For a small segment of the population, cluster headaches can cause severe pain with little warning. Cluster headaches can strike seemingly random intervals, for which they gain their name. Patients are known to live for years without a problem, and suddenly suffer them for days or weeks at a time. The exact cause of cluster headaches is not known, although it is thought that stress, alcohol, and drugs can all play a role in promoting an attack. Even without these factors, however, a cluster headache can strike a patient at any time. A cluster headache can be easily identified by the pain level.
A sufferer of a cluster headache sometimes experiences a runny nose or eyes. The pain tends to focus behind one eye, and is often described as feeling like an icepick. This extremely uncomfortable sensation sometimes becomes very painful, often times triggering a pain crisis in the patient. The pain is often intense enough to trigger great emotional stress. Immediate treatment is very important. Sedatives and pain killers should be the first line of defense against cluster headaches.
Cluster headache treatment is not an exact science. Instead of a lifelong regimen of medication, cluster headache treatment is typically limited to lifestyle choices. Avoiding drugs and alcohol is an important first step in avoiding a triggering of cluster headaches. Although prevention is difficult, cluster headache treatment can reduce the pain of the first attack significantly.
Frequent cluster headaches should be a signal to see the doctor. Although cluster headaches can occur without any discernable cause, they may sometimes be a sign of a deeper neurological issue. If this is the case, patients should see a doctor as soon as possible. Some forms of stress management can also help to reduce cluster headache occurence. Although the role of stress in cluster headache treatment cannot be known for certain, it is thought to play a role, and could potentially have an effect on the cluster variety of headaches. Significant emotional stress is known to cause a variety of physiological symptoms, and could play an important role in cluster headaches as well.
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