Cluster headaches are short, brutal attacks of one-sided head pain that strike in cycles. They are one of the most painful conditions we treat, and most patients have been searching for relief for years.
A cluster headache is a sudden, severe, stabbing pain around or behind one eye. Attacks last 15 minutes to three hours and often come with a watery eye, runny nose, or drooping eyelid on the same side.
Cluster headaches happen in bouts, sometimes several a day, for weeks or months at a time. Between bouts, patients can be completely pain free. Targeted interventional care can cut attack frequency and shorten the cluster period.
Cluster headaches are distinct from migraines. If your attacks feel sudden, one-sided, and come in predictable cycles, this may be the diagnosis.
Most patients do best with a mix of abortive treatments to stop an active attack and preventive injections to shorten the cluster cycle.
A non-invasive nasal procedure that quiets a nerve cluster behind the nose. One of the most effective treatments for cluster headache attacks.
A quick injection at the base of the skull. Used preventively at the start of a cluster cycle, it can reduce how often and how hard attacks hit.
A targeted block in the neck that calms the sympathetic nervous system. Helpful for cluster headaches that do not respond to first-line options.
Although FDA approval is for chronic migraine, many chronic cluster patients also benefit from Botox as part of a broader prevention plan.
Seek emergency care if you have the worst headache of your life, vision loss, weakness, confusion, slurred speech, or a headache after a head injury. These can point to a more serious problem.
Cluster headaches are shorter, more intense, and always on one side. They come in bouts with pain-free gaps, often at the same time of day. Migraines are longer, come with nausea and light sensitivity, and rarely include the tearing eye or runny nose seen in cluster.
Many patients feel relief within minutes of the procedure. The benefit can last days to weeks, and we often repeat the block during active cluster periods.
Cluster headaches tend to come and go over a lifetime, but treatment can shorten cycles dramatically and reduce attacks within a cycle. Some patients go years between bouts with the right plan.