Cluster headache and remedies?
This is question is for my father. He get's cluster headaches every year, around the same time of the year for about 2 - 3 months. He gets the severe kind that send him to the hospital. It's pretty bad, and everybody feels bad for him. His veins protrude out of his head, his sinuses start going crazy. Anyway, the doctor ends up just having to give him a morphine shot. That's the only thing that even minimalizes the pain. (Not even fully.) People have committed suicide from the headaches they are so painful. Have there been any medical advances for these yet? Nothing seems to work, not oxygen therapy, or anything (for him). Any home remedies that may have worked for other people? They have to have something for these people...
Thanks Sharrona! It would have been nice if his doctors would have suggested that in the first place. We'll definitley be sending him to both.
Public Comments
1. DAILY BENADRYL2. Has he ever been to a neurologist or an allergist.? ? ?
That is what I did, had them for years, until I found out this information.
He really needs to be directed to either of these health professionals, probably both.
These headaches are beyond 'home remedies' get to the cause!!
good luck
3. More men than women get cluster headaches. What happened a year ago that would cause tension and stress? Is it going on again? Is there any way to avoid this? Are the same people involved? Is the same activity going on? Don't ignore the food you've eaten. Are you alergic to certain foods, and have you ignored this and been eating them? Might there be an allergy to foods that have been unsuspected, for example wheat where the gluten has not been removed. You can buy wheat with the gluten removed. Certain foods deliberately use wheat gluten. Once you suspect or know of an allergy, read labels.
4. I agree, he needs to see a neurologist and an allergist. Complete labwork, including evaluation for thyroid disorders, wouldn't hurt either.
I had cluster headaches for a while, and I used Topamax (an anticonvulsant drug) as a preventative as well as oxygen for acute attacks. The oxygen didn't really work, but I did have a lot fewer headaches when taking the Topamax. It was wonderful. I will say, though, that my neurologist put me on a brief course of corticosteroids to help me get out of them and THEN put me on Topamax as a preventative. This may help your dad, to have a course of steroids first.
What also may help is drinking lots and lots of water. Hydration is key and I, along with a lot of other sufferers, have noticed that I'm better off when I've been drinking enough water than when I haven't.
Also, he should take steps to reduce stress in his life in general. These headaches, while not technically stress headaches, increase in frequency and pain during stressful times because of the inflammatory processes involved. For the same reason (inflammation), these headaches may be related to allergies, which is why he might benefit from seeing an allergist.
Also, as a last resort, your family could consider moving closer to the equator. Though it's not yet known why, people who live closer to the equator have a lower prevalence of cluster headaches. It supposedly has something to do with circadian rhythms, which is why it can be seasonal in some sufferers, which seems to be the case for your dad.
These headaches are incredibly painful and, as you accurately describe, inspire suicide occasionally. Therefore, they're dangerous and should be treated aggressively. His doctor should already have referred him to a neurologist, but a lot of times, your standard family doctor does not really realize what he or she is dealing with.
Try OUCH (the Organization for Understanding Cluster Headaches) for further support. Please understand that your dad is not faking and he is really, really in pain more intense than you can imagine. The OUCH site is http://www.ouch-us.org/index.shtml. It has lots of advice and a really good forum if I recall correctly.
Which brings me to the reason I don't recall. I'm in remission. I haven't had a cluster headache in over a year of being off my preventative medication. I believe that this is due to my thyroid levels being normal again. I developed cluster headaches at the same time that I developed Hashimoto's autoimmune thyroiditis (most common cause of hypothyroidism in the modernized world), and I no longer have them now that my thyroid has evened out. I'm not the first person to experience this kind of turnaround. Thyroid disorders don't necessarily cause any or all cluster headaches. However, can't hurt to have it checked out.
Best of luck to you and your dad! I'll be thinking of you!
5. Headache is a pain in the head, scalp or neck. Headaches can be
caused by minor problems like eyestrain, lack of coffee or more
serious reasons like head injury, brain tumors, encephalitis and
meningitis. Taking painkillers continuously can have harmful side
effects, so it is better to modify your lifestyle. More information
available at http://tinyurl.com/q8696
