitation that comes with it. Many resign and stop fighting back to get this over with. 

Patients suffering from this condition feel incredible agitation as this changes their lives. The sheer horror of the experience led many to have suicidal thoughts. Thanks to modern technology and the internet, there are multiple support groups where you can talk about this condition. 

Treatment of cluster headaches 

There are two ways to go about the treatment.

• Medications to avoid headaches.

• Medications to control discomfort during a cluster headache attack.

If your current medications are not effective, your physician may recommend surgery. To treat your problems, a surgeon might implant a neurostimulator device, which would deliver electrical signals to certain brain nerves. If surgery is a good option, considering your age and other physical issues,  you can talk to your doctor about it. 

Preventive drugs: A headache cycle might be shortened by using certain drugs. They may also lessen the intensity of the headaches. This includes medications for blood pressure, allergies, depression, and seizures are examples of common ones. 
Drugs for pain management: Certain treatments, such as dihydroergotamine injections (which cannot be taken with sumatriptan), anti-inflammatory drugs (steroids like prednisone), or triptans, may aid with the symptoms of a headache. During an attack, breathing in 100% oxygen might help reduce symptoms.

Should I use Fioricet for Cluster headaches?

Fioricet is a part of a drug class known as barbiturates. Combination drugs that contain butalbital may be able to help you relieve your headache when standard over-the-counter remedies are ineffective. Butalbital can, however, be found in combinations with other stimulants and analgesics, such as caffeine. 

The ingredients of Fioricet are caffeine, butalbital, and acetaminophen. It's recommended as a treatment for tension headaches. In certain cases, when a standard migraine cannot be treated, it is also used to treat migraine headaches.

When it comes to treating cluster headaches, first you need to know what medications you are taking at present. So that the composition of Fioricet does not invoke adverse effects.

The severity of the pain experienced in cluster headaches leads the doctors to prescribe the butalbital medication Fioricet. Along with pain-relieving properties, it can make you relaxed and calm you down. In some cases, Fioricet can be good for cluster headaches. 

Where can you buy Fioricet?

Fioricet is well recognized for its efficiency in reducing headaches. It is easy to buy in the us. You can buy it online in the US from reliable digital drugstores like Shopemed. Often sold under the name of white butalbital or blue butalbital, this medication can provide you quick relief. On Shopemed, you can buy it without a prescription and get free shipping on all orders. We also provide express delivery and overnight shipping, during an emergency. Our service is available all across the US.

FAQ

1. What causes cluster headaches?

Cluster headaches are one of the most horrifying pain sensations. Yet, the researchers still do not know what causes it. One of the most problematic areas in this context is cluster headaches are primary headaches. This means they do not happen because of any underlying illness and are a disease themselves. 

Till now, doctors have learned that this condition is related to the sudden release of histamine or serotonin in the trigeminal nerve on the face. It is also suspected that the hypothalamus of the brain plays a role in this condition. 

 2. How do you relieve cluster headaches?

Cluster headaches are extremely painful head pains that require multiple methods to help the pain.

To prevent the pain or even to decrease the sharp, stabbing ache your doctor might prescribe. High-dose oxygen mask on your mask for 15 to 20 minutes. In this therapy, the oxygen, at 100% concentration, is delivered through a face mask at the earliest signs of pain. After taking this side-effect-free therapy, 75% to 80% of patients report complete relief. 

3. How long do cluster headaches last?

Cluster headaches take place in groups and can happen without any warning. They can last from 15 minutes to 3 hours. Usually, they last 15 to 45 minutes. They can happen many times a day, every day, or on alternative days, without warning. For some patients, these cluster headaches take place at the same time every day, following a Circadian rhythm. Cluster headaches also have remission periods that may last, weeks or even months or even years.

4. What deficiency causes cluster headaches

Cluster headaches are known for excruciating attacks, that get worse during spring and autumn. Even though the specific reason behind this disorder is yet to be determined, vitamin D deficiency is found to be common in patients with this condition. Vitamin deficiency is also linked with inflammation, autonomic function, autoimmune disorders, chronic pain, cancer, and vascular and neurological disorders, in addition to its skeletal roles

5. What is the best tablet for cluster headaches?

One of the most common choices for treating primary headaches such as tension-type headaches and migraine is butalbital-containing Fioricet. Fioricet has acetaminophen, which relieves pain, and butalbital is a CNS depressant, making you relaxed. Caffeine in it helps enhance the effect of the combination. It helps a great deal in managing tension headaches and migraine. The most common medications for cluster headaches are Triptans and Octreotide. Triptans are given as both a shot and nasal spray. 

