Treatment of this severe neurological condition is tailored individually, on the basis of how often the symptoms occur and how the particular patient responds.
Cluster headache – as the word “cluster” itself suggests – is characterised by intense, single, one-sided, long-lasting attacks. The pain usually begins around the eye and spreads to the sides of the head and to the neck, and it is often accompanied by indirect symptomatic signs such as redness of the eye, a runny nose and marked tearing. The attacks recur in separate phases, in periods lasting about a month and a half or several weeks.
Treatment of this severe neurological condition is tailored individually, on the basis of how often the symptoms occur and how the particular patient responds. At the first stage, oxygen inhalation (at high pressure) can give symptomatic relief during an attack. In addition, medicines of the triptan group (sumatriptan, zolmitriptan and others) can ease an attack effectively.
In preventive treatment, calcium channel blockers such as verapamil are widely used; in severe cases lithium, corticosteroids or courses of cortisone may be considered. If treatment with conventional medicines brings no positive response, or if side effects appear, non-invasive or minimally invasive methods such as nerve stimulation (occipital nerve stimulation) may be used.
In this condition the doctor approaches both symptomatic and preventive measures carefully, working to optimise the patient's quality of life and the impact of the pain. With continuous monitoring, the treatment plan can be changed and adapted.