6. What is recommended for cluster headaches?

The best treatment for cluster headaches is therapy with a facial oxygen mask. In this method of treatment, pure oxygen is given at a 100 percent concentration. It helps decrease the pain. 

7. Is Fioricet good for headaches?

Fioricet is a great medication that doctors and patients both resort to. It is a Butalbital-containing medication that has acetaminophen and caffeine. Acetaminophen is a pain and fever reducer and caffeine has vasoconstrictive properties that bring down the swelling of blood vessels during a headache.  This barbiturate drug can fast-acting can give relief within an hour of taking it.

8. What is the fastest treatment for cluster headaches?

Cluster headaches are infamous for the horrible pain that they cause. Here are some fast-acting treatments to manage this condition :

• Oxygen mask therapy: Breathing in pure oxygen through a mask provides relief for most who use it.
  
• Triptans: Sumatriptan is given subcutaneously when cluster headache symptoms start. 
• Using a shot of Octreotide. 
• Local anesthetics. 
• Dihydroergotamine.
  

9. What is the latest treatment for cluster headaches?

To prevent or at least control the severity of an attack in progress, you may be prescribed high-dose oxygen therapy through a face mask for 15 to 20 minutes. Your doctor might decide on a nasal spray called sumatriptan, a selective serotonin receptor agonist.  This helps to relieve the severe pain of a cluster headache.

10. Is cluster headache the most painful headache?

Suffering from a severe cluster headache every day can leave you feeling hopeless and helpless. The pain is so severe that is simply beyond description. When you suffer from this condition, you might experience depression that triggers thoughts of suicide. Many patients often come forward with the admission of self-harm. The pain is so powerful that it overtakes your mind completely. For this reason, cluster headaches are often infamously called "suicide headaches". If you have such thoughts, inform your doctor or healthcare providers without delaying further. If you are depressed and anxiety-ridden because of this condition, consult a therapist immediately and get help.

11. What are the cluster migraine tablets?

A calcium channel blocker is frequently the first medication prescribed to treat cluster headaches. It is possible to take this medication with other medications. In certain cases, longer-term use is required to treat persistent cluster headaches. This drug class is usually well tolerated among people. .

12. What is the root cause of cluster headaches?

The precise cause of cluster headaches is unknown to researchers. They appear to be connected to the body's abrupt release of either serotonin or histamine. Excessive smoking and drinking alcohol are believed to be strongly responsible for this condition, along with vitamin D deficiency.

13. What's the longest a cluster headache can last?

Typically, cluster headaches only last 30 to 90 minutes. They last anywhere from fifteen minutes to three hours, after which they vanish. One to three of these headaches will likely occur each day. Some get them up to eight times a day, while others have as few as one every other day.

14. Is a cluster headache a migraine?

A cluster headache is not migraine. A cluster headache is not as same as migraine headache, though both of them are primary headaches. A migraine is a neurological disorder that involves a throbbing, pulsating headache, with aura, prodrome, and postdrome. A cluster headache is when you get attacked by a group of headaches that are extremely severe. The pain is usually located behind or around the eye. During an attack, your face, jaw, and cheeks also hurt.

15. Are cluster headaches neurological?

Cluster headaches are a neurovascular headache disorder. This condition affects the hypothalamus of the brain and blood vessels. 

 17. What is the fastest way to get rid of a cluster headache?

Cluster headaches are unfortunately incurable. However, there are treatments available to you that may lessen their frequency or mildness. Together, you and your healthcare provider will create a suitable treatment plan. For the best relief, be sure to heed the advice of your healthcare provider.

18. Does migraine medicine work on cluster headaches?

Even though it is rare—affecting only 0.1% of the population—it is among the most excruciating illnesses that people have ever encountered. Abortive therapy, transitional therapy, and preventive therapy are the three approaches used to effectively treat CH. Due to the rarity of the condition, there are few large-scale controlled trials, and the evidence supporting different treatments is derived from smaller studies.

19. Can I take Fioricet every day?

You can take Fioricet once every four hours. However, you should not exceed six tablets or capsules should be taken each day. Extended and frequent use of Fioricet increases the risk of dependence on butalbital, which is habit-forming. 

However, if you take the dose prescribed for your headache, and keep the treatment under medical supervision, there should be no problem.